Veteran Titans batsman Henry Davids is ready to get stuck into the One-Day Cup after what he describes as the longest pre-season of his career.
Davids has spent his downtime engaged in a variety of activities but is grateful to be getting back to cricket.
Davids wants at it
The Titans meet the defending champion Dolphins in the first match of the One-Day Cup on Saturday 9 January.
“It’s great to be back! I’ve had a very, very long break. It’s been the longest pre-season ever, so I’m nice and fresh,” Davids said from the team bubble in Potchefstroom.
“I feel great being back with the boys competing, training, running around, making jokes, hitting balls. It’s really nice to be back,” he said excitedly.
Originally hailing from the Boland, Davids has been a long-time servant of the Titans and as a senior player understands his role in setting standards for the team and helping younger players fit in.
“We have a very proud history of setting standards in South African cricket and that’s something we want to push through with the guys coming in,” he emphasised.
“We want to let them faze into the way we play cricket and do certain things. It just makes it easier for when you get to the bigger games, knowing how to cope with the pressure that those bring.”
The Titans have won four of the last seven One-Day Cup titles and are the most successful team of the franchise era, which is soon to come to an end. Davids has been part of the Titans camp since 2009 and appears set to finish his career at SuperSport Park. He turns 41 later this month but is yet to declare when he will hang up his bat for good.
The men from Centurion have swelled their ranks recently with the acquisition of former Dolphins and Warriors paceman Kyle Abbott.
The Titans are grouped with the Dolphins and the Lions. The One-Day Cup has been relocated to one stadium and will be played behind closed doors to minimize the risk of transmission of Covid-19. The Pool A teams entered the BSE on Monday evening.
Titans One-Day Cup squad
Grant Thomson (C)
Neil Brand
Henry Davids
Theunis de Bruyn
Diego Rosier
Sibonelo Makhanya
Rubin Hermann
Dayyaan Galiem
Junior Dala
Okuhle Cele
Kyle Abbott
Matthew Arnold
Gregory Mahlokwana
Thando Ntini
Lizaad Williams
Tabraiz Shamsi
Coach: Mandla Mashimbyi
Assistant Coach: Geoffrey Toyana
Physiotherapist: Sizwe Hadebe
Fitness Trainer: Laden Gamiet
