Cape Town - Some might call him highly optimistic but Cape Cobras captain Dane Piedt refuses to give up on his team progressing to the playoffs of the Momentum One-Day Cup.
The Cobras have been consistently inconsistent in this season’s limited-overs competition. Emphatic bonus-point victories have been followed by disappointing defeats with the Cobras yet to win two matches in a row out of eight starts.
This erratic form has left the Cobras with only three victories and in last position on the log with only two games remaining. But even though the Western Cape side have played more matches than the rivals, the congestion on the log – five points separate last and first place – gives Piedt hope that the playoffs may not be out of reach just yet.
“I haven’t given up,” the Cobras skipper told Independent Media. “We’ll know definitely by Wednesday but if there is still some hope, we’ll be going for it all the way. We showed in the Sunfoil Series that nothing is over until the very final ball is bowled, so we’ll get up for the next game with the same type of fighting spirit.”
For all Piedt’s optimism it is hard to find a silver lining in the Cobras’ performances. The former One-Day Cup champions have yet to win a single home game this season with the Cobras suffering four defeats on the bounce at Newlands and Boland Park.
The pattern has been failure to defend good totals in the two winelands matches – both were record chases in Paarl by the opposition – while the Cobras have struggled to chase down targets at Newlands.
Despite conceding a record 400 to the Titans in the previous Newlands fixture, the Cobras captain defended his decision to send the Warriors in at Newlands on Sunday, which allowed his counterpart JJ Smuts to smash 173 not out that set up his side’s 305/6.
“The Titans match was a day-night game. Sunday was a day game. It is entirely different,” Piedt said. “I think we were well on track before Richard (Levi) had to retire (128/2). We had enough overs left in the innings to remain patient because Richie put us far ahead, but unfortunately we looked at the entire total instead of breaking it up in small chunks. It was just a bit frantic out there and by the time Richie came back on the score was 164/5.”
The Cobras will also have to deal with some off-field issues with batsmen Omphile Ramela and Keegan Petersen set to leave Newlands at the end of the season.
Soweto-born Ramela will return to Johannesburg to join up with the Highveld Lions next season. Although Ramela has endured an inconsistent season, the left-handed opener remains a senior batsman within the Cobras line-up.
It is a well-known fact that Ramela was one of the disgruntled Cobras players during the saga that ultimately saw former coach Paul Adams relieved of his duties at the end of last year. It was hoped with the appointment of former Proteas Test batsman Ashwell Prince as head coach on an interim basis at the Cobras that Ramela would continue his career in the Western Cape.
However, it is not to be and Ramela will join Geoff Toyana’s side on a permanent basis after being on loan at the Lions during the T20 Challenge competition earlier this season.
Another player that went on loan during the season has now opted to pursue a permanent move in that direction. Independent Media understands that exciting top-order batsman Keegan Petersen has signed with the Knights.
Although still only 23, Petersen has been a long-time prodigy here in the Western Cape having piled on the runs for the Boland semi-pro team since leaving school. The tiny right-hander has had to be content with limited opportunities for the Cobras during that period, but was considered the heir apparent to veteran Justin Ontong in the Cobras middle-order.
He certainly showed off his talent with a classy half-century against the Dolphins last week at Boland Park and even bowled some tidy off-spin – ala Ontong – and would certainly have been part of the Cobras’ future plans.
But having enjoyed a good loan stint with the Knights mid-way through this season where he picked up a Sunfoil Series winners’ medal, Petersen will pack his bags for Bloemfontein permanently.