Johannesburg – The Cape Cobras stuttered in their first Ram Sam T20 Challenge match, losing by nine wickets to the Highveld Lions, but coach Paul Adams believes they have a chance to make an impact when they take on the Titans at Willowmoore Park on Thursday.
After winning two games on the trot, Adams said his side could take a lot of positives from the early victories and hoped his charges would continue to grow as the competition progresses.
“We have to take a lot of positives out of those two wins especially after losing our first game,” Adams said.
“I also think it's important that we have a steady growth of improvement as we go along.”
The Titans have had a mixed bag of results during the tournament so far, with their opening fixture being rained out.
The Pretoria outfit have lost one and won one, but the defending champions are yet to find consistent form in the shortened version of the game.
The Cobras, meanwhile, have impressed with the bat, with two of their players, Richard Levi and Dane Vilas, already in the top scorers' list, but Adams felt fielding and death bowling are areas which can be improved.
“The batting has been really great and the foundations have been set by our top order, but I do think we can improve a bit in our fielding and our plans in the bowling department,” he said.
“Beuran Hendricks is our striking factor in the first couple of overs, but we need to find somebody towards the back end who can take responsibility too.”
Their struggles with ball in hand were evident in their first match when the Lions chased down 184 with seven balls remaining and nine wickets in hand.
While Adams admits that the team has been in a position to pick up bonus points from their last two fixtures, the former Proteas spinner insists that the focus should be on winning the match.
“We have been in positions to try and get those points and we have missed out a bit, but I think it's important to focus on the win first and foremost.”
The Cobras have two international stars in their ranks, Owais Shah (England) and Azhar Mahmood (Pakistan), and Adams believed Mahmood was settling in well and would become increasingly valuable as the tournament progresses.
“Both our overseas recruits have settled well. Shah has been here for a couple of years and Mahmood is a true professional and he is starting to get a bit more comfortable around the guys.
“He's a versatile player within the team and with time I think he will find his feet.” – Sapa