Zaahier Adams
SWING and bounce. Not in India I hear you saying, but that is exactly the conditions Cape Cobras coach Paul Adams is expecting when his team start their Champions League T20 journey against the Northern Knights in Raipur tomorrow.
Adams and the Cobras have been in India for four days already preparing for their much-anticipated opener, adjusting mostly to the steamy conditions, as the temperatures rise well above the 35 degree mark and humidity levels close to 80%.
Most surprisingly for the Cobras though has been how the pitch at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium has played during the qualifiers this week, with the Knights from New Zealand exploiting it to their advantage by dumping out Indian Premier League outfit Mumbai Indians on Tuesday.
“It is hot here, just came back from training and soaking wet hey,” Adams told the Cape Times from India yesterday.
“We have had two really long sessions, just to get the guys to acclimatise to the heat and humidity. Some of the boys haven’t been here before, so they’ll take a little while to adjust to showering four times a day, but then we have guys like Hashim (Amla) and Vernon (Philander) who are now up and running who have been here many times to help the others ease into it.”
But what about the pitch? Where are the traditional low, slow and turning surfaces commonly associated with the subcontinent? “Look, it’s a different time of the year here, so there’s a lot of dew around, and that has got the ball to skid on, especially at night. Our game only starts at 8pm local time on Friday night, so that will definitely be something we have to factor into our thinking.
“We have seen how the Knights have been able to use the conditions on offer better than the subcontinent teams.”
The Knights, colourfully clad in an all-pink outfit, certainly possess seam-bowlers that can hurt the Cobras. Led by the Black Caps Test new-ball pairing of Trent Boult and Tim Southee, who stifle the opposition batsmen upfront with their left and right-arm variations, the first six powerplay overs will certainly be crucial in the overall context of the game.
“There’s no doubt the Knights are a good side. They have lots of New Zealand internationals, so the experience of big games is there, and Southee and Bolt both have the ability to swing the new ball both ways,” Adams said. “That is why it is important that we create a solid base from which to launch.
“We have to set up a base, perhaps the first six overs will not be what you normally expect in India, where you just go hard from the outset. We have seen that wickets in hand is crucial as the last six overs have all gone for more than 10 an over in the qualifiers here.”
Such an approach certainly brings Amla’s natural qualities into the frame, as he may not be forced into anything too risky from the outset. The debate is still open about who will partner South Africa’s Test captain, with Stiaan van Zyl, Richard Levi and Omphile Ramela in the reckoning.
It is well known that Adams enjoys a right-left opening combination, which could see Levi deployed in a possible middle-order role during this tournament. The Cobras’ coach was loathe to discuss such intricate team details at the moment, merely saying that Amla “is a champion” and that he “brings a lot of calmness to the environment”.
At this late stage, Adams still also has only 14 players to choose his final XI from as the Cobras have yet to be given the green light on SA Engelbrecht’s availability from the tournament organisers after JP Duminy’s late withdrawal due to injury.