KAIZER Chiefs will seek to keep consistency in team selection in spite of a potentially taxing programme this season, coach Stuart Baxter cautioned after guiding his team to the MTN8 final.

He winced at the mention of the word "rotation" as Chiefs stuck yet again to a familiar-looking line-up in winning their sixth successive game of the season. They will now meet Orlando Pirates in the final on September 20.

"I've told the players that rotation is not taking turns. Rotation is about your opponent and about retaining some form of consistency," he said.

Sunday's semifinal second leg at FNB Stadium against Platinum Stars, with Amakhosi already 2-0 up from the first leg away from home, presented an opportunity to rest key players and expose others to game time, but Baxter was obviously not even remotely tempted.

Chiefs won the Sunday match 3-0 to secure a 5-0 aggregate win. Baxter said too many changes upset the balance of the team.

"Had they scored first, we would have been in trouble. We would have given up the quality of organisation we had worked on," he said.

Instead, Baxter thought it more prudent to look to substitute players who picked up knocks, like centre-back Mulomowandau Mathoho, and give them a rest while offering players off the bench a chance for some sharpness.

The Sunday match saw the return of Siphiwe Tshabalala after recovering from injury.

Bernard Parker has also resumed training after overcoming an ankle injury. "Parker recovered ahead of time," said Chiefs' spokesman Vina Maphosa yesterday.

"We expected him to come back mid-September or at the end of that month."

However, Parker will not be fit enough to play against Dikwena in a league match tomorrow night. "He is not ready yet," said Maphosa.