Every member of the top seven specialist batsmen of the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras got runs in the past two weeks and the team is on the right track for the opening four-day franchise match against the VKB Knights on 1stOctober, was the verdict of both coaches, Ashwell Prince and Faiek Davids.
In the match against the Mpumalanga Titans David Bedingham struck 100 with sixteen fours and three sixes. Zubayr Hamza belted 91 off 133 balls.
In the two-day inter-squad match on Friday and Saturday, Aviwe Mgijima struck a 90, while Jason Smith and Pieter Malan both managed 60s.
Both coaches said the bowling was sharp and penetrative and there was nothing to be alarmed about. They were also pleased with the sharpness of the team in the field.
In the 2017/2018 season, the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras finished third in the Sunfoil Series.
The greatest bonus was the superb batting by the team under pressure and the way they fought their way back into contests.
They were 1.02 bonus points off the leading team, the Warriors, when the last round of matches started in the Sunfoil Series in 2017/2018.
Prince said at this stage they have a very secure vision of who will be the leading 12 players in the province, but every one of the 17 players of the franchise squad will play an important role throughout the season.
Mgijima’s form is a very positive sign for the middle-order of the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras. He struck his first two first-class centuries in 2017/2018 and compiled his maiden first-class century against the VKB Knights in the opening match last season.
“Most of our batsmen got middle practice the past two weeks. We are ready for the VKB Knights,” said Davids.
Dane Paterson will in all likelihood be the leader of the bowling attack, having been the leading wicket-taker for South Africa ‘A’ in the quadrangular one-day series which also involved India A, India B and Australia ‘A’ recently.
