Pretoria Capitals coach calls on youthful batting line-up to build partnerships ahead of NYE clash

Pretoria Capitals assistant coach Mandla Mashimbyi believes the team’s youthful batting line-up are showing signs of progression, despite suffering two consecutive defeats in the Betway SA20.

While the potential is there for all to see, the top-order consists of Will Smeed, Bryce Parsons and Connor Esterhuizen who are all 24-years-old, while Dewis Brevis is two years younger.

This inexperience has led to consecutive collapses against both Joburg Super Kings and Sunrisers Eastern Cape, which has led to defeats.

But Mashimbyi feels they are growing in confidence with each game and will be eager to rectify their mistakes in the New Year’s Eve clash against MI Cape Town at Newlands.

“With the bat we started really well, we were ahead of the game. But as you know, if partnerships are not part of what you're doing, you're going to find yourself wanting, if you always have new batters coming in,” he said.

“It’s actually the feeling that I'm having with regards to our batting. It's just something that's missing. 

“And I hope maybe in the next few games we can find it because we do have power and we do have players that can bat for a while.

“I think the word partnerships comes to mind for me. And I think once you've got two batters that are settled, it will be a lot easier to chase scores like that.”

While experience can only be gained from playing, and being placed in tough situations, the one aspect of their game the Capitals do have control of is their fielding.

The catching was particularly poor at St George’s Park with the Capitals dropping at least four catches, while there were also mishaps on the boundary resulting in a number of extra runs.

“Yeah, as they say, catchers win matches, but you know, nobody wants to drop a catch,” Mashimbyi said.

He feels they can rectify these errors when they meet the defending champions at Newlands on Wednesday.

“You know, losing two games in a row is not nice. But I think there's still time for us to really recover,” Mashimbyi said.

“We need to regroup now and come back and make sure that in Cape Town we get our first win.”

Brevis will certainly be hoping to put in a performance at Newlands to remind his former employers of what they missed out on when they decided to release him and put him into the auction where the Capitals broke the SA20 record to purchase him for R16.5million.