A full round of Ram Slam T20 fixtures takes place around the country on Friday evening.

Newlands will host a repeat of last season’s final when the Cape Cobras hosts the Dolphins. On that occasion the men from Durban won by just two runs, which will fuel the hosts desire to set the record straight and claim their second consecutive win of the tournament.

The Titans take on the table-topping Knights at SuperSport Park. The batsmen in both teams piled on the runs, just down the road at the Wanderers, in their first outing and this should be another chance for the top-order to cash in.

The Warriors play their first game at home and are desperate for a win, after suffering bonus point defeats in their opening two encounters. Their opponents, the Lions, recorded a solid victory in their only match thus far and will be confident of notching up another in East London.

Players to watch:

Kieron Pollard produced a match-winning performance, contributing with bat and ball, in his first match for the Cape Cobras. He’s a true showman and will want to do it again in front of his newly adopted home fans. The Dolphins also have a West Indian all-rounder at their disposal in the form of Dwayne Bravo. He has added balance to their side and will be the danger man.

It will be a case of who can hit the ball the furthest and most often at Centurion. Henry Davids is one of only six batsmen in the local T20 cricket to have hit more than 50 sixes and the Titans will be relying on him to get them off to a flyer. The Knights are missing some key players, but in their absence Gerhardt Abrahams has stepped up to the plate. He’s in good touch and will relish the friendly batting conditions.

In Chris Gayle, the Lions have a spare factor about their team. The West Indian oozes confidence, which rubs off on the players around him. He will once again be the big fish. For the Warriors, Colin Ingram is going to have to stand up and be counted. They haven’t scored nearly enough runs in their opening matches and he will have to take the responsibility of guiding his side to a competitive total.

Predictions:

The Cape Cobras are a formidable outfit and should exact revenge on the Dolphins.

The Titans will still be kicking themselves about throwing away their opening match and should make amends against the Knights.

The Lions have a great bowling attack, which should be too much for the Warriors to cope with.

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