Ken Borland

Having performed brilliantly for a bonus point win over the Warriors in Gqeberha, a home semi-final now beckons for the DP World Lions men’s team if they can beat the Momentum Multiply Titans in their CSA T20 Challenge match in Centurion on Friday.

Our Pride were superb in hammering the Warriors by 43 runs at St George’s Park on Wednesday night, the bonus point seeing them overtake the long-time log-leaders at the top of the standings. The DP World Lions now have 40 points from their nine wins in 12 matches, one point ahead of the Eastern Province side.

Victory at SuperSport Park on Friday night will take the #PrideOfJozi to at least 44 points, which means whatever the other results in the last two rounds of fixtures, the DP World Lions will be guaranteed to finish in the top two of the CSA T20 Challenge. They finish off the round-robin campaign against the Tuskers in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Sent in to bat in conditions that were not easy for strokeplay, the DP World Lions did well to cobble together a total of 152 for nine against the Warriors. Opener Ryan Rickelton led the way with his determined, well-judged 52 off 38 balls. His fourth half-century of the campaign was enough for him to become the leading run-scorer in the competition with 378 in 10 innings for an average of 47.25, at an excellent strike-rate of 144.82.

Rickelton was well-supported by fellow opener Reeza Hendricks, who stroked 31 off 23 balls as they gave the DP World Lions an excellent start by putting on 58 in the powerplay.

Rassie van der Dussen, with a run-a-ball 17, then added 40 for the second wicket with Rickelton in five-and-a-half overs, but wickets then fell in the 12^th, 13^th and 15^th overs as our Pride slipped to 106 for four.

Two more wickets then fell in the 17^th over, another in the 19^th and then the DP World Lions lost both Evan Jones and Nqaba Peter to the last two balls of the innings.

But in between that clatter of wickets, you have to give credit to the batsmen for still keeping the scoreboard ticking over on a very dry, slow pitch.

Jones led the way with his 12 off just nine deliveries, but Mitchell van Buuren, Bjorn Fortuin and Lutho Sipamla all collected important boundaries in the closing overs and scored at at least a run-a-ball.

Sipamla was hit for a four and a six off successive deliveries by Warriors captain Matthew Breetzke, but then struck back by having the young dasher caught at mid-off, and wonderful spinner Fortuin (4-0-12-1) then deceived Andile Mogakane and sharp work by Rickelton behind the wicket saw him stumped for a duck as the Pride made a good start with the ball.

Mulder then showed why we are so fortunate to have an all-rounder of his quality in the team as he came on and made two hammer blows in his first two overs, trapping Jiveshan Pillay lbw and then taking a caught-and-bowled to dismiss Jordan Hermann.

With Jones chipping in with the wicket of Sinethemba Qeshile, we were in firm control with the Warriors 36 for five. Spinner Junaid Dawood (4-0-33-1) also contributed by bowling Patrick Kruger with his slider, while Jones (3.1-0-17-2) also dismissed the dangerous Beyers Swanepoel, Mulder taking a fantastic running catch in the outfield.

Mulder then returned and also claimed the wickets of Liam Alder, a former Lions player, and Siya Simetu to finish with magnificent career-best figures of four for 14 in his four overs.

The Warriors’ last wicket also fell to a run out, thanks to good work by Van Buuren, as they were dismissed for 109 in the final over.

The DP World Lions men’s team may be able to settle for a total of between 140-160 in their massive Division One CSA T20 Challenge top-of-the-log clash against the Dafabet Warriors at St George’s Park on Wednesday, but one thing that is non-negotiable for coach Russell Domingo is playing with high intensity.

Our Pride are coming off a run of four successive wins, so confidence is high and there is also plenty at stake on Wednesday in Gqeberha as the DP World Lions can claim first place in the standings with a victory in this last week of round-robin action.

Playing now at the height of autumn, Domingo is not expecting a run-fest and the gravity of the game means it is likely to be a tense, tight affair.

“Historically you would bat first at St George’s Park, but playing this late in the season means there could be dew around. We will need to assess that on the day,” Domingo said. “But the most important thing is for us to match and exceed the Warriors’ intensity. We’ve got to be right up there.

“The Warriors have defended a lot of scores around 160 and we’re not seeing massive totals anymore this season. The trend is not scores of 190-200. You have to bat properly because it’s now a bit cooler, there’s more moisture around and the ball is doing a bit more. So we’ll have to be on top of things with our batting

“It’s the two teams with the most wins going head-to-head and getting to first on the log is a big incentive for us. I’ve been really happy with our intensity and focus in the last couple of games, it’s really improved and our fielding has been fantastic,” Domingo said.

Our #PrideOfJozi is such a settled, confident team at the moment that the coach is able to introduce fringe players without disrupting the winning flow. Proteas stars Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen were rested for the last outing, against the North-West Dragons at the DP World Wanderers Stadium last weekend, and their replacements, Zubayr Hamza and Connor Esterhuizen, were sent up to open the batting and both scored 41 not out off 28 balls as they rushed the team to a 10-wicket bonus point victory.

“I’m trying to give guys opportunities for more game-time, more time in the middle. Obviously winning is the most important thing, but it’s also important to expose some of the other players,” Domingo explained.

“I was really happy for Connor, he’s been on the sidelines a lot this season, he hasn’t had much game-time and he really showed how good he can be. Both he and Zubayr are fantastic cricketers.

“I will probably make some more changes against the Warriors, keep giving guys opportunity. I’m pretty confident we will still have enough firepower to push them hard, although the Warriors have played fabulous cricket. Winning nine out of 11 games is a phenomenal achievement and we will have to be at the top of our game if we are to win and go to first on the log,” Domingo said.

