This will be a trans-Tasman turf war, on another continent maybe, but which neither side would give up without a fight. The Northern Knights, undefeated thus far, will strive to maintain that winning streak when it takes on the Hobart Hurricanes in the Oppo Champions League Twenty20 at the Shahid Veer Narayan Singh stadium here on Tuesday.
While his confidence was understated on the contest’s eve, Tim Southee stood symbolic of an upbeat Kiwi squad, of which he’s become such an integral part. “The Hurricanes have good batting and bowling line-ups. They have some quality and experienced seamers and a couple of handy spinners too,” he said, sizing up the opposition.
“I think it is important for us to keep playing our brand of cricket, the way that we have been playing, which seems to be working for us. We know the conditions, having been here for the last couple of weeks,” said Southee of the comfort zone they find in these surroundings.
“T20 is a funny game. We had a little bit of luck in the last game. We have played some aggressive cricket and have been rewarded for the way we’ve been playing. I think we are coming together nicely as a team with bat and ball. Different guys are stepping up on different days, which is a pleasing sign of a good team,” the seamer said, optimism overtaking worry on possible weak spots in a near fully functional unit.
“It’s a very important game for us and we know they are a quality opposition. You want to win every game and it will be nice to continue the winning ways that we have started. Winning becomes a habit and I think you gain a lot of momentum from winning games. Hopefully we can continue with that,” he said on the prospects of a fiercely fought match.
“It’s been nice to come here and not lose a single game. Our goal is to leave Raipur unbeaten and move on to the next challenge in other grounds,” said Southee of the eagerness of his side to sign off this leg of their tour on a winning note.