Rivalry a driving force as Pretoria's Capitals lock horns with Joburg's Super Kings

Pretoria Capitals assistant coach Jacques Kallis says he expects the Johannesburg and Pretoria rivalry to be the driving force when they take on the Joburg Super Kings in the Betway SA20 today at the Wanderers (5.30pm).

The Capitals, who are from Pretoria, and JSK, who are from Johannesburg, will meet for the first time in the SA20 today and then tomorrow they will once again do battle at SuperSport Park at the same time. The fact the sides are from Gauteng has sparked a bit of rivalry. 

The two sides have had contrasting fortunes in the SA20 so far; the Capitals are riding high in second place on the log while JSK is at the basement as they have won only one game from the three they have played. Despite JSK being off form, Kallis is anticipating a tough outing and believes the provincial derby element can push them. 

“I think it’s going to be a tough game,” said Kallis to the Capitals media department. “They’re a decent side, a good side and there’s the rivalry between Pretoria and Johannesburg that will play into it.

“We are going to have to do the basics better than them and give ourselves the best opportunity. We are a well-balanced side, hopefully, we have got the match-ups to give us the best chance of winning,” he said. 

The SA20 has a testing schedule, with teams playing a game almost every day with little to no rest time. Kallis is pleased with how his team has started the competition while dealing with a tight schedule.   

“We’ve played some cricket so far, it’s important to start well in tournaments like this,” said Kallis. 

“It is a tough, tough schedule this whole tournament except for the break in the last three games. It’s the same for everyone, it’s not an excuse that we’ll be using, teams have adapted better and taken it in their stride,” he said.