Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Cobras back to their best
Poor start means Knights fall
TAKING their cue from their bullish batsmen in Paarl last night, the Cape Cobras bowlers broke through early in their T20 clash against the Knights and just never let up.
The result was a 25-run victory for Justin Ontong’s side, a complete turnaround from their nine- wicket defeat against the Lions in Potchefstroom on Sunday.
The Cobras compiled 171/4 with some focused late-innings hitting in Paarl, and the Knights replied with 146/ 8. Their main contributor was Ryan McLaren with 51 off 38 balls (three fours and a six), but the visitors had lost too much impetus in the early overs, and could not make it up.
Next up for the Cobras are the Dolphins, at Newlands tomorrow, and the boys in royal blue will want to keep the winnign momentum going.
Last night, it came as a surprise when the Knights won the toss and put their hosts in to bat. There has long been a feeling that batting second at night in Paarl is a risky proposition, but the central franchise went for that option, and were made to pay.
The Cobras lost Stiaan van Zyl for two in the third over of their innings, but from then on all the batsmen made useful contributions.
Wicketkeeper Dane Vilas, who has been overtaken in the national limited overs sides stakes by young Quinton de Kock Rf the Lions, hit four fours and two sixes in his impressive 48 off 36 balls before turning one straight to Nicky Boje at midwicket with a halfcentury in sidght.
Vilas and opener Richard Levi added 58 for the second wicket, with the latter batsman’s contribution of 38 off 33 balls (five fours and a six).
Vilas shared a 54-run stand for the third wicket with Owais Shah, the former England international, bouncing back with a handy undefeated 44 off 31 balls (three fours and a six) after failing in Potchefstroom.
Some of the Knights bowlers had reasonable success.
Seamer Ryan McLaren finished with 2/27, for instance, and Boje went for only 25 runs in his four overs, but Johan van der Wath got clobbered at the death.
He bowled the final over, starting off with a single conceded to Shah.
However, he took stick from Cobras captain Ontong, with the last four balls being clubbed to all parts for 18 runs. Ontong finished with 20 not out off six balls (two fours and a six), and his collaboration with Shah for the fifth wicket realised 21 runs off seven balls.
The Knights innings crawled along at first with the total reaching only 18 in the sixth over. By then the visitors e had lost three wickets, two falling in two balls to Johann Louw.
Three other bowlers finished with two wickets each – Charl Langeveldt, Beuran Hendricks and spinner Dane Piedt. The only one of the five bowlers to go wicketless was overseas signing Azhar Mahmood (0/40), but he will have another opportunity tomorrow to show what he is amde of.
The ever- improving leftie Hendricks stuck in the second over by getting rid of Rilee Rossouw for a duck.
Late in the piece Langeveldt also claimed his two scalps in one over, dismissing McClaren and van der Wath in the space of three balls in the 19th over.
The Knights top five batsmen contributed a total of just 21 runs, with only Obus Pienaar (11 off 10 balls) reaching double figures.
After the defeat to the Lions, teh call from coach Paul Adams had been for the bowlers to strike early, and they clearly took note of his call.
Van der Wath made amends for his sub-par bowling showing to some extent with his contribution of 46 off 22 balls (two fours and three sixes), and he was blazing away with unfortunately too much to do.
The innings wobbled for the first half, and at 18/4 and 38/5 it looked the Knights would take a whipping.
McLaren and Van der Wath added 63 for the seventh wicket.
In other matches last night the Lions stretched their unbeaten run to three matches by pipping the Dolphins by seven runs in Durban, while in Port Elizabeth, home side the Warriors lost by five wickets to the Titans.
On Sunday the Lions host the Warriors in Potchefstroom.