A win against the Titans could kick-start Cobras title charge

JOHANNESBURG: Perhaps only once the Sunfoil Series is over can it be determined whether the lack of a single dominant side has been good or bad for the competition.

In the normal scheme of things, after seven or eight rounds of the competition, a clear picture would have emerged about a potential champion.

That is not the case this season, with five teams still very much in the mix and the sixth, the Cape Cobras, needing to go on a run no team has managed this season.

The Cobras have three games left and in all likelihood have to win all three if they are to lift the four-day trophy.

From this morning the Titans will host the Cobras at Super Sport Park, where the visitors will try and continue their revival following the coaching change at the end of last month.

Ashwell Prince has had his men away on yet another team-building exercise as they look to arrest a slide that saw them produce some pitiful performances in the first half of the season.

They picked up their first win of the tournament in Oudtshoorn in the first week of 2017 and seem to be talking a good game since, as they seek to make an impression in the latter stages.

It’s been a rough five weeks for the Titans, not because they’ve played badly but because they’ve played so little.

There was the rain-out in Bloemfontein and then a hard-fought draw against a battling Lions side in Benoni.

The lack of wins for any team has placed an emphasis on everyone playing some positive cricket in the final rounds to try and force a victory.

It’s a sentiment Mark Boucher, the Titans coach, has shared with his side as they attempt to regain their spot atop the log. “We’ve got to back ourselves and we can’t be afraid of losing. We’d rather go out there and try and win the competition,” said Boucher.

“We can’t control the weather, unfortunately, but we can control how we play our game and our mindset.”

With a host of call-ups to the national team, Boucher has had to dig into the Titans’ resources to field a side capable of playing the style he wants.

Heino Kuhn’s been included in the squad and it’s hoped he can make it back in time from Cape Town where he represented the Proteas in the final T20 international against Sri Lanka last night.

The Cobras are without Dane Paterson, but have included Rory Kleinveldt, while Omphile Ramela returns.

In the other match this week, the Warriors head to Bloemfontein to face the Knights.