Cohen gives the Cobras that extra venom
TORRENTIAL rains and galeforce winds played havoc with both teams on the first day of the Sunfoil Series clash between the Cape Cobras and the Warriors at Newlands.
Play only got underway after lunch, with the visitors sent in to bat after Cobras captain Dane Piedt won the toss. His bowlers, though, only managed to bowl 28.3 overs before the storm returned.
During the time the players were on the field, the home team’s bowling unit looked arguably the most penetrative they have been all season. The inclusion of teenage leftarmer seamer Michael Cohen has certainly provided the Cobras with an element of aggression and extra pace that has been lacking thus far.
The former Reddam House prodigy certainly hustled and bustled his way to the crease and delivered 8.3 overs with great enthusiasm. He did err in line and length on occasion, often over-pitching or being too short outside the off stump, but the 19-year-old will be forgiven for those errors for he was easily the most threatening Cobras bowler.
He earned just rewards for his efforts when he removed both Warriors openers. The left-armer had Eddie Moore (19 off 20 balls) well-caught by Pieter Malan at point before Gionne Koopman (15 off 41 balls) timidly chipped the ball to mid-on.
Koopman’s wicket was sandwiched between Colin Ackerman (9 off 11 balls) shouldering arms to Cohen’s new-ball partner Lizaad Williams to leave the Warriors delicately placed at 59/3.
There was, however, no further success for the Cobras bowlers with Yaseen Vallie (26 off 60 balls) and Jerry Nqolo (12 off 39 balls) keeping the home side at bay until the weather brought an early close to proceedings.
Meanwhile, If the Dolphins know one thing, it is how to dig in against the Titans, regardless of what names appear on the opposition sheet. By day’s end – or at least when the sun decided it had done enough work for a day – the visitors had reached 205 for two, in 73.3 overs, before the PMB Oval got too gloomy for even the slow bowlers to operate.
It marked the end of a dogged fightback by the hosts. At lunch time, with the Test side opening pair sitting pretty on 117 without loss, there was cause for considerable concern in the home sheds. Visiting skipper Aiden Markram was hitting the ball as sweetly as he has all season, and the impenetrable wall that is Dean Elgar was looking even more daunting than ever.
A month ago, the Dolphins had suffered at the hands of the duo, and KZN Inland paceman Kerwin Mungroo must have wondered what he had done to earn a franchise debut against the nation’s king pair. The youngster will learn quickly that, at the highest level, the short ball is a surprise rather than a staple. He toiled hard, and will be a better bowler for his chastening experience upfront.
The Titans sped to fifty, rattling along at nearly five an over. Markram, who looks to have been emboldened by early life in the international lane, drove imperiously, studding the fence.
The Dolphins did have a sniff, though, as Elgar danced down the track and skyed Prenelan Subrayen to long-on, but Mthokozisi Shezi made a hash of the chance. You dare not drop Elgar – and the Proteas’ stand-out batsman of 2017 dropped anchor and settled in for the day.
Markram looked set fair for another mighty feast at the crease. He pulled with disdain, and was just getting into the slow bowling when smart work by Morne van Wyk saw a fine tickle down leg caught off Senuran Muthusamy for a promising 67. The Dolphins breathed a sigh of relief, and then went about throttling the obdurate Elgar and new man Bafana Mahlangu in the middle session.
The discipline returned, and they strung together a spell of 34 dot balls at one point. Mahlangu did well to weather the mini storm, and he started unfurling some attacking strokes to give the run rate a pulse once more. But, he too was winkled out by Muthusamy, who continues to improve and impress with every showing. His spell on the first day realised two for 31 in 19 overs, as he kept it simple and honed in on off-stump. Mahlangu, increasingly eager to go on the offensive, was foxed by some extra flight, and gave Muthusamy the simplest of return catches.
Elgar, meanwhile, continued marching towards yet another knock of distinction. As the afternoon wore on, he found another gear, and looked to change the spinners’ lengths, pulling out the reverse-sweep, and driving as surely as he has all year against the red ball.
Already perched on 88 not out, the Dolphins must know that the doughty southpaw must go early if the Titans are to be kept within touching distance.