CAPE TOWN – Cape Cobras captain Dane Piedt received the best birthday present he could ever ask for on Monday: the return of opening bowler Dane Paterson from Proteas duty in New Zealand.
Piedt, who turned 27, has been forced to juggle his seam bowlers with greater skill than a court jester in the last couple of Momentum One-Day Cup matches. Due to all-rounder Jason Smith’s nagging finger injury that is still keeping the talented 21-year-old on the sidelines, Piedt has effectively been one pace bowler light.
At Paarl on Friday evening in the tense three-wicket defeat to the Highveld Lions the skipper was forced to use the part-time medium pace of Stiaan van Zyl at the death, with the Cobras No 3 batsman delivering the final over.
It almost proved to be the ultimate joker card with Van Zyl bowling Bjorn Fortuin first ball and just failing to defend only three runs in the final over.
As well as Van Zyl performed under the circumstances, Piedt will feel much more comfortable tossing the ball to one of the premier domestic death bowlers in the country, especially now that Paterson also has the experience of playing international cricket at intimidating venues like Auckland’s Eden Park.
“Happy birthday to me!” Piedt joked. “Patto is back after representing South Africa in New Zealand and the team we will definitely be fielding three seam bowlers (against the Dolphins at Paarl on Wednesday).”
Paterson also told Independent Media on Monday that “I’m still suffering from jet lag but I definitely want to be involved on Wednesday”.
The timing of Paterson’s return could not be better with the Cobras facing a make-or-break week of three crucial fixtures. After the Dolphins clash, the Western Cape side face a return match with the Lions in Potchefstroom on Friday before returning home to host the Warriors at Newlands on Sunday.
The Cobras are currently in last place with seven points at the halfway stage and anything other than at least two victories from the three encounters could spell the end of the road.
Piedt will hope that former South Africa Under-19 pace bowler Lizaad Williams will continue his impressive form alongside Paterson and that the pair can make inroads upfront to ease the pressure at the backend of the innings.
Williams bowled with great heart and skill in the Lions defeat, claiming 3-31, but also provided the energy in the field that inspired his teammates around him.
“I don’t think the bowling has let us down the last couple of games. Lizaad Williams has led the attack with distinction. I have always rated him. He is a whole-hearted performer,” Piedt said.
Meanwhile, the Cobras are not the only team who will have a sleep-deprived player on the field on Wednesday. The Dolphins agreed to release veteran opening batsman Morne van Wyk to play in the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore over the weekend.
The 37-year-old received a late call-up to the Quetta Gladiators squad after England trio Kevin Pietersen, Luke Wright and Tymal Mills as well as South Africa's Rilee Rossouw and Nathan McCullum of New Zealand refused to play in Pakistan due to security fears.
The entire tournament was staged in the United Arab Emirates before the final was scheduled forPakistan. Van Wyk scored just one in the final as the Gladiators went down by 58 runs to Peshawar Zalmi.
The final was the highest-level game in Pakistan since the 2009 assault, in which gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus outside Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium, killing six people and wounding several players. Foreign players were offered one-off payments between $10 000 to $50 000 to participate in the final.