CAVALIERS all-rounder Josh Doherty knows his side is on the back foot against Centrals heading into the second day of their Orange District Cricket Association round two clash at Riawena today.
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But he doesn’t care.
Doherty said despite his side only having 150 on the board, and Centrals sitting pretty at 2-58, he has little doubt his side will take the eight required wickets for victory.
The hulking opening batsman and medium quick praised Centrals’ bowling performance last weekend, but admitted his side’s batting effort left a lot to be desired.
“Centrals bowled well don’t get me wrong, but we played some silly shots,” Doherty, expected to play a huge role with the ball, said.
“We’ve dug ourselves a bit of a hole, but we know how to get ourselves out. We’ve definitely got the bowlers to get the job done and I’m very confident we will.”
Doherty said his confidence is born from two factors, both of whom were dismissed in the shadows of stumps last week.
“No Dean [Turner] or Nick [Dunlop] is a good start to the day,” Doherty smiled.
“I’m not taking away from the other batsmen at all, but those two were very big wickets to get last weekend, and it helps a lot.
“The Centrals guys are more than capable, Max Dodds and Jake Pauletto have both scored runs over the years, so we pretty much just need to match their performance from last weekend.
“We need to field well and take our chances. With the ball we need to stay patient, bowl stump to stump and let Riawena do the work.”
Centrals skipper Jake Pauletto (1 not out), will re-join Chris Hutchinson (5 not out) at the crease today and if the former has his way, the pair will still be there when the game is won.
“Ideally Hutchy and I run down that total, easier said than done of course” Pauletto said.
“We’ve got ourselves in a great position, and now we have 75 overs to score another 90-odd runs. We just need to stay patient, rotate the strike and bat time.
“If we bat for time the 90-odd we need will come, and then some. First innings points are crucial for us.”
Play gets under way at 1pm.