John Goliath
CRICKET is one of those sports codes where individual performances play a big part in the team’s success.
The Cape Cobras have had a fantastic season, with the Cape side sharing the One-Day Cup, making the final of the Ram Slam Twenty20 and qualifying for the lucrative Champions League T20.
Now Paul Adams’s side are on the cusp of winning the Sunfoil Series. Going into their last match against the Lions at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, the Cape side only need a few bonus points to lift the trophy.
Their success in the four-day competition has been built on brilliant individual performances at crucial times, with almost everybody contributing to the team’s success.
The outstanding Dane Piedt and Stiaan van Zyl lead the way in the wicket and run-scoring charts in the Sunfoil Series, but they have been nicely complemented by their teammates.
Captain Justin Ontong and opener Andrew Puttick are second and third respectively on the top-scorers’ list, while Rory Kleinveldt and Dane Paterson are also among the leading wicket-takers.
Then you also throw in the contribution of veteran all-rounder Justin Kemp and wicketkeeper Dane Vilas and you realise why the Cobras go into the final round of fixtures with a 19.08-point lead over the Knights.
“There has been some outstanding performances and then there has been some all-round performances. Guys have stepped up, different guys in every game. In the important moments we have seized those games and it’s been really good,” Kemp said.
“There are a few young guys who are starting to mature. Dane Piedt has had an outstanding season, he has turned out some good performances in a row now. He has come to the fore for us nicely, and then the old stalwarts like the Putticks, the Ontongs, Dane Vilas and even a player like Yaseen Vallie.”
However, Kemp says they haven’t uncorked the bubbly yet, as they want to finish the season off on a high against the Lions. “Our conversation is just about going up to Joburg and trying to win a cricket game. If we play well that won’t be a problem,” he said.
“We can’t go in there thinking we need one or two points. It’s a case of going there and then bowling and batting well. We are not changing anything we have done in the past.”
CAPE COBRAS SQUAD
Andrew Puttick, Omphile Ramela, Stiaan van Zyl, Justin Ontong (captain), Yaseen Vallie, Dane Vilas, Justin Kemp, Shaheen Khan, Dane Piedt, Dane Paterson, Travis Muller, Lizaad Williams.
SUNFOIL SERIES FIXTURES
(All matches start at 10am)
April 3-6: Knights v Dolphins (Bloemfontein), Highveld Lions v Cape Cobras (Johannesburg), Titans v Warriors (Centurion).