IN-FORM DOLPHINS HAVE THE ANTIDOTE FOR COBRA VENOM
A JOB TO DO: All-rounder Rory Kleinveldt of the Cobras will be out to perform with both bat and ball in the Ram Slam T20 semi-final, when they head to the Dolphins’ headquarters in search of a final berth. THERE has been a lot of talk since the final round of the Ram Slam T20 Challenge, and it has rumbled on to the point where men of influence are in danger of making a Cape mountain out of a Pretoria molehill.
Thankfully, the actual cricket resumed yesterday with the Titans and the Warriors contesting the first semi-final.
Tonight, the Dolphins host the Cobras in the second, though it could have been the other way around if Sunday had gone differently.
“It was disappointing (hearing that the Dolphins had secured a bonus point), but I think we are more disappointed in ourselves for losing that final match to the Warriors,” said Cobras all-rounder Rory Kleinveldt (pictured).
“If we’d won, we wouldn’t have worried about what the Dolphins did. It would have been better to have a home semi, but we have to come and do the business here,” he said at Kingsmead.
Had the Cobras beaten the Warriors, none of the subsequent noise would have started, though Kleinveldt added that the Titans earned the right to do whatever they wanted.
Now the Cobras must move on and overcome the Dolphins on the road.
In front of us is a tantalising battle between two well-matched sides with a point to prove. The Cobras, top-heavy with bat and ball (they load their big guns up front and attempt to inflict early damage), visit a Dolphins side who have kept much of their powder dry for most of the competition.
They have insisted that it matters most that they play their best cricket when it matters most.
“I’ve always said that we owe the Durban public and we now have an opportunity to repay them in a massive match, in front of them,” said coach Grant Morgan.
He and his men have had a stigma over them; the team that drew their way into the final four, and possibly beyond.
“We want to play. We don’t train all week just to hope for rain. We feel that it is our time and we want to go out there and prove that. Every single person in our dressing-room would like nothing more than going out there and play a full game of cricket.”
The weather question
The weather, of course, is beyond their control, or the control of the Cobras. The men from Cape Town landed in sunshine, checked into their hotel, and convoyed to Kingsmead for an optional practice with the sky already taking on an ominous grey.
“It’s one of those things that you can’t control,” skipper JP Duminy shrugged.
They were in charge of the last match they played at Kingsmead, Duminy himself starring with a brutal, 44-ball 85.
Now, as he looks to a once-off battle with the Dolphins, Duminy says it is imperative for the senior players to stand up.
“When it gets down to these matches, you look for the big performances from your experienced guys. We have improved our fielding, which was a problem, and we have been looking for that nine or 10 out of 10 game. Hopefully, it comes now,” he enthused.
Only the weather stands between us and a riveting battle of wills and styles, and we can only hope that the clouds part and allow for the drama to unfold on the field, and we can go back to talking about the cricket.
Play is due to start at 6pm.