Batting troubles returned to haunt the Cape Cobras at Newlands on Saturday as they crashed to an innings-and-50-run defeat to the Titans.
Leg-spinner Shaun von Berg took his 20th five-wicket haul of his career (5/25 in 10 overs) to end up with 10 scalps in the match, the fourth time he has achieved such a milestone, to bowl the Titans to victory inside the first session of day three as the Cobras were shot out for 115.
Von Berg took 5/88 in the Cobras first innings of 235, and after the visitors scored 400 thanks to Aidan Markram’s 139, as well as half-centuries by Farhaan Behardien (79), Grant Mokoena (59) and Qaasim Adams (51), the Cobras faced a tough task of making the Titans chase a sizable target as they first had to overcome a 165-run deficit.
The writing was already on the wall for Paul Adams’ team on Friday afternoon as they finished on 37/3, having lost captain Omphile Ramela, Zubayr Hamza and nightwatchman Zakhele Qwabe.
And things didn’t go much better on Saturday as Andrew Puttick was bowled by tall paceman Lungi Ngidi for 27, and classy all-rounder Jason Smith was trapped lbw for a duck by David Wiese in the next over.
At 44/5, there wasn’t much chance of the Cobras making the Titans bat again, and even though Stiaan van Zyl and Justin Ontong put on 42 for the sixth wicket, the last rites were quickly read after that.
Ontong succumbed to Von Berg for 20, and Aviwe Mgijima followed soon for 13. Van Zyl kept going and was unbeaten on 32 at the end, but Henry Davids wrapped things up by dismissing Rory Kleinveldt and Dane Paterson in what proved to be the last over of the match.
The Cobras would’ve thought that the woes with the willow were extinguished in last week’s “snore-fest” against the Warriors at Newlands, where both teams scored over 500 in their only innings at the crease, with Ramela and Puttick getting big hundreds.
But the problem for Adams, assistant coach Ashwell Prince and selection convenor Alan Dawson is the fact that there aren’t many other batting options available to them.
There is one more four-day game to get through in the first half of the competition, against the Dolphins in Paarl starting next Thursday, and Adams probably can’t wait for that match to be concluded so that he can start afresh in the T20 Challenge from November 12.
@ashfakmohamed
Independent Media