The North West Dragons will need to end the CSA 4 Day Series campaign on a winning note in February in order to avoid ending in the bottom half of the table.
Things changed pretty dramatically in December for the Dragons who moved from second spot on the log to seventh place in the space of two matches.
The Dragons lost to Western Province at Newlands by 8 wickets before going down to the Titans by a mammoth 302 runs at the J.B. Marks Oval to end the year off on a disappointing note.
It was a largely forgettable match for the Dragons batsmen who were skittled out for 108 in the first innings and 145 in the second.
Spin caused major problems for the Dragons at the J.B. Marks Oval with off-spinner Donovan Ferreira achieving a 10-wicket haul in the match.
Ferreira picked up 6/38 in the first innings and then followed it up with 4/44 in the second. Niel Brand (4/35) also contributed to the batting collapse.
Only Grant Mokoena (50 off 89 balls) showed any real resistance as the match ended early on day 3 (Saturday, 23 December).
The Dragons, who are in seventh place on 61.08 points have drawn two matches, won one and lost two.
The Boland Rocks on 61.38 points climbed to sixth place after an 8-wicket win against Western Province at the end of 2023.
This win shook up the table and made things very interesting for the bottom half of the table.
The Dragons have a decent chance of moving up as they face the Dolphins at home on 14-17 February before ending the campaign with a massive clash against the Rocks in Paarl from 21-24 February.
Two wins here will guarantee that the Dragons finish in middle of the table. The Dolphins are on 75.28 points and the only unbeaten team in the league. They have drawn four of their matches and one won. A win for the Dragons will push them above the Dolphins.
Conversely, a loss or draw will take the Dragons’ position out of their hands as they will need other results to go their way.
One of the shining lights for the NW Dragons’ has been the all-round efforts of Migael Pretorius.
Pretorius has turned out to be a solid addition to the Dragons squad this season picking up 17 wickets at an average of 22.29 and strike rate of 45.88.
He has also picked two five wickets hauls with a bowling best of 6/78.
Pretorius starred with bat too, hitting his debut first class century against the Lions (109*) and stroking three half-centuries. He is the leading run scorer for the Dragons with 367 runs to his name at an average of 52. Dragons captain, Wihan Lubbe, is second on the list for the Dragons with 284 runs at an average of 31.55.
