Having lost two games out of two, both by big margins, Cape Cobras find themselves on the brink of exiting the tournament. To have any chance of progressing, they will have to win their remaining two games emphatically, and then hope other results go their way. Perhaps this fact will free up Cobra's minds, allowing them to play with a measure of freedom, since the mandate - win, and win big - is clear and they have but little to lose. Maybe this will help their batsmen to kick on from the starts they have made and thrown away so far in the tournament. And maybe this will help their bowlers put the scars of two big totals conceded out of their minds - so far, only seamer Charl Langeveldt, who came out of retirement for this tournament, and part-time offspinner Sybrand Engelbrecht have managed to bowl spells at under seven to the over. They will be hoping offspinner Dane Piedt, who had hurt his bowling arm while trying to field off his own bowing in their previous game, is good to go.

Conditions-wise, Cobras will have to start from scratch once more. After games in Raipur and Hyderabad, they move northwards, to Mohali, to take on Barbados Tridents. Tridents have already played at the venue, in their only game of the tournament so far, which they lost to Kings XI Punjab. In that game, Tridents' death bowling failed them after their top order had fired them to 174. Cobras' line-up might not seem as threatening all the way through, as Kings XI's, to the international new-ball pairing of Ravi Rampaul and Jason Holder, but they would know they both cannot afford to go at over 10 to the over once more. If they do, and Tridents subsequently lose, they will find themselves in the same place as Cobras: having lost two from two and in a dicey position in the semi-finals race.

(Cricinfo)