A North West Dragons team filled with character, determination and selflessness put together a memorable win this past Sunday, 3 December that will go down in North West Cricket’s history books.
The Dragons beat the KZN Inland Tuskers by 115 runs with only 10 balls to spare on a pulsating final day of play in the CSA 4Day Cup at the J.B. Marks Oval. The win was not only the first of the season, but also the first time that the North West Dragons won a 4Day Series match in division 1 in three seasons of trying.
North West Dragons captain, Wihan Lubbe, was at the forefront of the win hitting a half-century and taking 5/20 with his off-spinners. He also got the final wicket of the match to seal the victory.
“This means so much for us as a team and a group. The guys were prepared to fight for a win. It is definitely a step in the right direction. We could have batted longer with Sen (Senuran Muthusamy) going for his hundred, but we decided to look at the bigger picture. This win means a lot for the culture that we want to create,” stated Lubbe.
Lubbe emphasised that for the most part it looked like the match would end in a draw, but the game was back on when the Dragons decided to declare and take a positive approach.
“We want to play positive cricket. We are really chuffed that the match ended in a win and not in a draw. There was a couple of amazing performances. Mig (Migael Pretorius) took 5 wickets on a flat wicket in the first innings, which was pretty special for a seamer. The batters also performed in both innings. Sen took the wicket in the over before mine and that gave us a chance to wrap up the match,” stated an elated Lubbe, who emphasised the team effort that went into securing the win.
NW Dragons head coach, Craig Alexander and his management staff compiled this NW Dragons squad with the intention of improving their red ball fortunes. The players are backing their skills on the field this season, picking up a win and two draws. Alexander mentioned that this win in the 4-Day series shows that this team can perform in any format.
“We knew before the season started that four-day cricket is something we want to improve on. Everyone might have thought that the match on Sunday would end in a dead rubber, but we believed that we could win the game. The best four-day wins are winning on the fourth day after Tea,” he expressed.
Alexander also alluded to the selfless nature of the Dragons unit, where everything is done for the good of the team. On Sunday, this meant that personal goals were put on the back burner for a memorable victory that everyone could enjoy.
“Every single game we play to win. You sometimes have to take risks. Sen sacrificed his chance of getting a special hundred in order for the team to get a chance of winning. All the fifties also contributed to both first and second innings totals. Everyone played their part in the team.”
Going into the final stretch of the match, the Dragons knew they had to pick up wickets. Migael Pretorius (3/16) and Lubbe (5/20) delivered when it mattered most.
“We made sure we bowled in the right areas. Migael was amazing with the ball, taking 5 in the first innings and 3 in the second. I was crying out for an off-spinner for years and our captain stepped up with the ball on Sunday getting a five-for. It was just a brilliant effort. We have the right characters on and off the field which makes my job as coach that much easier. Everyone in the changeroom was ecstatic about the win.”
