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Cobras look to rectify batting problems

The Cape Cobras travel to SuperSport Park on Friday for their Standard Bank Pro20 clash with the Titans trying to rectify the batting inconsistencies that have plagued them.

The Cape Cobras travel to SuperSport Park on Friday for their Standard Bank Pro20 clash with the Titans trying to rectify the batting inconsistencies that have plagued them.

Their inconsistencies have forced them to travel away for this semifinal.

While Charl Willoughby and Alan Dawson can once again be expected to bowl superbly with the new ball - and they will need to against rampant Titans openers AB de Villiers and Gulam Bodi - and Paul Adams and Ian Harvey could be dangerous jokers in the pack, it is the Cobras batting that will determine whether they triumph on Friday and take on the winners of Sunday's Free State Eagles/Highveld Lions match in the final next week.

Top-order batsmen Harvey, Henry Davids and Andrew Puttick have barely featured with the bat and will need to perform much better against a powerful Titans bowling line-up.

Too often, captain Thami Tsolekile and youngster Dominic Telo have fought lone battles to keep the Cobras innings afloat, while JP Duminy scored a top-class 67 not out against the KZN Dolphins in their first match.

The Titans will be a bit concerned that their own batting has shown some inconsistency recently and they have also been out of action since overwhelming the Highveld Lions on February 1.

But there has been no better opening pair than De Villiers and Bodi in the competition this season, while the experience of Gerald Dros and Martin van Jaarsveld has also been most welcome.

Pierre de Bruyn's off-cutters, bowled at a friendly pace, have not been easy to get away however and, with seven wickets, he has been one of the top bowlers in the competition.

Brendon Reddy, Ethy Mbhalati and the Morkel brothers, Albie and Morne, have ensured that opposition batsmen are under pressure from the start, but the Titans pace attack could have a different look to it for the semi-final with the selection of Alfonso Thomas in the squad.

All-rounder Thomas, one of the Titans' in-form performers in the first half of the season, has finally recovered from injury and replaces perennial super-sub Zander de Bruyn.

Although there has been plenty of rain in the Gauteng area recently, the SuperSport Park wicket should be another belter and the Cobras can expect to be chasing or needing many more runs than they did in Paarl last weekend.

The last time the Western Cape team were in Centurion, the Titans did enough with the bat - scoring 180 for seven - to see them off by 33 runs.

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