Ken Borland

West Indies T20 skipper Darren Sammy will take over the captaincy from Henry Davids, with coach Rob Walter saying he hoped the change would lift the team and allow the opener to produce match-winning performances with the bat.

“It’s never an easy decision, especially since Henry is a quality guy who always puts the team first, but the reasons are two-fold. Firstly, I’d like Henry just to focus on winning games with the bat. As a coach, I want him to fulfil his potential as a stand-out cricketer, and he can be devastating against any attack.

“Secondly, it’s probably a good time for new energy and new insights, Darren will bring something different – the way West Indians play. Hopefully the change will bring some freshness to the team,” Walter told The Citizen yesterday.

Although some sideline critics have questioned certain quaint tactical decisions by Davids, Walter said this was not the reason for the change.

“There’ve always been plausible reasons for the decisions and a captain needs to back his gut-feelings. I may have done some things differently, but that doesn’t mean to say Henry wasn’t right. The game is very different on the field, under that immense pressure, than it is sitting on the side. It’s on a knife-edge,” the coach said.

A much bigger problem for the Titans has been their bowling at the start of the innings, with them only able to capture a single wicket in the six powerplay overs in each of their three matches thus far, while conceding 79 runs against the Cape Cobras, 59 versus the Knights at Centurion and 75 against the Dolphins.

David Wiese, who took three for 21 in Sydney last weekend in the only match he played against Australia, has returned to the Titans squad and will sharpen their attack, while Junior Dala has been added to the party but has only an outside chance of displacing the experienced Ethy Mbhalati.

“We have struggled in the first six overs, there’s no doubt, but it’s not only us. The pitches have been really good and the batsmen’s skills seem to have improved, but taking wickets is the key. Not being able to do that has been the stand-out reason we’ve been under pressure, trying to pull the game back every time. David can potentially help with that and he can stop the run-rate,” Walter said.

The Knights go into the game after an extraordinary tie with the Highveld Lions and a tied Super-Over still saw them return from Potchefstroom with zero points, and then a washed out match in Paarl.

“It’s hampered us a little bit, but we haven’t had much time to ponder about it and I still feel we have momentum. We’ve bowled very well, they’ve worked out great plans and executed well and our batsmen just need to set up the innings, make sure we go into the back end with wickets in hand and can use every ball to set up a winning total,” Knights coach Sarel Cilliers said.

One of the Knights’ best bowlers, veteran Dillon du Preez (bruised foot), will go into the match under an injury cloud, but the home side have plenty of pace bowling back-up in Quinton Friend, Duanne Olivier and Corne Dry.

Opening batsman Reeza Hendricks has returned from national duty for the Knights, who are second on the log.

Squads

Knights: Gerhardt Abrahams, Reeza Hendricks, Rudi Second, Tumelo Bodibe, Diego Rosier, Andre Russell, Obus Pienaar, Werner Coetsee, Dillon du Preez, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Malusi Siboto, Quinton Friend, Patrick Botha, Corne Dry, Duanne Olivier.

Titans: Henry Davids, Dean Elgar, Theunis de Bruyn, Darren Sammy, Qaasim Adams, Mangaliso Mosehle, David Wiese, Roelof van der Merwe, Corbin Bosch, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ethy Mbhalati, Junior Dala, Cobus Pienaar, JP de Villiers, Heino Kuhn.

http://citizen.co.za/274749/sammyc/

With both openers blazing 72 off 48 balls, the Titans required just 56 runs from the last five overs with nine wickets in hand. But with Kieron Pollard and Mthokozisi Shezi mixing up their pace superbly, the Cobras reached the last two overs with 34 runs to defend.

Dane Paterson and Lizaad Williams both produced excellent closing overs and the Titans finished on a disappointing 193 for four, scoring just 41 runs and losing three wickets in the last five overs.

The Cobras’ total of 207 for five, after being sent in to bat, was inspired by two superb innings by Richard Levi and Pollard.

Levi was in sublime touch and ruthless mood as he opened the batting and hammered 81 off just 34 balls. In the fifth over, bowled by JP de Villiers, Levi hit four successive fours and then completed the over with consecutive sixes, taking 28 runs in all off the unfortunate seamer and raising his half-century off just 22 balls.

Twenty-one runs came off left-arm paceman Rowan Richards in the sixth over, Levi hitting the last four balls for six, four, four and six, and the Titans were in dire straits when Davids wisely turned to spin.

Roelof van der Merwe bowled two overs for 11 runs but it was fellow orthodox left-armer Dean Elgar who made the crucial breakthrough, claiming a steepling return catch from Levi.

Further breakthroughs would come for the Titans as Omphile Ramela (12) was well-caught by Van der Merwe running from midwicket off Elgar, who then bowled Justin Ontong first ball as the Cobras captain unwisely tried to reverse-sweep a quicker, flatter delivery.

Elgar finished with outstanding figures of three for 20 off four overs and could well find himself getting more regular employment as a bowler by the Titans.

It was overseas pro Pollard who earned his keep in the final overs, slamming 72 not out off just 36 balls, with six fours and four sixes, the last five overs proving fertile for the Cobras as 64 runs were scored.

Dane Vilas used some cute deflections to score 19 and help Pollard add 65 for the fifth wicket off 44 deliveries.

The Titans’ run-chase began sedately, but steadily picking up speed and although there was none of the frenetic bashing of Levi, Davids and Elgar kept up the required rate. In fact, the crowd was most animated when a teenager in the eastern stand claimed a one-handed catch off an Elgar six to seemingly qualify for the R1 million cash pool. He was subsequently disqualified, however, because he was under 18 and there are bound to be numerous opinions aired over RamSlam’s lengthy and stringent criteria for the prize. Suffice to say that they don’t seem to want to encourage children to come to the games, which is bizarre behaviour for a sponsor.

Davids and Elgar raised 50 in the sixth over and their century stand was up in the 10^th over, as the left-hander went to a 31-ball half-century, with two fours and four sixes.

Davids hit six fours and a six as he reached his fifty off just 28 deliveries and everything seemed to be going wrong for the Cobras when Ontong had Davids caught in the deep on 63, but had over-stepped.

It was Pollard who bowled the Cobras back into the game when he had Elgar caught by Ontong running in from long-on in the 15^th over and then removed Davids as well in the 17^th over, a slower bouncer coming off the glove and being caught behind.

That brought Darren Sammy in to face his West Indian team-mate but the overseas pro lasted just two balls before he also fell to the slower-ball bouncer, paddling it to short fine-leg, where Shezi dived to take the catch.

Pollard finished with a top-class three for 22 in his four overs and with Shezi bowling a fine over in between, the Titans had suddenly lost all momentum.

Mangaliso Mosehle launched a massive six out of the ground, but a degree of panic had set in and Theunis de Bruyn (13) skied a catch into the covers for George Linde to calmly take off Paterson.

A brilliant opening stand fizzled out into a lame finish for the Titans.

http://citizen.co.za/268251/cobras-tie-titans-death/