Injury-hit Cobras underdogs in joust against Knights

Friday, September 19, 2014
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Cape Cobras qualified directly for the main draw of the Champions League T20 as runners-up in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge. Northern Knights won the HRV Cup, and entered the qualifying round. It makes some sort of sense for Levadia Tallinn, the champions of the Estonian Meistriliiga, to enter the first qualifying round of football's Champions League and for Schalke, the third-placed team in the German Bundesliga, to enter the group stage directly, but cricket doesn't have any equivalent of the UEFA coefficient, which ranks the performance of each European country's football league statistically. Besides, South Africa and New Zealand are both among cricket's elite nations.

Arbitrary as the CLT20's hierarchical structure may be, Cobras and Knights begin their first Group B game as equals. Knights, in fact, look like distinct favourites, first of all because of their form - they romped to wins in all three of their qualifying games - and also because Cobras have been hit by injuries to some of their highest profile players. This preview would look a lot different if Dale Steyn, JP Duminy and Beuran Hendricks were still part of Cobras' squad.

Up against this depleted line-up is a collection of some of New Zealand's finest players, all in their prime - the likes of Kane Williamson, BJ Watling and the new-ball pair of Tim Southee and Trent Boult - complemented by the promise of Anton Devcich, Daryl Mitchell and Ish Sodhi and the canny all-round skill of Scott Styris. Knights' progress through the qualifiers was so serene that they used the same eleven players in all three of their games, but Cobras, even in their current injury-hit avatar, should provide them a fairly stiff test. If that happens, the main group stage will show itself to be a step up from the qualifying stage in real terms and not just on paper.

Cape Cobras LWWLW (most recent first, completed matches only)
Northern Knights WWWWW

In a Cape Cobras side shorn of some of its biggest names, Hashim Amla will shoulder a lot of responsibility to provide them starts at the top of the order. Amla is making his first appearance in the CLT20, and Indian fans would love it if he shows them what they are missing in the IPL.

In Tim Southee and Trent Boult, Knights possess possibly the best new-ball attack in the competition. The two of them have taken 12 wickets in three matches so far, and Cape Cobras' top order will need to make sure they don't let them make too many inroads early on.

"We are going into tomorrow's game as underdogs because they've got used to conditions here."
Cape Cobras captain Justin Ontong says Northern Knights have gained an advantage over them by playing their qualifying games in Raipur