Ken Borland

Our DP World Lions men’s team head to Potchefstroom on Saturday for a top-of-the-log final round T20 showdown with the Auto Investments North-West Dragons, and have greeted their midweek loss to Western Province in mature fashion.

Whoever wins the Potchefstroom clash will finish top of the CSA T20 Challenge standings and will enjoy hosting  privileges for Qualifier 1, as well as any other playoff game in which they are involved.

A washed out match will leave North-West in first place because they are currently one point ahead of the Pride, following the DP World Lions’ four-wicket loss to Western Province in Johannesburg.

A two-paced pitch saw #ThePrideOfJozi post 145 for seven, Wandile Makwetu (41 off 23) and Rassie van der Dussen (43 off 33) leading the way with the bat. Delano Potgieter was outstanding with the ball as he took two for four in three overs, including a maiden, but the visitors edged home with three balls to spare thanks to Eddie Moore’s lone hand (87* off 62 balls).

Coach Russell Domingo acknowledged that it was not the team’s best all-round performance this season, even the fielding and catching being a little sloppy. But the experienced mentor said perhaps that display had come at the right time.

“We had won four on the bounce and, in terms of the standings, we still would have had to beat the Dragons to finish first. Which would obviously be great because of the home playoffs you get. So if there was a game to lose then it was probably that one.

“We now have three games to win to win the title again, and the last match was a good wake-up call. We are still a long way from perfect, we’ve had a few ugly, scrappy wins. But last season was similar, we peaked at the right time. Hopefully it’s a similar scenario this time and we start playing our best cricket towards the end of the competition,” Domingo said.

There will be at least one change to the DP World Lions team as wicketkeeper/opener Wandile Makwetu unfortunately bust a finger in the field against Western Province. Connor Esterhuizen will take over the gloves as he did in midweek, but he will stay in the middle-order.

Makwetu made the opener’s slot his own this season as he belted 154 runs at a strike-rate of 133.91. Zubayr Hamza is likely to return to the starting XI, and move up from his regular No.3 slot to open the batting.

“Wandile’s broken finger is most unfortunate because he has ensured we have been starting very well. Historically the J.B. Marks Oval has a good pitch and outfield, you get value for money for your strokes. So you generally want to chase or if you are batting first, then you have to put up a big score. We know the Dragons are a tough side and they have a handful of big, formidable players,” 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 Central Gauteng Lions will have the services of the second new ball first thing on the final morning as they mount a last-ditch effort to win their CSA 4-Day Series match against the North-West Dragons at the Wanderers on Thursday.

Having posted a formidable 504 for five declared, but also having lost the majority of the second day’s play to a wet outfield and bad light, the Lions had reduced North-West to 342 for seven at stumps on Wednesday’s third day.

The visitors are still 13 runs shy of preventing the Lions from enforcing the follow-on, which will surely be their most likely route to victory. Even a lead of 125 will force the home side to bat for some time on the final day, into the afternoon and therefore leaving them with too few overs remaining to bowl out the Dragons on a good batting pitch.

The Lions strived nobly with the ball and at 226 for six, they seemed poised to dismiss North-West well short of the follow-on mark of 355.

But there was some determined, pugnacious cricket by the visitors’ lower-order and Migael Pretorius, with a defiant 68 not out, and Duan Jansen, who is in similarly stubborn mood on 30 not out and has already played some fantastic drives down the ground, will resume battle on the final morning.

They have added a crucial 68 for the eighth wicket, and before that, Pretorius put on 48 for the seventh wicket with Senuran Muthusamy, who scored a solid 45 in two-and-a-half hours at the crease.

Having suffered some traumatic damage with the ball, the Dragons actually enjoyed a solid start to their first innings, reaching 111 for one as Grant Mokoena made 43 and Raynard van Tonder stroked a commanding 87 off 114 balls.

But Tshepo Moreki found the edges of both Mokoena and Wihan Lubbe’s bats as they tried to leave, bowling the former and having the latter smartly taken by Wiaan Mulder at second slip.

