The Cape Cobras embark on their third Champions League T20 adventure in India this week with the sole aim of returning to Cape Town with the coveted title and the $1million winners’ cheque.
The mountain will be steeper without the experience of superstars like JP Duminy and Dale Steyn (injured and rested respectively), but there remains a wealth of experience in the form of Hashim Amla in conjunction with the exciting young talents of Dane Piedt and Stiaan van Zyl.
The spotlight will particularly be on Piedt after the off-spinner’s heroics with the Proteas on Test debut last month. We caught up with the spinning sensation to see how he is fairing with all the new-found attention …
How has life changed for Dane Leeroy Piedt after his Man-of-the-Match performance on Test debut?
It has been good. It has been an adjustment, definitely life-changing after those two innings in Harare. But I am now looking forward to the next immediate challenge and am really excited to be part of the Cobras’ third Champions League stint.
What has been the most telling difference?
I think for me, when I arrived at Cape Town International after the Test in Zimbabwe, that is when it all hit me. The reception was something special from the fans; people were saying I was the next Paul Adams! There were old ladies kissing and hugging me!
Does it help that Adams is your coach at franchise level, having personally experienced “Gogga mania” in the mid-1990s?
Of course, having Paul around is beneficial in that regard, but, I think now, it has been more guys like Robbie P (Peterson) and Vernon (Philander) – current internationals – who have been integral in helping me remain level-headed about all the changes. Vern’s been through it all and keeps telling me to keep my feet on the ground and always remember that the cricket is what it is all really about. I am quite easy in that way, so I just take everything as it comes.
You are only 24, are you not over-awed by all the “noise” around you suddenly?
When you enter the national set-up, you immediately realise there are three of the best players in the world in that Proteas team. Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn. You quickly realise that you have achieved nothing in the game as yet. What they have done and continue to do is special.
Do you have ambitions to play one-day cricket for the Proteas?
I have been asked that a lot. I do want to, but the main thing for me now to do is to focus on red-ball cricket. Consistent performances with the red ball will keep me around the one-day squad. I am not really a big fan of Twenty20, but if it’s there I would like to play. I want to put in big performances for our country’s Test team and help us remain at No 1 in the Test arena. I think that’s the main thing that goes around the team that we want to dominate Test cricket and win series consistently against the best teams in the world.
The broad smile on your face upon receiving your Test cap from Shaun Pollock was like one of a kid in a candy store. Can you break down the emotion of that morning at the HSC?
No one will ever, ever realise. I can’t describe that feeling. I think there have been 83 players before me and each one of us have experienced that. Nobody can ever take that feeling away from you. It’s difficult to put that into words. But the moment that first ball was bowled, that cap was mine and nobody can ever take it away from you! Best feeling of my life and I will cherish it forever.
Indian batsmen are renowned for their ability to play spin, especially in their own conditions. Are you daunted by the challenge that awaits you at the upcoming Champions League T20?
I’ve been there before for a spin camp and felt the passion the Indian people have for the game. Playing in India, travelling in India, that is a challenge on its own. The media pressure on the Cobras, especially the spinners, will be huge but hopefully I can take it all in and learn from my experience especially with a Test tour there next year. Hopefully I can crack a game against one of the IPL teams to see the level I am at.
You only played in the RamSlam T20 final due to Sunil Narine’s presence here at the Cobras last summer. How much did you learn from the West Indian superstar?
I am more a guy that steals with the eye and see what I can implement. I wouldn’t really ask much, but would rather watch. He is not the same type of bowler that I am. He delivers the ball from a bit higher and spins the ball enough either way to bamboozle the batsman. I try to work on the lengths that he is bowling, the fields that he sets. I have developed my own carrom ball that is fairly consistent now. So, it is more about the fields that he has to that type of delivery. No mid-wicket, two points, it is small things like that. He actually changes his fields, to show the delivery he is bowling. I also take into account the pressure of situations that he is bowling at, and how he deals with that than actual technical things.
There has been a clampdown from the ICC on bowlers’ actions, especially “mystery spinners”, recently. What are your views on this?
We all know since Murali came on the scene we were allowed to bowl with 15 degrees. In modern-day cricket there are only two genuine fast bowlers going around. Dale Steyn and Mitchell Johnson, they are the blockbusters that everybody wants to watch. But after them, who else do people want to see? Saeed Ajmal, Sunil Narine, Sachithra Senanayake has done well; these are guys who are under scrutiny with their actions. I feel that to keep the game going, they should be allowed more. It’s the law, you can’t change it, but it is sad to see Ajmal being banned.
What does Dane Piedt want to achieve in his career?
50 Test matches, 200 wickets at average of 29/30. That’s basically what I want to do. If I play fewer Test matches, I have done what I can, but I if I play more I will be really happy with myself. I want to take close to 200 Test wickets to create a legacy especially after Paul left the spin bowling scene. - Cape Times