It’s been widely documented that the Warriors endured a difficult conclusion to their season, mostly due to issues far away from the cricket pitch, and for all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy it has come as welcome relief that his side came away unscathed.
The Warriors were docked five points in the One-Day Cup for failing to meet the Cricket SA (CSA) transformation requirements during a group stage match against the Dolphins.
It meant instead of making it to the playoffs, the Dolphins benefitted and proceeded to progress to the final before winning the trophy.
For Muthusamy, it’s probably not a bad thing that the season is finally over.
Overcoming Challenges: Muthusamy Reflects on a Tough Season
"It's been really tough this season but it's not just been for us, I think three or four teams when the relegation scrap, so I think it's we've all been in a similar boat,” Muthusamy told SportsBoom.co.za.
“Then the guys really rallied well and pulled together and played really good cricket in the 50-over comp and finished basically third, and then we were obviously demoted a spot after being docked points, which wasn't ideal, but it was stuff that we had to deal with.”
A deliberate effort to compartmentalise the off-field issues was the only way they could take the field with confidence, explained Muthusamy.
"Those were uncontrollables on the players' parts, and it is just what happens along the journey, but credit to the players for staying positive and hanging in there. They played really good cricket in the last two Four-Day games, which was needed after finishing fourth in the 50-over comp and struggling in the T20s as well. We had a really poor start in the four-day competition from the end of last year.”
"We've had to have a few difficult and honest conversations. We had to be honest about our reality. We knew what we needed to do to finish the season safely. It's been a tough few months. It's been rough for a lot of guys and a lot of teams.”
On Monday, CSA announced that Muthusamy was part of the trio of Kwena Maphaka and Lizaad Williams who earned their first national contract.