Charl shapes up for India

Key Cape Cobras bowler Charl Langeveldt is bowling at 80 percent of full pace and is hoping to step up to the maximum level in a practice match tomorrow.

The bowler widely regarded as one of the most skilled in the nuances required for limited-overs cricket, played a crucial role in helping the Cobras annex the Pro20 title in February, ensuring the Western Cape franchise passage to the inaugural Champions League in India in October.

He ended the 2008/09 season nursing a bowling shoulder injury and when he played his only game for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2009 IPL in South Africa the injury became more serious and required an operation.

That put paid to Langeveldt's County contract in England and his Kolpak status came to an end in the off-season. That meant the canny swing bowler was once more available for the South African one-day side and they are very interested in bringing him back into the frame for the 2011 World Cup in the Asian sub-continent.

In March 2008 Langeveldt had withdrawn from the Proteas Test touring party to India over controversy over whether he or Andre Nel should have made the squad. He then signed a Kolpak deal with Derbyshire which rendered him unavailable to the national side.

Now he is preparing for a different trip to India, in provincial garb, and he is pawing the ground in anticipation.

"This is my first operation since the broken hand I suffered on Test debut against England in January 2005. It's the longest I've been out of the cricket," Langeveldt said on Monday. "It's been frustrating at times but the physio said the shoulder could be stronger in the end."

Langeveldt skipped the Cobras golf day on Tuesday to keep up with his physiotherapy regimen and bowl some more in the nets at Newlands.

"My programme is to bowl a warm-up over, then four more overs, at this stage at 80 percent of full pace," he explained.

"There have been no warning signs of any problems. It's gone so well that we thought it would be a good idea to play in the practice games on Wednesday.

"I'm not worried about losing any of my skills, more about the pace."

For a seamer to drop by a couple of kilometres per hour could be problematic but Cobras fans can be assured that their star bowler will still be able to confound batsmen with his range of deliveries. Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis may have batsmen bamboozled with his carrom ball, but Langeveldt, a la baseball, possesses a knuckle ball in his impressive armoury.

If dominating batsmen was all about variety in deliveries, cricket would be an easy game. The art is to have a range of deliveries but ally them to impeccable length and line to put pressure on batsmen.

"We have spoken a lot about what to expect in India," said Langeveldt, who is something of a bowling coach in the Cobras set-up. "You have to bowl different lengths in India, just a little shorter, but a lot straighter.

"Vernon Philander for instance bowls quite full in SuperSport Series cricket. I've spoken to him about bowling maybe one yard shorter in limited- overs cricket.

"Spinners will be important in the Champions League. It's a pity we couldn't take Robin Peterson - he was ineligible because he did not play for the Cobras in the Pro20. But Claude Henderson will have to do a job and JP Duminy and Justin Ontong will bowl a few overs."

One of Langeveldt's particular skills is bowling well in the "death" overs.

He said: "In India sometimes you can pull it back at the end of an innings. Because the ball keeps low, batsmen can battle to get underneath it for big hits."

And whereas a couple of years back bowlers were trying to fire in a diet of yorkers in the final overs, there is now more variety dished up when the slog is on. Langeveldt says the slow bouncer is a useful option.

"That worked for England's Jimmy Anderson the other day. The yorker is still the preferred option; it's all about having the confidence to bowl it at any time," added Langeveldt.

"The challenge is to switch from bouncer to yorker - that's a big change in length."

The Cobras' fellow Pro20 finalists, the Diamond Eagles, also qualified for the event.

The Cobras will open the Champions League against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on October 8.

Champions League squads

Cape Cobras:

Graeme Smith (captain), Herschelle Gibbs, Henry Davids, Jean-Paul Duminy, Justin Ontong, Richard Levi, Ryan Canning, Derek Brand, Rory Kleinveldt, Vernon Philander, Claude Henderson, Charl Langeveldt, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Monde Zondeki, Francois Plaatjies

Diamond Eagles:

Boeta Dippenaar (captain), Ryan Bailey, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Rilee Rossouw, Ryan McLaren, Alan Kruger, CJ de Villiers, Dillon du Preez, Reeza Hendricks, Morné van Wyk, Thandi Tshabalala, Victor Mpitsang, Adrian McLaren, Jandré Coetzee, Dean Elgar