Cobras’ new finisher Ngoepe knows staying calm is crucial

“STAY calm.” That’s the message the little voice inside Lesiba Ngoepe’s head keeps telling him when he’s at the crease for the Cape Cobras.

Ngoepe, pictured, the talented 22year-old Cobras middle-order batsman, is a natural strokeplayer. Standing tall at the crease, he thrives on getting his hands through the ball to pierce the off-side or simply clearing his front leg to mow the ball over mid-wicket.

Attack definitely comes before defence for the left-hander who originally hails from Vosloorus on the East Rand. But with him being handed the all-important “finisher” role alongside Sybrand Engelbrecht at the Cobras during this T20 Challenge campaign, Ngoepe has needed to adopt a more disciplined approach to his batting.

Having been at the crease to close out the last two matches successfully for the defending champions, the new mindset seems to be reaping success.

“I do usually bat up the order but with there being some serious powerhitters in our team up front, I have been handed a different role,” Ngoepe said yesterday.

“I am enjoying it. Finishing off matches. I do need to tell myself to stay calm out there all the time because calmness at the crease is essential. There is no time to tense up. You have to stay in the moment and back your skills to execute.”

The former South Africa Under-19 international was particularly effective in last week’s victory over the Knights in Kimberley. He ensured that the initial good work from Rory Kleinveldt and Engelbrecht was not undone with any craziness at the death as he coolly despatched Malusi Siboto for two towering sixes to get the Cobras over the line.

“I trust my game plans. We needed boundaries at that stage and I identified the areas where I could score them. On other occasions the game situation might require me to rotate the strike.

“T20 cricket throws up different match scenarios all the time and I need to prepare for anything that I am presented with.”

Ngoepe will definitely have a big role to play this weekend when the Cobras face the in-form Titans tomorrow at Newlands before they host the Knights at Boland Park on Sunday.

If Ngoepe continues to listen to that little voice in his head, there’s little doubt he will have major impact on his team’s fortunes once again.