Ken Borland

You can’t buy the sort of composure and experience that wins big games of cricket and DP World Lions coach Russell Domingo is confident that our star players will stand up and lead the way for the #PrideOfJozi when they host Sunday’s CSA T20 Challenge final against the HollywoodBets Dolphins.

Our DP World Lions breezed through their semi-final against derby rivals the Titans with a performance of great calm and quality, and Domingo expects the same mental strength to be on show against the Dolphins.

Proteas stars Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma were at the crease at the end steering our Pride to victory with the bat, with another international, Ryan Rickelton, setting the tone up front with his innings. Throw in the strong contributions through the tournament made by Wiaan Mulder, Bjorn Fortuin and Reeza Hendricks, and it is easy to see that the DP World Lions environment is a brilliant one, making it easy for youngsters like Nqaba Peter, Lutho Sipamla and Codi Yusuf to shine as well.

“It was a really good performance against the Titans,” Domingo agrees. “Semi-finals are often nerve-wracking, they can be harder to handle than the final itself. But we kept calm and composed.

“There is always a lot of expectation on us because we topped the log and we have a very good side, and in T20 cricket anything is possible. It was a really solid performance in the semi-final, but we cannot rest on our laurels.

“Rassie is scoring runs where it counts, he showed really good intensity against the Titans, and Temba is also playing well, I can see a big score just around the corner for him. You want your big names to perform in the big games and we will have to be close to our best to beat the Dolphins.

“But the big names are the guys who know under pressure that you don’t have to play 100% perfect cricket, you just need to play solid, do the basics really well, and stay calm and disciplined,” Domingo said.

The KwaZulu-Natal Coastal visitors will be bringing a team with experienced and canny campaigners of their own, and a powerful bowling attack, even without T20 ace Ottneil Baartman, who has joined Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

“They have a formidable pace attack with Okuhle Cele, Daryn Dupavillon and Andile Phehlukwayo, and a quality spinner in Prenelan Subrayen. They are also a very street-smart side, they know what it takes to win. Jason Smith, Khaya Zondo and Jon-Jon Smuts are also a key trio of very experienced players,” Domingo said.

But our Pride are playing at home at the DP World Wanderers Stadium and have only lost two of their eight matches there this campaign. And they beat the Dolphins there at the start of the month in their round-robin match, Yusuf and Rickelton leading them to victory by seven wickets with four balls to spare in a rain-shortened match.

Rickelton, Van der Dussen and Hendricks all feature in the top-12 of the tournament averages and have consistently given the DP World Lions solid starts. Delano Potgieter and Evan Jones are the six-hitters at the end of the innings and it is all brought together by Mulder, who is also in the top-20 of the averages and strikes at 126.97.

Leg-spinner Peter has been the outstanding bowler of the competition with 19 wickets in only nine matches, and has bowled with such potency that he averages just 7.78 and has twice taken four wickets in an innings, and also with such control that he has only conceded 5.19 runs-per-over.

Mulder has also been tight and effective with the ball, and that has allowed tremendous flexibility in terms of bowling options. Sipamla, Jones, Yusuf and Fortuin have served as a wonderful bowling unit, taking 55 wickets between them. Seamers Sipamla, Jones and Yusuf are all conceding little more than 7.5 runs-per-over, while Fortuin is the second-most economical bowler in the competition, at 5.84.

Our DP World Lions have quality through their line-up and their strengths cover whatever conditions or match situations are thrown at them. They are primed to peak under the pressure of Sunday’s final.

• Garmin Men’s Newcomer of the Year Award, here are the nominees,

• Joshua van Heerden – The 25-year-old Josh van Heerden was able to bank precious experience and notch personal milestones on his return to Pretoria this season. The top-order batter played in all three formats and reached his first century for the Momentum Multiply Titans when he scored an unbeaten 109 against the Tuskers in Pietermaritzburg, adding a record 252 for the first wicket with Matthew Kleinveldt. Van Heerden also scored his first T20 half-century for the Titans when he bashed 56 off 35 balls against the Dolphins.

• Merrick Brett – Merrick Brett has everything a coach wants to see in a young fast bowler – decent pace, the control to hit the good areas and hard lengths, bounce, and the ability to move the ball both ways. The 23-year-old took 12 wickets in four first-class matches for the Momentum Multiply Titans, including his brilliant five for 61 against the Dolphins at SuperSport Park.

• Lhuan-Dre Pretorius – Lhuan-Dre Pretorius moved smoothly from U19 cricket after an excellent Junior World Cup to the senior Momentum Multiply Titans ranks and he has shown enough in the CSA T20 Challenge to suggest he is going to play a big role in the franchise’s future. The 18-year-old is able to hit the ball ferociously hard, but is also able to score all around the field with sweetly-timed strokes that are most pleasing to the eye. He showed all those attributes in his 58 off 43 balls against the Tuskers at SuperSport Park and in his vital 52 off 32 balls in the de facto quarterfinal win over Western Province at Newlands. He has also kept wicket tidily.

