Cobras must strike to stay on track for title

The Cape Cobras have one last chance at silverware this season, but they will have to tackle the final two games in the Supersport Series without captain Justin Kemp.

Kemp, a positive influence in the camp, who had helped his side go top of the table in December, is away in India playing for the Chennai Super Kings, and the side will have to make do without his all-round skills.

The Cobras, playing the four-day format for the first time in three months, will take on the Dolphins at Newlands from Thursday, and they will have a former KZN stalwart in Johann Louw in their side.

After a squad cleanout at the Dolphins, Louw was released and, with 32 wickets under his belt in the competition this season, will bolster a Cobras seam division which includes Vernon Philander, Rory Kleinveldt and Monde Zondeki.

Philander, with 33 wickets, is the Cobras' most prolific bowler this season, with the Dolphins' Quinton Friend, with 36, the most successful fast bowler in the four-day format.

The Cobras will be led by opening batsman Andrew Puttick in Kemp's absence.

The Cobras must be glad that the four-day competition is a straight league format, with no knockout phase, given their track record of three semi-finals, three defeats this summer in limited overs competition.

If, however, they do not clinch the title in this week's match, they may not feel that excited about the fact that they will have to travel to Port Elizabeth next week for their final match against the Warriors.

The Eastern Cape team have proved tricky opponents for the Cobras this season, dumping them out of the MTN 40 and Pro20 semi-finals, before going on to win both titles comfortably.

Should the Cobras not gain an outright win against the Dolphins this week and the Warriors come away from their trip to Bloemfontein with a good haul of points, Davy Jacobs' boys could well be in the hunt for the domestic treble come next week's final round of matches.

The Titans, who have the advantage of two home games - against the Lions in Benoni and the Eagles at Centurion - in the last stage of the competition, also have a good shot at retaining the title should the Cobras falter.

While the Cobras were on a good run up to their last Supersport game in December, they will remember that things can change quickly. In their first four matches the Cape side drew three and lost one but then things turned around for them as they beat the Warriors and the Titans in Paarl, the Eagles at Newlands, and the Lions at the Wanderers, to assume top spot in the standings.

Cape Cobras

Andrew Puttick (captain), Alistair Gray, Stiaan van Zyl, Henry Davids, Justin Ontong, Ryan Canning, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Rory Kleinveldt, Johann Louw, Monde Zondeki

Standings after eight games:

1 Cape Cobras 94.44 points

2 Titans 79.08

3 Warriors 73.92

4 Lions 71,70

5 Dolphins 66.14

6 Eagles 62.38

This week's fixtures:

Cape Cobras v Dolphins (Newlands)

Eagles v Warriors (Kimberley)

Titans v Lions (Benoni)