Kieron, Richard and Rory bring the venom
WAYNE PARNELL is still sidelined but the Cape Cobras will be able to welcome back two stalwarts as they look to start afresh in the T20 Challenge tomorrow.
A miserable first round of the Sunfoil Series came to an end last week, and now Paul Adams and his team can look forward to kick-starting their season against the Knights in a Wanderers double-header (1.30pm start). The second game sees the Lions face the Titans.
The Cobras battled with bat and ball in the four-day competition, lacking the patience with the willow and unable to strike big blows against the opposition line ups.
But that is set to change in the T20 Challenge, with Richard Levi and Rory Kleinveldt back.
The former Proteas pair come off a highly successful stint with Northamptonshire, where they were part of the journey to the local T20 title; Kleinveldt hit the winning runs in the final against Durham at Edgbaston in August.
“They won the T20 Blast at Northants, so (it’s) very exciting to have them back. Both offer a lot of experience, Richard especially at the top of the order. When he gets going, he is really inspirational to watch, and hopefully he can inspire a lot of young cricketers within our set-up,” Adams said. “And Ror (Kleinveldt), to bring calmness to the bowling attack. He’s got Dane Paterson next to him, and we’ve got Beuran (Hendricks) around and young (Tshepo) Moreki. So, on the seaming front there are a lot of options, and it’s important that Ror brings all that experience and calmness.”
Parnell hurt his ribs while fielding for the Proteas in the ODI against Australia at the Wanderers in October, which has kept him out of action. It was hoped that he would be ready but he still has some work to do, which makes the availability of West Indian Kieron Pollard even more important as an all-rounder.
“Wayne has been working on his fitness, so we will continue with that. Hopefully by the end of next week, we’ll see how he goes. He was our T20 Player of the Year last season where he played some explosive innings and contributed at the back-end with the ball,” Adams said.
“Jason Smith has been having a good season as an allrounder, and it’s important to have options for the captain. Getting Kieron is a big plus for us, and what he brings to the team is something special. He is here for the full tournament.
“Kieron is a true professional and offers a lot. When the pressure is on, he will look to absorb it and take it on, and win the game. He is an out-andout team man – we saw that in his last game for us when he walked out to smash the winning runs despite hobbling. That tells you what type of man he is.”