Paarl Rocks have sent out a strong warning to their competitors in the Mzansi Super League.
After eight games, captain Faf du Plessis and his team top the log.
But heading into Wednesday’s match against Durban Heat in Paarl at 5.30pm, Du Plessis says they have not yet hit their straps.
Fresh off a five-wicket win over defending champions Jozi Stars on the weekend, Du Plessis says: “We didn’t play our best [cricket].
“Our mantra is that we want everyone to chip in. We don’t rely on big names.
“It feels like we haven’t played to our full potential yet, so that’s the confidence that we’re carrying.
"We’re not firing and we’re winning - we are playing at 70 percent and when you’re at the top of the log, I’m not saying we’re playing bad cricket.
“I am just saying that there is more to come from us as a team and hopefully we can get that little bit better every game and peak towards the end of the tournament.”
IN THE SWING OF THINGS: Rocks’ Sibonelo Makhanya. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix.
With two more round-robin matches to play before the playoffs, Du Plessis is hoping his team can find top gear quickly.
One player that will be high on confidence heading into tonight’s clash is Sibonelo Makhanya.
The 23-year-old batsman was the star of the show against Stars, smashing a Man of the Match 63 off 47 balls.
Of his highest T20 score, the youngster says: “It was loads of fun the kind of knock you dream of playing as a youngster.”
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/Paarl_Rocks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Paarl_Rocksgo toe to toe with @durban_heat
🌐LIVE STREAM: https://t.co/E9XaKWIlTa #MSLT20 pic.twitter.com/Z2qsGfU7yV
— Mzansi Super League 🔥 🇿🇦 🏏 (@MSL_T20)
Makhanya, though, knows that one super knock means nothing if the rest of the team doesn’t pull their weight.
And he echoes his captain's words, adding: “We’re still waiting for the team to fire as a whole, so that’s exciting.”
The Heat, meanwhile, come to the Winelands riding high after back-to-back wins.
UPBEAT: Heat skip Dane Vilas. Picture: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix.
And captain Dane Vilas wants more, saying: “We have spoken about momentum at length and the team has just wanted to play cricket and play good cricket and I think that is what we are doing.