Downcast Cobras keen to strike back

DANE Piedt knows his Cape Cobras team need to quickly brush off the disappointment of losing out on the CSA 4-day Franchise Series title.

The Cobras were beaten to the title in the final five minutes of the season last week by the Highveld Lions, but they now need to switch their focus to the Momentum OneDay Cup starting tomorrow against the Warriors at Boland Park.

Piedt will again be a mainstay of the Cobras’ attack after finishing the four-day campaign with 52 wickets – the most by a spinner in four-day domestic cricket.

“Of course I am going to try and take this form into the 50-over competition. Bowling doesn’t change much for me in the white-ball competition,” Piedt said yesterday.

Piedt has always been a spinner who tries to take wickets.

He delivers the ball with good flight, turns the ball appreciably, and also possesses a good number of variations. He believes this attitude is required under the new fielding restrictions.

“A spinner cannot bowl 10 overs for 40 runs anymore. He needs to take wickets.

“They come on to take wickets in that middle period, which really slows down the game. I am an attacking spinner.

“My mindset is always going to be that way. I will love to contribute to the team as much as I can. Whenever I get the opportunity to do that, that’s going to be my goal,” he said.

Besides the disappointment of losing out to Lions in the fourday competition to contend with, the actual toil of ploughing all that energy into the first-class competition has taken its toll on the Cobras squad.

Piedt is nursing a sore body after delivering 511.5 overs during the course of the 10 matches, although he will take the field at Paarl tomorrow.

Not so fortunate, though, are batsman Simon Khomari and medium-pacer Mthiwekhaya Nabe.

Senior batsman JP Duminy has returned to training from his longterm shoulder injury, but he too will not be ready by tomorrow. He is expected to spend another two weeks with Cobras physio Shane Jabaar to strengthen his shoulder before returning to action.

Equally, the Cobras will not have Proteas Test bowler Vernon Philander, while they are also waiting to hear if Wanderers debutant Zubayr Hamza will be recalled to the Proteas Test squad now that captain Faf du Plessis has served his one-match ban.

All of this could open the way for new teenage signing Akhona Mnyaka to make his Cobras List A debut tomorrow, while the home team will most likely field two spinners at Boland Park with left-arm spinner George Linde joining Piedt in the attack.