John Goliath
spinner Robin Peterson says he still has plenty to offer the Proteas Test side despite being left of out the eleven for the last two matches in the recent series against Australia.
Peterson was dropped from the Proteas side to accommodate an extra batsman after the Aussies’ left-arm wrecker Mitchell Johnson obliterated South Africa’s batting line-up with pace and nasty short balls in the first Test in Centurion.
Before the series against the Aussies, Peterson scored a quick-fire half-century and took four wickets in the second innings against India to help South Africa to a series victory in Durban – Jacques Kallis’s last Test.
“It maybe was a tactical decision to play against Australia (with an extra batter). It’s tough, because when Jacques Kallis doesn’t play, it seems like the one that gets the boot is the spinner,” Peterson told the Cape Times yesterday.
“It’s kind of South Africa finding their feet with combinations too, you know. The team is losing a lot of experience, so hopefully there is still a role for me to play.
“I don’t think I lack confidence. I have been playing really well. Prior to the Test in Centurion – obviously we didn’t have a good Test as a team – I got runs and took wickets against India. So I’m still feeling good about my game.”
Peterson will be back in the whites of his adopted franchise, the Cape Cobras, this weekend for their trip to Kimberley to face the Knights in a crucial top-of-the-table clash.
But for Peterson it’s not about proving people wrong or showing that he still is a quality performer with both bat and ball, it’s about contributing to the Cobras’ cause, as the Cape side go in search of their fourth Sunfoil Series title this season.
However, Peterson’s availability, after missing last week’s win over the Titans with a shoulder injury, is going to give Cobras coach Paul Adams a nice headache going into the clash.
Current spinner Dane Piedt has bowled the Cobras to victory in successive matches at Boland Park in Paarl, twice picking up five-fors in the second innings of those matches.
The question facing Adams is whether to drop one of his seamers and play two spinners on a track that, in the past, has been described as being as flat as the N1 highway.
“I’m eager to get on the field again. There’s nothing like a weekend off to get you mentally fresh again,” Peterson said after the Cobras training session at Newlands yesterday.
“The boys are playing well, so I’m really looking forward to coming back and playing with them. It’s a great atmosphere to come back to.
“Dane is playing well and I’m ecstatic for him. He has been around the system for a long time and it’s just great to see that he has put in so much effort in the off-season, and he is reaping the rewards now.”
The Cobras’ have been magnificent in their last two matches in Paarl. The conditions in the Northern Cape capital will be similar, although there is a thought that the Knights may ask the curator to leave a bit more grass on the pitch to accommodate their four seamers, as well as to combat the duo of Peterson and Piedt.
“The guys have learned different skills playing on flat wickets in Paarl and getting results. Yes, its going to be a lot of hard work, but I think the guys know how to play in those conditions and we are not going to make excuses at the end of the game. It is an important clash, but our team is experienced enough to know that. If we can have a good first day there, we can hopefully put them under pressure and things can go our way.”
SUNFOIL SERIES FIXTURES
Tomorrow: Warriors v Lions (Port Elizabeth), Knights v Cape Cobras (Kimberley), Titans v Dolphins (Benoni).