Natal look for improved performance

Barring the possibility of playing an additional bowler, there will be no changes to the Natal attack that was cleaned up by Griquas in their opening Standard Bank Cup game for the match against Easterns in Benoni on Wednesday.

Medium-pacer Wade Wingfield has been called up to the squad for the trip to Benoni, but otherwise Natal hopes will once again rest on Veenstra, Gilder, Baptiste, Kent and Bodi and the ability of coach Phil Russell to get them back on line.

Natal's encouraging pre-season form was shown to be a mirage last week in Kimberley as 21-year-olds Pieter Koortzen and Grant Elliott had onlookers choking on their gins as they took Griquas to a target of 266.

With the 40-year-old Eldine Baptiste breaking down after five overs with a stiff knee and part-time spinner Mark Bruyns being hit for 23 runs in two overs, it was a thoroughly miserable evening for the Natal attack.

They will have to show a vast improvement against Easterns, whose batting line-up boasts two newly acquired jewels in Derek Crookes and Mike Rindel.

There were suggestions that Natal would bring left-arm paceman Shaun Adam into their side to give them more strike power, but he bowled poorly in weekend club cricket.

Batting ace Andrew Hudson is back in the Natal side, however, and the batting line-up will once again expect to produce the goods. Russell will be hoping that Jon Kent has not lost his sparkle after his bout of flu this week and the in-form Doug Watson, Bruyns and Ahmed Amla will once again be looking to get Natal off to a good start.

Judging by last week's performances, Natal face the prospect of a disastrous start to their day/night campaign, Easterns showing in their victory over Border that they are well-equipped to hand the Dolphins a second successive defeat.

Easterns have signed three star performers in Crookes, West Indian fast bowler Kenny Benjamin and Rindel and they are backed up by very capable performers in paceman André Nel, batsman Deon Jordaan and all-rounder Albie Morkel.

An evening of hard work awaits Natal in a crucial match for them.

Natal squad: Doug Watson, Mark Bruyns, Ahmed Amla, Dale Benkenstein, Jon Kent, Errol Stewart, Andrew Hudson, Eldine Baptiste, Gulam Bodi, Ross Veenstra, Gary Gilder, Kyle Bender, Duncan Brown, Wade Wingfield.