• Garmin Men’s T20 Player of the Year, the nominees are:

• Rivaldo Moonsamy – It has been a wonderful season for the returning Rivaldo Moonsamy and he hit 428 runs at a strike-rate of 136.30 in the CSA T20 Challenge. He was the Momentum Multiply Titans’ leading run-scorer, averaging 30.57 and his two highlights were when he demolished the Lions attack with 88 off 52 balls at the Wanderers, and when he raced the Titans to a crucial bonus point victory against the Tuskers with 90 not out off just 41 deliveries at SuperSport Park.

• Sibonelo Makhanya – The experienced Sibonelo Makhanya was able to shine in the Momentum Multiply Titans’ middle-order with 348 runs at a strike-rate of 138.42, collecting three half-centuries along the way. As a seller of the T20 format as entertainment, Makhanya is one of the best, always bringing great urgency, quick running between the wickets and tremendous improvisation and skill to the crease, as well as being one of the best fielders in the competition.

• David Wiese – The evergreen David Wiese just keeps running in and delivering the goods with the ball. Despite playing just eight of the matches, he was the leading wicket-taker for the Momentum Multiply Titans with 17 at the near-superhuman average of just 9.29 runs per wicket, while conceding only 6.07 runs-per-over. Wiese took five for 29 against the Dolphins in Durban, his seventh five-wicket haul in T20 cricket, extending his world record. He may be 38, but clearly that motor’s still fine!

• The  Weber Men’s First-Class Player of the Year, the nominees in this category are,

• Junior Dala – The 34-year-old Junior Dala continues to bring high pace, aggression and ever-growing skill to the Momentum Multiply Titans attack, never mind his athletic fielding and useful runs down the order. Dala was the team’s leading wicket-taker in the four-day competition, taking 23 in just four matches at an excellent average of only 22.47. The highlight came when he took six for 58, and nine wickets in the match, against the Lions at SuperSport Park, in a valiant effort to bowl the Titans into the final.

• Rivaldo Moonsamy – It was a triumphant return to the Momentum Multiply Titans for Rivaldo Moonsamy in 2023/24 as he hit two centuries and two half-centuries in amassing 536 runs in the first-class competition, the team’s highest tally. It was Moonsamy’s dazzling 124 that turned the Titans’ fortunes around in their thrilling win over the Warriors, and he also scored 130 against the Dolphins, adding a record 209 for the sixth wicket with Dean Elgar. He also hit eight sixes in an innings of 98 off 72 balls against the Dragons.

• Dean Elgar – Titans stalwart Dean Elgar played just four matches in the four-day series but still managed to score over 400 runs and collect two centuries. The tenacious left-hander averaged 60.28, to finish third in the tournament averages. Elgar started the season with a tremendously determined 119 not out that took his team to a testing fourth-innings target of 257 against the Rocks in Paarl, and then he made 149 the next week against the Dolphins at SuperSport Park.

• Powerade Men’s One-Day Player of the Year, here are the nominees,

• Dean Elgar – Before his great efforts in the first-class competition, Dean Elgar regaled us with some spectacular form in the One-Day Cup. He scored 324 runs in just six innings at an average of 81 and an impressive strike-rate of 94.18. That tally included three centuries, all of which led to Momentum Multiply Titans wins: He stroked 103 off 99 balls against the Rocks to set up a total of 380 for seven; and then in back-to-back matches scored 100 not out and shared a 232-run partnership with Donovan Ferreira, the best for the fifth wicket in the history of the competition, to take the Titans to a target of 273, and 119 not out off 126 deliveries in a total of 355 for six against the Tuskers.

• Donovan Ferreira – The big-hitting Donovan Ferreira hammered 353 runs in seven innings, at an average of 58.83 and a strike-rate of 137.35 for the Momentum Multiply Titans in the One-Day Cup, ensuring we almost always had a phenomenal end to our innings. He sent 18 sixes sailing into the crowd during the competition, more than anyone else. Included in his tally were two fifties and a spectacular century when the Titans were in deep trouble against the Dolphins, on 41 for four chasing 273. He slammed 138 not out off just 106 balls, adding an unbeaten 232 with Dean Elgar, the highest-ever fifth-wicket stand in the history of the competition. Ferreira also chipped in with six wickets with his off-spin, giving away just five runs an over.

