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Cobras seek to regain lost momentum

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Ashwell Prince (Gallo Images)
Ashwell Prince (Gallo Images)

Cape Town - Cape Cobras coach Ashwell Prince hopes to regain some lost momentum when they host the Titans in a round eight CSA T20 Challenge encounter at Boland Park in Paarl on Wednesday.

The hosts jointly lead the competition standings heading into the final three rounds with 19 points from seven matches.

But they have seen their lead slowly whittled down in recent games - the Highveld Lions have the same number of points - after losing a high-scoring encounter to the Warriors on Saturday and then rain forcing a washout against the Knights on Monday.

Prince is now hoping to get back on the winning trail, saying: "We just lost a bit of momentum with that loss against the Warriors and then the abandoned match after that.

"We're looking to bounce back from that and hopefully hit a bit of form and momentum again before the play-off stages."

The Titans themselves are defending champions and will arrive in the Cape placed fourth, but knowing well enough that a win could see them jump to the top of the standings.

They only trail the top two by four points and are one behind the Warriors in third.

Prince believes it will be a tough battle against two sides determined to finish as high up the table as possible.

"They're in fourth position and won't want those bottom two sides to get anywhere near them," he said. "That obviously makes it an important game for them as well. As is every other game in the competition.

"People fighting for a home semi-final want to hold on to their positions and the teams chasing them want to catch them. All the games are going to be important from here onwards.

"There's no easy teams to play against and this is what I always say in almost every interview. With the nature of T20 cricket, you just need two or three guys to play well on the day and they can win the game for you."

Unlike in previous seasons where the top three only made the play-offs, this time there will be four qualifiers for a semi-final. Only the top two will be at home, with the side that ends as number one after the regular season earning the right to stage the final.

It is something the Cobras do have an eye on, but Prince says their main focus for now was primarily on the Titans.

"It is important because we obviously know our conditions pretty well and we play well there," he added. "I would say that having a home semi-final is important.

"It is also a way of rewarding the fans because they have been excellent down here in Cape Town this season, across all of the competitions. It will be an ideal end to the season if we can do that, but it's still a long way away.

"We have to continue taking it one game at a time, so the focus for now remains on the Titans tomorrow."

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