Don’t expect Justin Ontong, former skipper of the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras to wither and fade at age 37. In fact, he is incredibly ambitious and has expressed his determination to represent South Africa at test level one more time in his final two years in the first-class arena.
“I want to be the best player domestically during the next two seasons of my career with the Cobras and I would like to see them back at the summit of the logs. But I still dream of representing South Africa in another test,” he said.
Ontong has represented South Africa in 44 international games, and in his previous match, as the national T20 captain, the Proteas romped to victory against the West Indies in Durban in January 2015.
Ontong was sensational in the previous first-class season and was named the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras Sunfoil Series player of the year. He hammered 593 runs in the four-day format at a remarkable average of 53.90 and assembled two hundreds.
His career record of 11 564 runs at an average of 41.59 with 25 tons, indicate that he is still a force to be reckoned with.
The consummate team man, Ontong says he has enjoyed the high intensity of the physical training in their second week of pre-season training at Newlands and suspects the Cobras will embark on a rigorous training program of 11 weeks before the season starts.
“We must remember it is a packed season with three T20 campaigns, which includes the T20 Global League in which some of us might play.
“The return of Qaasim Adams and the availability of Temba Bavuma makes this a potentially strong top seven of international class. And don’t forget that several Cape Cobras players have been plying their trade successfully overseas, including Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Richard Levi, Vernon Philander and Rory Kleinveldt,” he added.
Ontong says he is a very competitive player who loves to be at the front of the pack during physical training exercises. He does not intend to just fade in his final two years at domestic level, but to be South Africa’s premier player on the domestic scene.
Ontong, if he performs to the standards of last season and 2013/2014 in which he scored 927 runs, can eclipse the 12 000-run milestone and also complete his 30th first-class ton in 2017/2018. If he does, he might just assist the Cobras in lifting the Sunfoil Series trophy once again.