Ken Borland

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.

Putting together a successful team is not as simple as just buying the biggest names with the greatest strikepower; even The Avengers had one Thor but also important, more down-to-earth members like the Wasp, Hawkeye and Black Widow.

The same will apply to the SA20 franchises when they put together their final 17-man squads at the player auction in Cape Town on Monday, according to the veteran coaches who participated in a round-table discussion on Thursday.

“Planning is key before the auction, you need to have a clear outline and know exactly what you want,” Joburg Super Kings coach Eric Simons said. “It gets pretty hectic when the paddles start going up, so you need to be very clear about where the player you are bidding for fits into the team, rather than just going for someone because they’re a big name.

“You’re after two or three skills in one player and, from a Super Kings perspective, you also want local players who understand the conditions and the fans can get behind them.

“You need to build a common strategy and synergy, it’s 17 individuals but you have to make a team out of them, choose players who will play for that uniform,” Simons said.

“It’s not just 11 players who will win you the competition, probably 15 will have to get you over the line,” Durban Super Giants coach Lance Klusener said.

“The guys who come into the side as back-up towards the end of the competition become really important cogs.”

So one can expect old heads with intimate knowledge of all the domestic venues like Rassie van der Dussen, Dwaine Pretorius, Reeza Hendricks, Dane Vilas, Wayne Parnell and Jon-Jon Smuts to attract plenty of interest.

While it is a pity that the weakness of the rand means prices of overseas players are over-inflated, Simons, who has been coaching at the IPL for a decade, said the focus of these franchise leagues should always be on the local players.

“A lot of people make the mistake in thinking that the IPL is all about the international players. It’s not, it’s about Indian cricketers and it’s a privilege for us from overseas to be involved.

“The SA20 will be no different, it’s the local players who will make up the strength of the team. Building a very solid local component is a vital part of success.

“A lot of those South African players are very good value, but so far we know only their base prices, who knows where the bidding will end?

“There are certainly some guys who missed out on the pre-auction who I have no doubt there will be great interest in,” Simons said.

The last time South Africa won a Test at Newlands was in January 2019 when they beat Pakistan by nine wickets. It’s not that long ago, but there is nevertheless a feeling of nostalgia for a side that included such great names as Steyn, Philander, Amla, Du Plessis and De Kock.

The Proteas need 111 runs with eight wickets in hand on Friday morning to beat India and win the series against the world’s No.1 ranked side, so the current team certainly must have something going for them as well.

A much-criticised batting line-up will have earned themselves massive respect if they chase down targets of more than 200 in the fourth innings two weeks in a row; the new-look Proteas bowling attack has already shown that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Lungi Ngidi has played a key role in that attack in this series and he was at the forefront at Newlands on Thursday as he spearheaded a fightback after lunch that saw South Africa reduce India from 152/4 to 198 all out. Ngidi took 3/12 in a seven-over spell, including the key wicket of Virat Kohli, splendidly caught in the slips by a leaping Aiden Markram, for 29 to set the collapse in motion.

“From the first Test, the team has been using the sort of language that there are going to be moments when someone has to put up their hand,” Ngidi said. “We don’t have superstars but we have good players and cricketing brains.

“This time it was my session and for me the important thing was to make sure I cashed in. I did decently in the West Indies as well, but against this calibre of players this is definitely one of my best series ever.

“I’m also very proud of Marco Jansen [19.3-6-36-4], he just wants to do well for the team. He has taken to Test cricket like a duck to water and he has a very bright future,” Ngidi said.

South Africa’s batting line-up have had many disappointing performances of late, but they are still in position to complete a remarkable series victory on the fourth day. Much will depend on rookie Keegan Petersen, who is on the brink of his third half-century in four innings as he went to stumps on 48 not out.

India’s stellar attack are going to push them all the way though and the pitch is going to offer enough assistance to still make it a fraught run-chase.

“The ball has been doing something this entire Test series and there are patches on this pitch that if the ball hits them, it does something more,” Ngidi said.

“It’s going to require patience, but we’ve seen from Rishabh Pant that you can score a hundred and there have also been a couple of seventies. So with the right application you can score runs.

“But if the bowlers hit the right areas then they can also take wickets. So it’s a good pitch – everyone is in the game and bat and ball are well-matched.

“If we can have a sixty-run partnership early tomorrow [Friday] then that will put us in position, but if they get early wickets then they are back in the game. It is very well poised,” Ngidi said.