Cape Town - Cape Cobras captain Omphile Ramela has saluted the character of his opening partner Andrew Puttick.
The veteran left-handed opener missed the second match of the Cobras Sunfoil Series campaign due to the ill health of his father. However, Puttick showed a great deal of character to come out and play the first home game of the season last weekend against the Warriors.
It was clear during the Warriors’ first innings that Puttick was still affected by what was happening at home as he dropped two slip catches that he would normally take with ease. It was not until having the willow in his hand that the 35-year-old could focus on the job at hand.
“On the morning of my innings, I said hi to him and he gave me a smile and a wink which I will treasure for some time,” he told the Cape Cobras official website.
Puttick played superbly after visiting his father, staying at the crease for close on seven hours to compile a patient 124 off 320 balls. The length of the innings was significant for it formed part of a marathon 266-run opening stand with Ramela (170 off 370 balls) that ensured the Cobras survived any scares in response to the Warriors’s 525/7 declared.
“It was a special knock. He created something spectacular for him and his father,” Ramela said of Puttick’s 25th first-class century.
The timing of the innings was also significant for the Cobras batsmen, especially the senior core, as they had struggled to get off the mark thus far this season. Prior to the Newlands run-fest Puttick had just four runs in his 2016-17 account, while Ramela was only slightly better with 33 runs despite having been to the crease two more times than his fellow southpaw.
Ramela certainly showed too that once the skipper negotiates the uneasiness of the new ball spell, he is able to set his stall for a lengthy innings. The 170 forms part of a string of big centuries that Ramela has scored over the past two seasons, which includes a double-hundred last season.
“We needed some runs under the belt. I think it is important in a four-day campaign that people start scoring big runs. I think as a team that is the standard we set for ourselves. It is important that we do it when we under pressure too and there is a result to be chased, that’s when we need the big performances,” Ramela said.
The skipper stressed that the Western Cape franchise still has plenty of work to do in order to haul in the Sunfoil Series leaders. The Cobras are languishing in last place on the log as they are the only team without an outright victory in the competition and face another tough challenge when defending champions, the Titans, visit Newlands tomorrow.
“I think we can definitely improve on the batting. If I am being ultra-critical we can bat quicker, but I think the state of the game dictated that we first had to get ourselves in a safe zone,” he said.
“I think there is lot of work to be done in regards to the bowling too. We didn’t bowl in partnerships. We didn’t create enough pressure on their batsmen. I think the next game we need to concentrate on putting good batsmen under pressure.”
The Cobras will most likely hand former South Africa U/19 and Wynberg Boys’ High prodigy Kyle Verreynne a franchise debut behind the stumps this week due to regular gloveman Dane Vilas flying off to Australia to join the Proteas on the Test tour of Australia.
Independent Media