New season, but same old sorry Cobras

A NEW season was expected to bring in new beginnings for the Cape Cobras, but after the opening day of the Sunfoil Series they find themselves in a very familiar position.

Even with Proteas stars Hashim Amla and Temba Bavuma included in the Cobras line-up, the visitors were still bowled out for 159 in Bloemfontein yesterday. Amla, at least, top-scored with 56 off 70 balls while Bavuma was next best with 25.

But a total of 125 balls between two of his middle-order stalwarts would not have been what new Proteas coach Ottis Gibson would have wanted when he instructed the national players to get some game time in ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh next week.

Equally, Cobras coach Ashwell Prince would have expected a lot more from his premier batsman, and in fact, the rest of his batting unit too. Instead, it was the defending champions who showed that there were no gremlins in the pitch that allowed medium-pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk to claim 5/30 from 15 overs.

The Knights were dominant from the outset, and bar the loss of opener Grant Mokoena for 16, have looked like the defending champions that they are. Former Cobras batsman Keegan Petersen put his former teammates to the sword with an unbeaten 70.

It was, however, the Knights captain Theunis de Bruyn who would have made the biggest impression on Gibson. After playing a couple of Tests on the England tour, De Bruyn started the new season in just the right fashion with an undefeated 81 to propel the Knights to 180/1 after just 43 overs.

Dane Paterson was the only Cobras bowler to gain any success after having Mokoena caught at slip by Amla.

Meanwhile, Lungani Zama reports that new Titans skipper Aiden Markram couldn’t put a foot wrong on his first day of the job. He won the toss against the Dolphins, opted to bat first, before helping himself to a day one century in the Sunfoil Series.

The fact that he delivered yesterday, however, emphasised his temperament, because he did so in front of the new South African coach, as well as the convenor of selectors. Gibson and Linda Zondi would have been encouraged by what they saw, because an opening batsmen is high on their priority list.

What would have pleased the high-powered pair just as much is the early season touch of Faf du Plessis, as the national captain weighed in with 96.

Markram’s 112 was the cornerstone of the Titans’ dominance on day one, as they gleaned 373/6 from 96 overs, against a Dolphins attack that relied heavily on the nagging accuracy of Robbie Frylinck. The burly allrounder picked up where he left off last term in red-ball cricket, snaring 4/52.

Quinton de Kockalso found some form, with a measured 54, before he was added to Frylinck’s collection.