Home final, or the perils of a play-off?
These are the possibilities that confront the Cape Cobras as they prepare for their final league game in the One-day Cup against the Dolphins at Newlands on Wednesday (3pm).
Yesterday, the Knights beat the Dolphins by 102 runs in a rain-affected game in Pietermaritzburg to clinch third spot and decide finally who will be in action in the play-offs.
The three teams are the Cobras, top with 28 points, followed by the Warriors on 25 and the Knights on 23. Since none of the three plays any of the others in Wednesday’s final round of matches, the race is still wide open.
If the Cobras win, they progress straight to a home final (on December 9), and await the outcome of a play-off between the Warriors and the Knights, set for Sunday.
Should the Cobras – who have lost only once in the league phase – get beaten by the Dolphins, the Warriors could overtake them with a win. If the Cobras and Warriors lose, the Knights could still go top with a bonus-point win against the Lions at the Wanderers. In that scenario the Knights’ superior run-rate would secure them top spot, and a home final.
The Warriors’ final league game on Wednesday is against bottom-of-the-log Titans at Centurion.
The selection of the Cobras side for Wednesday is tricky, with space needing to be found for three Proteas players (Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander) as well as two others returning – Richard Levi (suspension) and Herschelle Gibbs (hand injury). But the selectors’ problem is that most of the incumbents are in good form.
It is understood all the national players (including Hashim Amla for the Dolphins) are available for selection.
Steyn in for Johan Louw, and Levi to replace Andrew Puttick at the top of the order are perhaps two of the changes that could be made to the Cobras side which beat the Warriors at Newlands on Friday.
But beyond that it will come down to players who have been performing well up to now having to miss out at the business end of the tournament. - Cape Argus