Cape Town - Mental application and positive mindset were at the heart of the Cape Cobras’ six-wicket win as the hosts chased down 237 in 43.3 overs to ease to a six-wicket Sunfoil Series-win with two overs to spare against the Highveld Lions on Sunday.
That was the opinion of the Cobras' new coach, Ashwell Prince, after his team finished with 239/4 in 43.3 overs.
Set a target of 237 in the second innings, the Cobras had the visitors struggling thanks to a 74-run opening partnership between Omphile Ramela and the centurion Wayne Parnell, who finished with 103 off 131 balls, and a 125-run stand for the second wicket with Stiaan van Zyl.
“I thought Wayne was unbelievable. He scored his runs all around the wicket. When I came to him and asked him if he was prepared to do it, he responded very positively,” Prince said.
The coach was particularly proud of the way the Cobras stood up to the challenge.
“You must remember that the Cobras toiled for 164 overs in the sun in the Lions’ second innings on a wicket on which the bounce was true. Even when they dropped a few chances after the Lions were nine down, they refused to give up,” he added.
“Stiaan’s knock was excellent. People label him a four-day player, but you should have seen him today (striking 64 off 65 deliveries). Omphile did a great job for us. Initially, he was the aggressor while Parnell was finding his feet. Omphile scored more than 100 runs in the match, which is very satisfying.”
The match will do much to restore the Cobras’ self-belief after they languished at the bottom of the Sunfoil Series log with three losses from five matches in the first half of the domestic four-day showpiece.
Ironically, the Cobras had the Lions in dire straits in the corresponding match at Boland Park last season, just to allow the visitors to escape because of some sloppy fielding lapses.
Prince was proud of his bowling attack.
“Tshepo (Moreki) bowled a very aggressive spell on Saturday afternoon. He bounced and tried to unsettle the tailenders. Although it did not yield a result, it was still a great effort,” he added.
The Cobras collected 17.46 points for their efforts, while the Lions had to be content with four points.