Cape Cobras coach Paul Adams has praised Dane Piedt after the off-spinner bowled his side to victory for the second successive Sunfoil Series match at Boland Park.
Piedt (6/100 in 34 overs) took his second five-wicket haul on the trot after he also took a five-for in the second innings of their victory against the Dolphins here two weeks ago.
The Cobras are now in a good position at the top of the four-day standings after the weekend’s other two matches ended in draws.
The Cobras go into this weekend’s crucial fixture against the second-placed Knights in Kimberley with a lead of 16.16 points. Another victory will put them firmly in the pound seats to win their fourth first-class title in the franchise era.
Off-spinner Piedt, who has recently perfected his doosra, was a menace over the last two days after the Cobras set the hapless Titans a near-impossible target of 434 to win.
Piedt followed up his hat trick in the last match by again giving the ball plenty of air and rip to gain the most amount of purchase from the Boland Park pitch, which actually played nicely throughout the three-and-a-half days here.
Heino Kuhn (69) and their bulldog Roelof van der Merwe (51) were the only two batsmen to get past the half-century mark and put up some resistance for the Titans in their second innings.
“I’m so happy that Dane managed to get another five-wicket haul in the second innings of a match,” Adams told the Cape Times after lots of singing in the home side’s dressingroom during their post-match fines meeting.
“It’s so important for a youngster to have that confidence and to understand that he can win games for the team in the fourth innings.
“It’s massive pressure when you call on your spinner on the last day to make use of the rough and bowl teams out. But when he produces deliveries that go through the gate … that is magnificent.
“I have been there myself, and sometimes you come out unsure of yourself. But over the last two games he has showed us that he is a match-winner,” the former Proteas spinner added.
However, it’s not like this Cobras outfit are just a one-man band. On the contrary, everybody in the Cape side’s XI contributed to the crushing victory over the Titans, who are languishing at the bottom of the Sunfoil Series standings.
After an awesome first day with the bat, Proteas discard Rory Kleinveldt blitzed the Titans with seven wickets in their first innings.
Kleinveldt (9/89 in the match) bowled with plenty of aggression, and showed that he can perform on a pitch that was perfect for batting.
Opener Andrew Puttick (102 not out) then scored his second hundred in successive second innings. He and the talented Stiaan van Zyl (86), with his second half-century of the match, put on a partnership of 176 in quick time on the third day to set up the game for the Cape side.
“We have come away from here in the last two games with a good haul of points. It’s been hard work, but it’s really satisfying,” veteran opener Puttick said yesterday.
“For the second game running, certain individuals have put their hands up and put in match-winning performances. It’s the beautiful thing about our team at the moment; we have match-winners and guys who put in the big performances.
“It’s also satisfying for me to score two centuries in a row, but getting those runs in the second innings is special because you can set the game up. Both those hundreds have contributed to a win, so it’s very nice.” - Cape Times