Cape Town - The Cape Cobras will wait with bated breath to see whether Wayne Parnell passes his fitness test on Friday.
Parnell, who injured his foot last Sunday, has been limping all week and took no part in any net practices this week.
Cobras coach Paul Adams has tried to manage his bowlers’ workload this week in preparation for the T20 Challenge clash against the Highveld Lions on Sunday by conducting staggered training sessions.
He is particularly wary about the fitness of his bowling unit, especially with his other main strike weapon, Dane Paterson, already ruled out of the all-important tie at the Wanderers with a back spasm.
“Wayne has been one of our big performers thus far this season, so we’re giving him the longest possible time to get ready for the trip to Johannesburg,” Cobras captain Justin Ontong said.
“We’ve told him to get as much rest as possible, to stay off his feet, because after being hit with the ball, there was some swelling. He’s a big player for us and we do hope he can get through his fitness test unscathed.”
There’s no doubt this past week has been a tumultuous one for the Cobras with all the injuries they have sustained, which notably included the withdrawal of star all-rounder Kieron Pollard from the remainder of the tournament.
The axing of Sunfoil Series captain Omphile Ramela was also a delicate issue to navigate, especially considering he was the Man of the Match in last season’s T20 final.
There’s no doubt that Ramela has struggled for form during this campaign, but he would have believed that he could be afforded more time to work his way through his lean patch, especially with the playoff stages fast approaching.
However, as they say in the classics, the show must go on and it’s the remaining senior players that need to lead the way over the course of the next three games, starting at the Bullring.
One of them is the skipper himself. Ontong has endured a frustrating season so far, with the stylish right-handed batsman getting off to starts without converting them into anything substantial.
Having now taken over the No 3 position following Ramela’s demotion to the Western Province team, there will be a greater focus on the Cobras talisman to lead the batting unit.
“With all the injuries, we are being tested as a squad. The timing is not great because we’re approaching the business end of the competition,” Ontong said.
“We still believe we can make the playoffs and the finals. I don’t want to make excuses about us being inconsistent, but all the injuries do affect the momentum, especially in T20 cricket.
“It’s something we need to move on from and the senior players, like myself, need to take on the responsibility.”
The Lions will be smarting from their defeat to basement team the Knights on Wednesday. They will know that another loss to the Cobras will take their fight for a playoff spot out of their hands as they will then have to depend on other results to go their way.
Ontong, though, believes this “do-or-die” situation will only make Geoff Toyana’s youthful side an even greater obstacle to overcome.
“The Lions are a young and energetic side that play an enterprising brand of cricket,” the Cobras skipper said.
“Their dangermen are obviously their two spinners, Aaron Phangiso and Eddie Leie. They are the two guys we need to watch out for, but we know it’s a massive game that we need to prepare accordingly for.”
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Cape Times