Duanne Olivier claimed the key wicket of Van Tonder, caught behind as the ball just nipped away from him, and spinner Bjorn Fortuin then made inroads.

Ruan de Swardt and Mika-eel Prince, skying a slog-sweep, were both caught-and-bowled by Fortuin, who then trapped Muthusamy lbw as he missed a sweep.

Before North-West came out to bat, Zubayr Hamza and Mulder were both able to complete their centuries for the Lions.

Given the frustrations of the second day, it seemed ages ago that Hamza came to the crease, but he was quickly into three figures for the first time since moving to Central Gauteng, having started the day on 96 with the Lions on 385 for three.

The stylish Proteas player scored an authoritative 118 off 169 deliveries, building superbly on the first-day top-order contributions of Josh Richards (82), Dominic Hendricks (64) and Ryan Rickelton (58).

Mulder finished with 121 from 131 balls, a classy innings from someone who has shown a great thirst for runs already this season.

He and Hamza enjoyed a quick thrash-about for runs on Wednesday morning, aided by Wandile Makwetu’s punishing 36 not out off just 20 balls, which included three sixes, before the declaration came an hour before lunch.

Some may argue they should have declared before they did, but then the Dragons would have already have saved the follow-on and the Lions would be needing a miracle to win.

As it stands, they need three wickets for less than 13 runs, with a brand new ball, on the final morning to give them hope.

The Northerns Titans suffered a shock thrashing at home on Friday when their extraordinary batting collapse and ill-disciplined bowling saw them hammered by eight wickets with 19 overs to spare by the North-West Dragons in their CSA One-Day Cup match at SuperSport Park.

When Dewald Brevis raised his bat and bowed to the changeroom upon reaching a sparkling 76-ball century, his first in List A cricket, it seemed likely that the wunderkind would steer the Titans to 400 with the total already on 168 for three in just the 26^th over.

But just two balls later, Brevis was back in that changeroom for 100, having slapped Kerwin Mungroo to long-on, where lanky Duan Jansen took a fine, low catch running in from the boundary.

Mungroo then produced a fine delivery to bowl Donovan Ferreira through the gate for a duck in the same over, although the Titans’ other key batsman was rather stuck in the crease to a fullish delivery.

From there the Dragons simply blew the rest of the batting line-up, missing Dean Elgar due to happy family reasons, away – an astonishing collapse of seven for 39 in 12 overs saw the Titans bundled out for just 207.

With Brevis in complete command and Matthew Kleinveldt having scored a bright 47 off 41 balls, it was an incredible turnaround. Credit must go to a North-West attack who sniffed the opportunity and rammed home the advantage given to them by Mungroo’s double-strike, but it really was a slack batting display by the Titans.

The 20-year-old Brevis will have learnt a hard lesson about giving one’s wicket away when in control, and how momentum can so easily and disastrously be relinquished.

Having seized the moment with such alacrity in the field, the Dragons then showed no tentativeness with the bat, openers Lesego Senokwane and Meeka-Eel Prince making a fiery start, racing to 50 in the eighth over.

Although the Titans employed the services of eight bowlers, no-one could make an impression or produce the discipline and control required on a pitch that did offer the bowlers something, although it was largely an excellent batting wicket.

Senokwane and Prince marched on to an opening stand of 115 off just 93 balls, a record for North-West, before left-arm spinner Neil Brand eventually made a breakthrough.

Senokwane missed a sweep at a delivery that was probably too full for the stroke, and was given out lbw, although the ball may have pitched just outside leg-stump. The in-form 26-year-old had cruised to 52 off 47 balls, timing the ball sweetly for seven fours and two sixes.

Prince, using his height and power well, went on to a devastating 89 off just 78 balls, crunching 11 fours and three sixes. The former SA U19 player is on a rookie contract in Potchefstroom, and his move from the Western Cape has certainly borne fruit for both player and province. Friday’s runs made him the leading run-scorer in the competition with 280 in five innings, but he was overtaken by team-mate Raynard van Tonder when he saw the Dragons to victory with 32 not out.