The Cape Cobras set off for the Champions League in India today with a squad containing six seamers and four spinning options – an attack which incorporates a range of styles for what will be a difficult tournament.
Some hard decisions will have to be made, though, ahead of the team’s first match on Saturday against a strong New South Wales side, since the return of national players JP Duminy, Robin Peterson and Dale Steyn will mean some players who helped the Cobras win the Pro20 title last season will have to be jettisoned.
In the batting department, if Duminy is to be incorporated without anyone in the regular top six being left out, that would mean captain and medium-pacer Justin Kemp would drop down to No 7, and be a regular bowler.
In that scenario, the skipper would probably be followed in the order by spinning all-rounder Peterson, fast bowler Steyn in his first official outing in a Cobras shirt and 36-year-old veteran swing bowler Charl Langeveldt.
That would leave just a single slot for one of Vernon Philander, Rory Kleinveldt, Johann Louw or left-arm wrist spinner Michael Rippon, a find of last summer’s domestic triumph.
Peterson will be hoping for a repeat of his stirring performances for the Proteas in the World Cup in India and Bangladesh earlier this year, but 20-year-old Rippon may sit out initially given that Duminy and Justin Ontong are both credible off-spinners and give some depth to the attack.
If, however, one of the batsmen is sacrificed and Kemp bats at No 6, Rippon could get a game, as well as one of the trio of remaining seamers.
Langeveldt spent the off-season playing T20 cricket for county side Kent, collecting 15 wickets in 15 games and is currently the ninth most successful bowler in the world in the shortest format, with 113 wickets (Australian Dirk Nannes heads the list with 153 scalps at provincial and national level).
From his vast experience Langeveldt knows batsmen “work bowlers out”, so he has been working on a couple of varieties of slower balls to stay a step ahead of his opposition.
In the past couple of years he had perfected a slower ball he calls the knuckle ball.
“I’ve been working on a knuckle ball bumper, which will be slower,” he said.
“You can bowl good yorkers... but you have to mix up what you bowl.”
The NSW squad the Cobras will face first up contains quality batting in the shape of Shane Watson, David Warner, Simon Katich and Phillip Hughes, and their side could have been a much tougher prospect had Brad Haddin, Brett Lee and Doug Bollinger not decided to opt to play for their IPL franchises in the tournament.
Losing finalists in the CLT20 last year, the Warriors, will have their second bite at the cherry, playing in Group B. However, they will have to make do without influential batsman and regular captain Davy Jacobs, who will campaign in the colours of the Mumbai Indians instead.
l The CLT20 starts tomorrow with a three-day qualifying tournament. Six teams, including a Somerset side led by South African Alfonso Thomas, will vie for three spots in the main tournament, which begins on Friday.
Squads
Cape Cobras: Richard Levi, Herschelle Gibbs, Owais Shah , JP Duminy, Justin Ontong, Andrew Puttick, Dane Vilas, Justin Kemp, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn Vernon Philander, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt, Michael Rippon, Johann Louw.
First-round fixtures: Sept 24 v NSW in Chennai, Sept 28 v Chennai Super Kings in Chennai, Sept 30 v Mumbai Indians in Bangalore, Oct 4 v Qualifier in Chennai.
Warriors: Andrew Birch, Nicky Boje, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, Colin Ingram, Justin Kreusch, Lyall Meyer, Makhaya Ntini, Wayne Parnell, Ashwell Prince, Jon-Jon Smuts, Kelly Smuts, Rusty Theron, Craig Thyssen, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
First-round fixtures: Sept 23 v Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bangalore, Sept 25 v South Australia in Kolkata, Oct 1 v Qualifier in Bangalore, Oct 5 v Qualifier in Bangalore - Weekend Argus