Ken Borland

A superb middle-order effort by the Warriors took them from 33 for four to 157 for nine which proved to be enough to beat the much-touted Titans with a bonus point in a shock T20 Challenge result at Kingsmead on Wednesday.

The match appeared to be proceeding according to script for the Titans as they had the Warriors four down after seven overs, Lizaad Williams taking two of the wickets.

But Wihan Lubbe counter-attacked, hitting ace spinner Tabraiz Shamsi for three successive boundaries as he scored 35 off 29 balls to shift the momentum.

The 20-year-old Tristan Stubbs then hammered a pugnacious 44 off 31 balls and Aya Gqamane then punished the Titans bowling at the death in a superb 37 off just 17 deliveries.

Chris Morris was again the most economical Titans bowler, taking two for 26 in his four overs, but everyone else conceded expensive overs which proved crucial as the Titans let things slip when they were in a commanding position.

The Titans have a similarly talented batting line-up but they have failed to really fire in this tournament and they were very disappointing again on Wednesday, limping to 114 for nine.

The Warriors began with spin from both ends and it would have a major impact as both JJ Smuts and Wihan Lubbe took wickets to reduce the Titans to 36 for two inside the first seven overs.

But Aiden Markram scored 31 off 28 balls to take them to 63 for two at the halfway stage, allowing them to have a real push for victory.

But instead the Titans just collapsed in a heap with Mthiwekhaya Nabe ripping through the middle-order in brilliant fashion with four for 21.

Pacemen Marco Jansen (4-0-21-2) and Anrich Nortje (4-0-20-1) were also outstanding.

The Warriors, despite losing their first three matches, have given themselves a chance of making the playoffs, should they beat the Knights on Thursday and the Titans suffer a third successive loss when they play the Dolphins on Friday.

After Sisanda Magala had taken five wickets to demolish the Knights for just 106 all out, the expectation was that the Imperial Lions would go for the bonus point win but their own top-order wobble meant in the end they settled for a comfortable seven-wicket triumph with 11 balls to spare.

The hugely talented Gerald Coetzee (4-1-19-2), playing his first game of the competition, had rocked the Lions with two wickets in his first two overs, leaving them on six for two.

Captain Temba Bavuma then came to the crease to join Reeza Hendricks and he said after the game their approach was to make sure they won the game on a tricky pitch, rather than reach their lowly target inside 16 overs.

That they did with a third-wicket stand of 93, which was ended when Hendricks was run out for a fighting 47.

Bavuma batted on and finished with a composed 53 not out off 47 balls.

The Knights had earlier won the toss and elected to bat first, but their batsmen were all short-lived tenants at the crease in the face of an outstanding bowling display by the Lions.

Magala led the way with superb figures of five for 20, bowling at the stumps and showing plenty of skill as four of his victims were lbw or bowled.

Left-armer Beuran Hendricks (4-0-21-2) was again excellent as he removed both openers, while left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso (4-0-14-2) gave the Lions a firm grip on the game as he removed Pite van Biljon (15) and Grant Mokoena (8) in the 10^th over to reduce the Knights to 40 for five.

Farhaan Behardien (28) and Ferisco Adams (23) were the only batsmen to cause the Lions even the slightest hassle.

The Lions are now top of the log on run-rate and play the other unbeaten side, the Dolphins, in a crunch encounter on Wednesday afternoon.

The independent directors on Cricket South Africa’s board have not always furthered the best interests of the game in this country, but hopefully this time it will be different as nominations for those positions close on Friday.

The Interim Board currently in place is trying its utmost to ensure that the governance scandals that have rocked Cricket South Africa in recent years never happen again and those efforts centre around the independent directors. The Memorandum of Incorporation they are developing for CSA has two non-negotiable aspects that will empower those independent directors, according to one of the Interim Board members.

Firstly, the new board that will come into place in mid-April will comprise a majority of independent directors and, secondly, the chairman of the board must be an independent director as well. There will now be a clear split between the board and the Members Council, which comprises the provincial presidents.

The Members Council will elect a president who may sit on the board, but they will not be the chairman.

While the Interim Board are looking for “people of integrity and substance who are also cricket people”, the quality of the new independent directors will only be as good as the nominations received. Which is why the current board are anxiously awaiting Friday and hoping their advert on CSA’s website [https://cricket.co.za/item/336/Careers] draws some standout applicants.

What is also crucial is the quality of the nominations committee that will sift through the candidates and this has apparently been another area in which the Interim Board are ensuring they get the right people.

While acting CEO Pholetsi Moseki is doing a good job, the new board will also have to find a permanent CEO who can drive CSA’s renaissance as well as having standing at International Cricket Council level. The independent directors will drive that process.

Ox Nche has played two seasons of Pro14 rugby in Europe with the Cheetahs so he has intimate knowledge of exactly what is required to succeed when the Sharks and the other South African franchises play in the Rainbow Cup Pro16 tournament from April.

In the Cheetahs’ debut season in Europe, in 2017/18, the loosehead prop was involved in every game which meant he played 10 matches in places like Limerick, Galway, Glasgow and Llanelli. In 2018/19 he played another eight games overseas.

SA Rugby has organised a series of preparation matches for the franchises which begin this weekend, with the Sharks hosting Griquas on Sunday. So, according to Nche, what has to be the focus for the Sharks as they prepare for Europe?

They have to trust their game-plan even more

The Sharks reached the Currie Cup final with a definite game-plan of using contestable kicks and then playing off turnover ball or mistakes by the opposition, which would seem to be a fitting tactic for the sodden pitches of Europe. But Nkwe says they need to be even more determined to ruthlessly execute that game-plan.

“We still need to grow as a squad and trust the process even more. We need more consistency in following the game-plan, we saw lots of potential in the Currie Cup, but there’s still lots of work to be done. The processes are more important in these preparation matches than the results and our aim is to get better as rugby players,” Nche said on Tuesday.

Their set-pieces have to be rock-solid

“Going into Pro16 we have to make sure that our set-pieces are unstoppable, we need to make sure in these local matches that our depth is ready. The European teams have good plans and strategies and they do the basics well. But we have to make up our minds that we are going to dominate at set-piece, I absolutely think we’re going to do good there and we will make our mark,” Nche said.

Mindset is vital

The conditions are going to be foreign, they will be away from home and probably stuck in biobubbles, so keeping mentally strong will be crucial.

“We have the skillsets and the players, it’s just about our mindset. Getting the chance to express our passion for the game should be all we want to do. Mental preparation is everything and having the attitude that we will do whatever it takes is most important. We need to get into that mindset that we are going to be the best we can be,” Nche said.