With the new domestic season kicking off this week with the CSA 4-Day Domestic Series, the Eastvaal Renault Dragons are eager to stamp their authority on the competition early on.
The men from Potchefstroom open their red-ball account against newcomers the Moothee Ram Tuskers at the JB Marks Oval from Thursday, 25 September.
It’s been a busy off-season as always for the side who had a handful of players away with the South Africa A (SA A) team as well as playing overseas. Heading into this week though, captain Wihan Lubbe says they have settled in nicely heading into the new season.
“We’ve had the majority of the squad together with us for the last few weeks which has been great,” Lubbe said. “We’ve had enough time to get to know each other and bond away from cricket which is always good going into the season.
“The final bits of preparation have gone well for us as well and we’re excited to get the season underway.”
Looking back on last season, the Dragons finished in seventh place on the overall 4-Day Series, however, they managed five draws from their seven matches in the competition.
They were unable to register a win in the competition and will be out to amend that in what is going to be a highly competitive competition starting this week. For Lubbe, making sure the team is in the fight at the end of the competition is the goal and he firmly believes the Dragons are a united squad shaped to withstand the pressures of a long season.
"We have got a well-balanced squad of players going into the season and we feel that we can compete across all formats, and we want to make sure we can compete in 4-Day cricket because that's been our Achilles heel in the past," Lubbe said.
"Looking at the season as a whole we're going to have the majority of our squad available throughout which will be an advantage for us.
"This makes our balance easier to maintain which bodes well for our goal to win trophies."
"On top of the culture that we are trying to build, we've signed well in terms of getting players that fit the mould and have that fight in them.
"The character of each of the players is something that will get us through when times get tough during the season."
With a home game against the Tuskers to open the season, the 32-year-old feels that the side needs to improve their home record in four-day cricket.
"Over the years we haven't quite been able to nail down our blueprint for winning four-day games in Potch," he said candidly. "This is something that we have definitely been paying attention to, and we feel we should be winning our home games.
"We are certainly looking at home ground advantage as a big thing this season across the competitions because we generally get good crowds in and want to take advantage of that."
The Dragons played three matches at home last season with all ending in draws while their final match against WSB Western Province was abandoned without a ball being bowled. The Dragons will feel slightly buoyed by the fact they were unbeaten at home, but will be out to add to the wins column.