Boland Park hosts the Mzansi Super League’s Western Cape derby on Sunday, where the six-team standings bottom-feeders will be up against the log leaders.

Paarl Rocks

The Rocks will be the first to acknowledge that the start of their MSL campaign has not gone according to plan – and a string of victories is required to spark their pursuit. Well, that quest starts now – against their strongest opposition of the tournament so far. If they could rekindle all they had put together in that one-run defeat to the Tshwane Spartans, and then find that something extra, they should be able to upend the favourites. They haven’t played in five days – a lengthy stretch of time in a brief tournament – and need to shake off any potential ring rust.

Cape Town Blitz

The Blitz have quickly become a veritable MSL juggernaut and are seeming unstoppable, for now. That said, peaking too soon could catch up with them – and this Sunday outing might just be the time for the unfancied Rocks to derail their Western Cape rivals. Fast bowler Anrich Nortje’s ankle ailment will need to be managed, while it might be worth affording Dale Steyn a rest, too. That’s not to say the Blitz can field an under-strength XI, but the bench strength is considerable and substantial. If the Rocks can remove both Janneman Malan and Quinton de Kock early, the intrigue will heighten.

Battle within the war

Seeing Henry Davids come up against one or both of Steyn and Nortje in the opening powerplay could yield plenty of fireworks.

Prediction

Five in five for the Blitz is the most likely result, as the Rocks remain firmly rooted to the foot of the standings. Bloemfontein, then, can further question why they weren’t afforded a tournament franchise ahead of Paarl.

Where to next

The Blitz will head to Port Elizabeth for their third fixture in four days – this time against the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants. The Rocks will be in Durban, against the Heat, on Wednesday.

Image: Gallo