CAPE TOWN. &8211; Rory Kleinveldt is determined not to stroll off into the sunset or fade into oblivion as an experienced 32-year old fast bowler. He wants to make a stand and remind all and sundry of the talent which brought him 57 championship-wickets for Northamptonshire in 2015.
Kleinveldt, senior bowler of the Cape Cobras, will be one of the spearheads when the Cape-champions meet The Unlimited Titans in Benoni from Sunday 27th December in a Sunfoil Series-match.
“I have recovered from the flu which kept me in bed for seven days. Today I bowled six overs in the nets and it felt good,” he said.
Kleinveldt added that assessing the right length and the conditions are important ingredients for producing the goods in Benoni. The wicket can be a bit up and down as the ball can skid through at different heights.
When he is operating at the height of his powers, Kleinveldt can swing it both ways and also move it both ways off the seam. “The wicket in Benoni is a hit-the-wicket kind of pitch and I’m that sort of bowler,” he added.
He acknowledges his bowling performances in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge were “very inconsistent”.
Kleinveldt said the Cape Cobras is a team in a transitional phase and busy rebuilding. But every player must take account of his performance and make sure he executes his skills to perfection.
The Cobras are set to unleash three experienced South African bowlers and one SA A-bowler against the Titans as Kleinveldt, Beuran Hendricks, Robin Peterson and Dane Paterson have been included in the group of thirteen.
Justin Ontong and Dane Vilas return to the squad with the captain, Omphile Ramela.
Ontong is the most experienced player in the batting line-up and it would be pivotal for the Cape Cobras that Ontong, Andrew Puttick and Ramela lead the way with big first-innings contributions to atone for the poor batting performances by the star-studded team against the VKB Knights.
The squad is: Omphile Ramela (capt), Andrew Puttick, Simon Khomari, Justin Ontong, Keegan Petersen, Dane Vilas, Lesiba Ngoepe, Robin Peterson, Rory Kleinveldt, Dane Paterson, Lizaad Williams, Beuran Hendricks, Tshepo Moreki.