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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 11 2012 00:21 | LAST UPDATED Feb 11 2012 00:21 |
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Having watched the Highveld Lions and the Cape Cobras act as guinea pigs on Wednesday, the rest of the franchises will be eager to put their plans into practice when the MTN40 cricket competition moves into full swing this weekend. After the opening skirmish was won in thrilling fashion by the Cobras, who chased down what looked like a daunting victory target of 287, there will be three matches on Friday and a further two on Sunday, with all the teams involved. The Cobras have the busiest start with two more matches this weekend and that may be a good thing if they can maintain the momentum from Wednesday's terrific effort. Fresh from a successful sortie to the inaugural Champions League in India, where they lost in the semifinals, Andrew Puttick and JP Duminy struck centuries at the Wanderers to power them home and now they'll be looking to consolidate things against the Titans in Centurion on Friday and the Warriors in East London on Sunday. Early indications are that the batsmen are going to have the most fun in the revamped competition, with 20 overs of powerplays in their favour. The Cobras are particularly well stocked in this department. Besides Puttick and Duminy, players like Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Justin Ontong, Justin Kemp and Robin Peterson are capable of putting opposing attacks to the sword. For the bowlers, the disciplines learnt in Twenty20 cricket are likely to become paramount, with the ability to vary the pace and to keep the batsmen guessing essential ingredients. Like in most limited overs contests, become too predictable and you are likely to "fetch". The Warriors will miss skipper Davy Jacobs for their opening match against the Dolphins in Durban on Friday, but they will welcome the presence and experience of Mark Boucher and Nicky Boje.  CONTINUES BELOW The Dolphins will hand HD Ackerman his first start of the season, while all-rounder Alfonso Thomas will also play his first match after a good English county season with Somerset and a trip to the recent Champions League. The Diamond Eagles have their first outing since the Champions League and welcome back all-rounder Johan van der Wath for a Bloemfontein clash against the Lions on Friday. The Eagles then face the Titans in Centurion on Sunday. -- Sapa TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
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