Wolverhampton admit Indian overseas player Sairaj Bahutule needs to stay on form if they are going to remain among the Premier Division pacesetters.
Bahutule has been hugely influential with bat and ball since his arrival at the start of the summer.
For once, he failed to grab the headlines in last week’s losing draw against rivals Himley, taking only one wicket for 92 runs while hitting an unbeaten six with the bat.
But, despite his quieter performance last weekend, the former Indian Test player has been the backbone behind their surprise surge to the top as they prepare to host Knowle and Dorridge tomorrow.
Captain Simon Lycett believes Bahutule is the key man for the Danescourt men this season.
“Our overseas player is a quality performer and that’s probably the diffference when we have someone of that ability.
“We are able to turn games in our favour occasionally, certainly when we’re bowling, even though as a side we’ve got good, all-round balance.
“Rather than surprising any sides, we generally play good cricket but we have some tough games ahead which will be a good test or how far we’ve come.”
Aaron O’Connor was the batting star for Wolverhampton, hitting a seasonal best 117 in their innings of 200.
Lycett said: “It was good for Aaron to get in the runs – it did him the world of good to spend time at the crease while Chris Brook (64) did well.
But the captain was disappointed with elements of his side’s play against Himley, who racked up 288 for Wolverhampton to chase.
He said: “If I’d have had a full side out, we’d have batted first.
“We didn’t bowl or field that badly but we needed to restrict them to a lower total. 288 is a very daunting total which I didn’t consider chasing – my main aim was to stop them winning and getting 24 points.”
Wolverhampton are back to full strength as they make two changes for tomorrow.
Isle of Wight star Chris Russell, who returns from a slight back niggle, and Anesh Kapil replace Mike Smith and Todd Henderson.
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