CAPE TOWN – The Cape Cobras may as well pack up their bags and close off their season for they have nothing but pride left to play for.
Ashwell Prince’s team delivered yet another listless performance on Wednesday against the Warriors to slump to yet another embarrassing defeat. The 82-run Duckworth/Lewis loss has virtually ruined their chances of any further progression in the Momentum 1-Day Cup.
They may still have two matches left in the competition, but with the weather forecast not looking favourable for the remainder of the week in Potchefstroom, it is more than likely that their fate has been sealed.
It would be nothing more than they deserved though. The Cobras are simply a team devoid of any confidence at the moment. They do boast young players that have plenty of potential, and could yet develop into fine cricketers, but right now they need guidance from the experienced hands.
And that is where the Cobras are threadbare. Their senior players have been enormously disappointing, with none more so than captain Zubayr Hamza.
The weight of carrying a struggling side has simply been too much for the 25-year-old’s frail shoulders to bear. A hugely talented batsman that should be focusing solely on trying to work his way back into the Proteas team through sheer weight of runs is instead looking more frazzled after each game.
His batting, particularly, has suffered tremendously during this period, and the manner of his dismissal yesterday was almost an indicative of where the Cobras are as a unit. Having already survived an earlier stumping chance, Hamza looked to be finding some sort of form with a delightful clip past mid-on and a powerful pull off Glenton Stuurman.
Hamza, however, found a way to give it all away with a ghastly pull off a half-tracker from Jon-Jon Smuts (3/28) that found Aya Gqamane on the boundary. Unfortunately for the Cobras, this proved to be the template for the remainder of their innings as the entire batting unit followed suit with a string of soft dismissals coming against the part-time Warriors spinners.
In contrast, the Warriors rectified their faults after their loss to the Highveld Lions with captain Rudi Second holding the innings together with a solid 43 off 48 balls prior to his 3/20 with the ball. This allowed youngsters such as Matthew Breetke (55 off 71 balls) and Sinethemba Qeshile (64 not out off 71 balls) to express themselves and show off their flair.
@ZaahierAdams
IOL Sport