With their SuperSport Series hopes hanging by a thread following their defeat by Gauteng, the Natal cricket team¹s focus will now switch to the day/night game and a torrid encounter with Western Province tonight at Newlands.

Their nine-wicket defeat at the Wanderers has left them well off the pace in the Super Eights round of the four-day competition and victory is now essential in their two closing games - against Border, who are seven points ahead of them with a match in hand, and Northerns - if they are to finish in the top two and qualify for the SuperSport Series final.

Coach Phil Russell said the team¹s morale was still very good, despite the disappointment of losing their crucial clash with Gauteng, as they went into their third day/night match of the season, having lost to Boland in Paarl and beaten Griqualand West at home.

``If we had batted for another half-an-hour we would have had a very good chance of saving the game,'' Russell said of the Wanderers match, where Gauteng claimed the last eight Natal wickets for just 76 runs and were then relieved to chase down their target of 144 shortly before heavy thundershowers drenched the field.

Natal, with Doug Watson and Dale Benkenstein in command, were looking good to stave off another defeat at The Bullring, before the second new ball made its appearance.

``It was basically the new ball which did us in and we lacked experience in our middle-order. They¹ve got a bit more gas with the new ball than we do, and they produced some great bowling which we couldn¹t do much about,'' Russell said yesterday from Cape Town.

The one positive aspect for Natal cricket that emerged from the match was the gutsy batting of Ahmed Amla in both innings. The development prospect affirmed his talent and fighting qualities as he put together knocks of 49 and 36 not out - both very good rearguard efforts as he came to the crease with Natal 58 for four and 187 for four.

Russell waxed lyrical about the 20-year-old: ``He played brilliantly. They were both really mature innings.''

With both teams fielding their internationals, tonight¹s Standard Bank Cup match at Newlands should be an excellent contest, with spectators being able to look forward to Shaun Pollock and Lance Klusener bowling to the likes of Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten, while Jonty Rhodes will aim to shore up the Natal middle-order.

Natal enjoyed a convincing win in their four-day match against Western Province at Newlands in October, but they will have no room for overconfidence. As always in Cape Town day/nighters, the toss is likely to affect matters greatly, the side batting first usually finishing tops.

The squads: Western Province: Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, HD Ackerman, Ashwell Prince, Brian McMillan, Alan Dawson, Thami Tsolekile, Craig Matthews, Roger Telemachus, Paul Adams, Claude Henderson, John Commins. Lloyd Ferreira.

Natal: Doug Watson, Mark Bruyns, Andrew Hudson, Dale Benkenstein, Jonty Rhodes, Errol Stewart, Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock, Ahmed Amla, Eldine Baptiste, Ross Veenstra, Kevin Pietersen, Jon Kent, Wade Wingfield, Gary Gilder.

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