The injury-hit Nashua Cape Cobras were dealt a blow when JP Duminy was ruled out of the Champions League Twenty20-tournament due to the need to rehabilitate his nagging knee-injury. His replacement, Sybrand Engelbrecht (26), is on his way to India and will miss the opening Group B-match of the Cobras against Northern Districts on Friday.
Duminy (30) is a vital cog for the Cobras and South Africa and averages a staggering 37.27 in T20-internationals.
Engelbrecht showed his mettle for the Cobras in the final of the domestic RAM SLAM T20 Challenge final against the Sunfoil Dolphins, scoring 56. He averages 45.58 in List A-matches and 33.75 in T20-matches at domestic level.
As a fielder, Engelbrecht is arguably one of the finest in South Africa and he is also an off-spinner, like Duminy, but lacks the all-round class of the left-handed SA player.
Engelbrecht’s inclusion was approved by the CLT20 technical committee.
Duminy, like Dale Steyn, was pulled from the CLT20 by Cricket South Africa’s medical team. There were fears during the recent international triangular One Day International series in Zimbabwe that Duminy might miss the final due to a patella tendinopathy diagnosis following a scan, but Duminy did take the field in the final.
South Africa romped to a 6-wicket win.
Despite the absence of Duminy, the Cobras have enough depth and pedigree to perform well against the Northern Districts on Friday evening and the Hurricanes at Hyderabad on Sunday evening.
Justin Ontong, Robin Peterson and Justin Kemp will have to cushion the blow left by Duminy’s absence to lead the middle-overs assault in the first two Group B-fixtures during the weekend.
Engelbrecht showed his mettle for the Cobras in the final of the domestic RAM SLAM T20 Challenge final against the Sunfoil Dolphins, scoring 56. He averages 45.58 in List A-matches and 33.75 in T20-matches at domestic level.
As a fielder, Engelbrecht is arguably one of the finest in South Africa and he is also an off-spinner, like Duminy, but lacks the all-round class of the left-handed SA player.
Engelbrecht’s inclusion was approved by the CLT20 technical committee.
Duminy, like Dale Steyn, was pulled from the CLT20 by Cricket South Africa’s medical team. There were fears during the recent international triangular One Day International series in Zimbabwe that Duminy might miss the final due to a patella tendinopathy diagnosis following a scan, but Duminy did take the field in the final.
South Africa romped to a 6-wicket win.
Despite the absence of Duminy, the Cobras have enough depth and pedigree to perform well against the Northern Districts on Friday evening and the Hurricanes at Hyderabad on Sunday evening.
Justin Ontong, Robin Peterson and Justin Kemp will have to cushion the blow left by Duminy’s absence to lead the middle-overs assault in the first two Group B-fixtures during the weekend.