Johannesburg - Following a loss in their opening match of their T20 Challenge campaign, the Cobras senior players will have to lead the team strongly according to overseas pro Kieron Pollard.
The Cape side has been plagued by issues off the field recently, with coach Paul Adams at the forefront. At the end of last season, the players expressed their concerns about Adams as a coach - but no action was taken. This player discontent has translated into poor results.
The Cobras have remained winless in five games of the Sunfoil Series, as they found themselves bottom of the table as the competition takes a break at the midway point. That poor form seemed to follow the Cape franchise into the short format as they lost their opening match to the Knights by 38 runs over the weekend.
The West Indian superstar Pollard said it was best to put aside any issues when the players take the field.
“Once you walk onto the park with a smile on your face and enjoy it, the talent will take care of itself,” said Pollard.
“The senior players must put on the mantle and take care of things and the younger players will follow. This is a different team to the one that played the last two seasons. There are some younger, new faces. That is why the senior players must lead,” he said.
Pollard, a veteran of 50 T20 International matches and 101 One Day Internationals said the team can turn their fortunes around if they can beat the defending champions the Titans at Boland Park .
The allrounder also said the Cobras would benefit from being more patient in their approach, unlike in their first game against the Knights. “We were a bit rushed with the bat and tried to go too hard too soon. If you sat back and analysed the situation, we might have realised we had more time on our hands than we really thought.”
Cape Cobras squad: Justin Ontong (capt), Beuran Hendricks, Richard Levi, Jason Smith, Cebo Tshiki, Rory Kleinveldt, Dane Paterson, Nkululeko Serame, Tshepo Moreki, Zubayr Hamza, Kieron Pollard, Jason Smith, Keegan Petersen.
African News Agency (ANA)