The key to a successful outcome for the #PrideOfJozi will be doing the basics right.

“We need to really focus on the small things, do the basics well. Things like really running well between the wickets, scrapping in the powerplay when the bowlers are very much in the game in South African conditions, setting things up in the middle and then finishing well,” Domingo said.

The DP World Lions men’s team moved into a tie for first place on the CSA T20 Challenge standings with an inspired 10-wicket win over the Auto Investment North-West Dragons in Johannesburg on Sunday.

The Dragons had elected to bat first, but a brilliant bowling and fielding display by the #PrideOfJozi saw them bundled out inside 19 overs for just 85 runs, sneaking past the record low T20 Challenge score at the DP World Wanderers Stadium by just one run.

The DP World Lions then sent Zubayr Hamza and Connor Esterhuizen, coming in for the rested Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen, in first to open the batting, and the pair duly knocked off the required runs in just 9.2 overs. With our Pride strolling to a bonus point win, and the log-leading Warriors losing to the Boland Rocks in Paarl, it means the Lions are now level-pegging with the Eastern Province side on 35 points. The two sides meet on Wednesday at St George’s Park in a massive encounter.

Wiaan Mulder (2-0-9-2) set the tone up front with the ball as he struck twice in his first two overs. His first delivery of the match saw Meeka-Eel Prince (1) mishit a catch to mid-on, and in his next over he picked up Rubin Hermann (3) caught at extra cover.

At 12 for two, the Dragons were already in arrears and they slumped into further trouble when Lutho Sipamla (3-0-18-2) removed Lesiba Ngoepe (9) and Wihan Lubbe (22).

North-West were 53 for four after 10 overs and still under big pressure when Nqaba Peter (4-0-22-3) and his rapidly-developing leg-spin were brought into the attack. The 22-year-old struck with his second ball as he deceived and bowled Raynard van Tonder (12), and Peter then struck twice in successive deliveries in his next over. Senuran Muthusamy (6) was brilliantly caught by Esterhuizen, running in from the midwicket boundary and diving forward to scoop up a low catch, and Caleb Seleka (0) was then bowled first ball by a brilliant slider.

Seamers Evan Jones and Codi Yusuf, and spinner Bjorn Fortuin then each took a wicket to wrap up the Dragons innings.

Hamza and Esterhuizen got comfortable on an autumnal pitch that made it difficult to hit through the line on the up, and then produced a combative unbeaten partnership of 86 off 60 balls to win the match.

They both finished on 41 not out off 28 balls. Hamza’s smooth strokeplay, plus some innovative hitting, saw him collect six fours and a six, while Esterhuizen looked a bright talent as he struck four fours and two sixes, both his driving and pulling being impressive.

Our #PrideOfJozi have now won four games in a row and are building impressive momentum as a place in the knockout rounds and a home semi-final beckon. In the last week of round-robin action, they travel to take on the Warriors and the fourth-placed Titans, before returning home to the DP World Wanderers Stadium to play the bottom-placed Tuskers next Sunday.

“The future is in our own hands but it is still up to us to put the results on the table,” DP World Lions captain Bjorn Fortuin said as he considered the #PrideOfJozi’s last four matches in the CSA T20 Challenge and the jostle for semi-final places.

The DP World Lions are in action on Sunday again as they host the Auto Investment North-West Dragons and they have dual goals of consolidating second place in the standings, but also closing the gap on the log-leading Warriors.

Following Friday night’s matches, the DP World Lions are nine points behind the Eastern Province team, but three points ahead of the Dolphins with a game in hand, and seven points ahead of fourth-placed Western Province.

Having won their last three matches in a row, our Pride will certainly be taking momentum and confidence into Sunday’s clash at the DP World Wanderers Stadium.

“We have no complaints with how things are going at the moment but we must not get ahead of ourselves. I’ve been part of teams that have won five on the bounce and then it was downhill from there,” Fortuin said.

“Our main goal is to catch the Warriors and we also still have a game against them. So our future is in our own hands, but it is still up to us to put the results on the table.

“There have already been a couple of surprise results this season so you can never write anyone off, this format has proven that so many times. Anyone can beat anyone on any day. The Dragons have some seriously dangerous players and they have a lot to play for as a team and individuals have points to prove as well,” Fortuin warned.

But for the DP World Lions it is a case of keep doing what they have been doing so far. They have not relied on a couple of players for their seven wins thus far; the presence of nine different Pride members in the top-20 of the batting and bowling averages indicates how many Lions are chipping in with important contributions.

“We are a seriously talented team and it’s good that we don’t solely rely on one or two players,” Fortuin said. “T20 cricket is quite unpredictable and not every day is going to be yours as a player. But we have always had someone to pick up the slack and that’s what you expect from quality players. We have managed to pull things together.”

A top-class unbeaten half-century by Ryan Rickelton saw the DP World Lions to a crucial weather-shortened win over the Dolphins in their last match, but the Pride have had a tough time with rain-interrupted matches this season.

Fortuin is looking for a more adaptable mindset from his team, but there is also a sense that the DP World Lions are on a steady climb to reach their peak when the knockout stages arrive.

“We won our last game at the DP World Wanderers Stadium, Ryan played an unbelievable innings in tough conditions, but we made it a bit tighter than it should have been. If there are rain delays or odd things happen, hopefully we deal with it much better.

“There are still quite a few games left, so there is time to rectify the couple of things we could have done better in certain situations. We’re not taking anything for granted, but there is a feeling that we are reaching our peak. We’re excited for when it will come, but it can also be frustrating to just inch towards your goal.

“So we have got to be patient. But we know that if we are really on our game, then not many teams can keep up with us,” Fortuin said.