• Dewald Brevis – Dewald Brevis, who has just turned 21 – Congratulations! – showed that he will be a batsman for all situations in one-day cricket as he scored 372 runs in seven innings for the Momentum Multiply Titans, averaging 53.14 and striking at 97.89. His two centuries were contrasting efforts: Brevis made 100 off only 80 balls against the Dragons, and also scored 116 off 118 deliveries, out of a total of 217, the Titans having lost their first three wickets with just one run on the board, against Western Province.

• The Weber Men’s Player of the Year, the nominees are:

• Rivaldo Moonsamy – After two seasons away, Rivaldo Moonsamy certainly did not sell himself short upon his return to the Momentum Multiply Titans, being their leading run-scorer in both the four-day and T20 competitions. He averaged an impressive 48.72 against the red ball, scoring 536 runs which included two hundreds and two fifties and was the Titans’ Men’s First-Class Player of the Year. He was brilliant in the T20 competition as well, always entertaining at the crease as he lashed 428 runs at a strike-rate of 136.30.

• Dean Elgar – It was another prolific summer with the bat for Dean Elgar as he hit five centuries in 14 innings for the Momentum Multiply Titans across both the 50-over and four-day competitions. It did not matter whether he was opening the batting or coming in at number four, Elgar was immense with 746 runs across the two tournaments at an average of 67.81. He was the Titans’ Men’s One-Day Player of the Year.

• Dewald Brevis – It has been a brilliant first full season for the Momentum Multiply Titans for Dewald Brevis as he has contributed important runs for the team across all three formats. In first-class cricket, he scored 447 runs at an average of 40.63, with two centuries, 113 in a victory over the Dragons in Potchefstroom and 110, his maiden four-day hundred, in the thrilling win over the Warriors. His 372 runs in seven innings, averaging 53.14 and striking at 97.89, including another two centuries, saw Brevis nominated for the Men’s One-Day Player of the Year award. He only played three T20 games for the Titans, but struck at 150 and raced to 50 off 29 balls against the powerful Warriors side.

Professionalisation of the Women’s game

Women’s cricket continues to enjoy significant growth in South Africa and the evolution of the game reached another milestone in the 2023/24 season with the professionalisation of the domestic game.

For the first time, 11 professional contracts were awarded to the leading ladies of the Fidelity Titans squad, as well as the appointment of full-time support staff such as strength-and-conditioning coaches and physiotherapists.

It was no coincidence that the standards of play would quickly go to new heights and our Fidelity Titans were one of the strongest teams in the country, finishing fourth in both the One-Day Cup and T20 League.

Established Proteas such as Anneke Bosch, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus and Laura Wolvaardt have combined with up-and-coming stars such as newly-capped Protea Eliz-Mari Marx, Katherine Prior, Robyn Searle, Gandhi Jafta and Paulinah Mashishi to make for a most convivial camp.

SuperSport Park and Titans cricket have always been at the forefront of chasing excellence in the women’s game. The stadium hosted the 2005 Women’s World Cup final between Australia and India, with the Aussies storming to a 98-run win.

The appointment of Karen Smithies, who captained England to the 1993 World Cup title, to the managerial staff of the Titans has also boosted the ladies game considerably.

All-rounder Smithies played against the first South African women’s team to tour a major nation, on the trip to England in 1997 under coach Conrad Hunte. The Proteas played at Lord’s – where Smithies took three for 15 to set up an England win – and a couple of the matches were televised.

The women’s game has since exploded with a rapid increase in support. In 2020, 86 000 spectators watched the T20 World Cup final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when Australia again beat India.

South Africa’s rise in women’s cricket continued when they reached the final of the 2023 T20 World Cup, hosted in Cape Town, pushing Australia hard in front of thousands of enthralled spectators.

The Titans have a firm vision that men’s and women’s cricket should be viewed and treated equally and have made much progress towards this noble goal.

Our DP World Lions made sure they will host Sunday’s CSA T20 Challenge final with a commanding win over the Momentum Multiply Titans in Johannesburg on Wednesday night, claiming victory in their semi-final by a sizeable eight wickets with 20 balls to spare.

The #PrideOfJozi continued the great form that carried them to the top of the log after the round-robin stage, overwhelming the Titans with the control and skill of their bowling, and then racing to victory with a powerful batting display. Having successfully converted first place in the standings to a home final at the DP World Wanderers Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Lions will now face either the Dolphins or the Warriors, who play in Durban on Thursday night in the other semi-final.

Having won the toss, the DP World Lions took to the field first and immediately bossed the Titans. The visitors could only score 38 for one in the powerplay and a 20-minute delay to restore a floodlight did not break the momentum.

