Captain Mark Ulcigrai is confident Lake Illawarra will overcome the absence of Kerrod White and Jarryd McMahon when they clash with Kookas in a pivotal South Coast Twenty20 match-up on Saturday.
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The two teams are unbeaten in Twenty20 matches, with Lake Illawarra yet to lose in any format this season.
While the Lakers are set to lose White and McMahon, they will be boosted by the return of Mark and Scott Ulcigrai.
“Throughout the season everyone’s stood up at different times,” Mark Ulcigrai said. “We haven’t been relying on one person to contribute to the team, so their absence shouldn’t affect us too much.”
“The key to winning will be bowling to our fields. We’re going to win this in the field rather than with the bat, if we can limit their top order getting away from us early, we’re in good stead.
Kookas captain Craig Bramble believes the absence of White helps his team’s cause but is still expecting a tough match, especially with all-rounder Jacob O’Connell out on junior representative duties.
“Their strength is their batting,” Bramble said.
“Kerrod missing helps a little bit, but it’s only marginal. They’ve still got Brendan White and the Ulcigrais. They’ve got batters that can strike the ball well all the way down the batting order.
“For us it’s about trying to bowl as tight as you can and limiting their scoring opportunities.”
Elsewhere on Saturday, Oak Flats will play Gerringong and Shellharbour will face The Rail.