If anything, it saw the DP World Lions come back out with even more intent and ruthlessness, as they claimed the next eight Titans wickets for just 87 runs. Our chief hero was once again young leg-spinner Nqaba Peter, one of the finds of the domestic season, as he ripped through the Titans middle-order, taking four for 18 in his four overs.

The 21-year-old Peter has now taken 19 wickets in the campaign, at a ridiculously good average of just 7.78, while conceding only 5.19 runs per over. Another one of our exciting younger players, Codi Yusuf, was also excellent, taking two for 25 in his four overs.

With the match reduced to 18 overs-a-side due to the delay, the Titans finished on a meagre 131 for nine. The DLS recalculation meant our target was 134 in 18 overs.

Ryan Rickelton continued to pursue the leading run-scorer’s title as he struck a punishing 38 off 26 balls, his only boundaries being three large sixes, but the real slaughter came from the bat of Rassie van der Dussen.

The DP World Wanderers became a massacre site for the bowlers as the experienced Proteas star powered his way to a fiery 73 not out off just 45 balls, with eight fours and a six. He added 85 off 53 deliveries for the second wicket with Rickelton, and then Temba Bavuma (19* off 13) was out in the middle with him when the match was won, adding an unbeaten 46 off 31 balls for the third wicket.

Yusuf and Wiaan Mulder had earlier removed Titans openers Lhuan-dre Pretorius (8) and Rivaldo Moonsamy (24), with Peter coming on in the ninth over and immediately spinning his web.

The experienced Sibonelo Makhanya (6) was beaten in the flight and bowled trying to sweep, and then in his third over, Peter removed Neil Brand (7) and David Wiese (0) with successive deliveries. Brand was caught top-edging a sweep, Bavuma making plenty of ground to take a brilliantly-judged running catch at midwicket, while Wiese failed to spot the googly and was comprehensively bowled.

Corbin Bosch (9), hitting out ambitiously but in vain, then became Peter’s fourth and final victim, Yusuf taking a very composed catch on the cow-corner boundary. It is the second time this season the youngster who bowls brisk leg-spin with great variations has picked up four wickets in an innings.

The insignia of our mighty DP World Lions is a lion’s head with the mouth open to roar or feed, and men’s head coach Russell Domingo said on Monday that there is still a tremendous appetite within the squad to claim a second trophy this season and really stamp their names on the 2023/24 campaign.

The #PrideOfJozi are just two matches away from adding the CSA T20 Challenge to their four-day triumph, with neighbours and derby rivals the Momentum Multiply Titans their opponents in Wednesday’s semi-final at the DP World Wanderers Stadium.

With their two previous encounters this season both ending in last-ball victories for the home team, it is bound to be another intense outing against a Titans team that have won four games in a row leading into the semi-finals. But at the end of a long season, Domingo says our DP World Lions are primed to finish strong.

“It’s not a challenge to keep these guys hungry, they have the opportunity to win two out of the three competitions this season. We have no fears about them being jaded, they are all really up for it,” Domingo said on Monday at the moving launch of the DP World Beyond Boundaries initiative.

“There are also T20 World Cup spots up for grabs and the players know how important this last week of the competition is. If there’s any uncertainty about Proteas selection, then this tournament can really clarify things. It is still an important competition and there are some fantastic players involved in it.

“Everybody is still looking for that perfect game, that’s what we are striving for, even though you can never reach it – there’ll always be a wide or two. But we are just trying to get better, to stay grounded and not get too far ahead of ourselves,” Domingo said.

The former Proteas and Bangladesh head coach has mixed and matched his starting XIs in recent weeks, ensuring that the players are not only kept fresh, but that he has numerous options when it comes to deciding on a strategy to beat the Titans.

Will Lutho Sipamla and Codi Yusuf bowl in the powerplay or will Delano Potgieter bring his swing bowling into the mix? Or will Wiaan Mulder take the new ball with left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin and Evan Jones also feature in the powerplay?

In the batting, will Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks open, or will one of Rassie van der Dussen or Temba Bavuma go up the order? Will Zubayr Hamza or Connor Esterhuizen feature? Where does Mitchell van Buuren fit into the scheme of things?

“Obviously we have a lot of options. There are so many different bowlers we can use in the powerplay and it’s a good thing not to be predictable because then teams can not always plan against you,” Domingo said.

“We’ve also mixed the batting order around and the guys have all really bought into it. Full credit to them, they’ve got on with it. Maybe in the last couple of games we’ve lacked a really big score, so hopefully someone in the top four will be our in-batter at the death this time.

“But we are in a very blessed position and we’ve had a good competition, winning 10 out of 14 matches to top the log, and two of those lost games were off the last ball. So we have competed well.

“In terms of selection, I’ve tried to take performance out of it and given as many guys opportunity as possible. That has served us well, but it’s time to settle down now,” Domingo said.