Ken Borland

The Unlimited Titans will travel across the Jukskei River – as well as a few smaller streams – today to do battle with neighbours and arch-rivals the bizhub Highveld Lions in the second edition of the Momentum eKasi Challenge, to be played this year at the Dobsonville Oval in Soweto.

And, in keeping with Cricket South Africa’s new transformation targets, there will be a healthy sprinkling of Black African players to inspire township cricket fans.

Pacemen Junior Dala, who came across from the Lions to the Titans last year, and Ethy Mbhalati, and wicketkeeper/batsman Mangaliso Mosehle will play for the Titans, while in-form SA A batsman Temba Bavuma, seamer Pumelela Matshikwe and wrist-spinner Eddie Leie will be in action for the Lions.

It may just be a pre-season friendly, with all 13 squad members allowed to be used, but Roelof van der Merwe, one of the toughest competitors you will ever come across, believes there is much to be gained for the Titans if they can reverse last season’s result and beat the Lions on their home turf.

“Every game against the Lions, we like to beat them, and I’m sure the feeling is mutual. It will be a good measure to see where we are in our preparations, especially for the bowlers because we really want to nail down our skills ahead of the new season,” Van der Merwe told The Pretoria News yesterday.

While much of the Titans squad will be shaking off the winter rust, even though they have been training hard in the nets for a couple of months, Van der Merwe is looking forward to bowling on a Dobsonville Oval pitch that looks similar to the West Indian wickets he has been plying his trade on while playing half-a-dozen games for the St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League.

“The pitch looks a bit dry and slow, so I think we’ll play both frontline spinners, myself and Eden Links,” the left-arm orthodox bowler acknowledged.

With the rise of Shaun von Berg, Links did not get much chance for the Titans last season and he will be eager to put himself back at the forefront of coach Rob Walter’s thinking with a strong performance today.

While the likes of Von Berg and Graeme van Buuren, and the injured trio of Henry Davids, Albie Morkel and Rowan Richards, will obviously be back in the frame once the Titans open the Momentum One-Day Cup on October 10, today’s match is an important first step for several players with big seasons ahead of them.

For Dean Elgar, Farhaan Behardien, David Wiese and maybe even Heino Kuhn, there is the lure of the World Cup squad early next year, while Theunis de Bruyn, Vincent Moore and Heinrich Klaasen, all members of the highly-successful Tuks side, will want to show that they should be a part of the Titans’ season ahead.

For the Lions, the importance of starting the season well is even greater as they endured the most miserable of times in 2013/14.

The batting has an inexperienced look to it, with Stephen Cook, Gulam Bodi and Bavuma the only seasoned franchise players, while the pace attack will be led by Hardus Viljoen. Coach Geoff Toyana has chosen two of the talented up-and-coming pacemen in Gauteng to back up him and Matshikwe, in the form of Sean Jamison and Matthew Arnold.

The waiting is finally over for the 26 players involved in the eKasi Challenge and they will be looking to explode into action to provide the best sort of inspiration for the township spectators getting a rare glimpse of franchise cricket.

Squads

Highveld Lions: Stephen Cook, Gulam Bodi, Temba Bavuma, Yaseen Valli, Devon Conway, Nicky van den Bergh, Dwaine Pretorius, Sean Jamison, Hardus Viljoen, Pumelela Matshikwe, Eddie Leie, Rassie van der Dussen, Matthew Arnold.

Titans: Dean Elgar, Theunis de Bruyn, Heino Kuhn, Farhaan Behardien, Roelof van der Merwe, David Wiese, Mangaliso Mosehle, Eden Links, Vincent Moore, Ethy Mbhalati, Junior Dala, Heinrich Klaasen, Tabraiz Shamsi.

*Play starts at 9.30am & will be broadcast live on SuperSport 2

The second edition of the Northerns Bash will be boosted by the presence of international stars Henry Davids, Farhaan Behardien, Marchant de Lange and Albie Morkel, it was revealed at the auction for the T20 competition at SuperSport Park on Wednesday night.

The four players, all of whom have been key figures in the South African T20 side, have each been snapped up by one of the four squads taking part in the tournament, which will be held from September 11-14 at SuperSport Park.

The inaugural Northerns Bash, which was held in April, was won by the Nashua Tshwane Phantoms, led by Titans stars Roelof van der Merwe, Shaun von Berg, Qaasim Adams and Rowan Richards, and they have now been strengthened by the acquisition of fast bowler De Lange.

The Phantoms now have a pace attack – also featuring JP de Villiers – to match the brilliance of their spin duo of Van der Merwe and Von Berg.

The Global Softech Solutions Gladiators, who were beaten in the final by the Phantoms, are mourning the loss of key bowlers Corbin Bosch and Vincent Moore, but they have gained the finishing skills of Behardien and another useful paceman in Sean Nowak of the champion Tuks team.

The TMM Capital Investments Tornados have lost Nowak as well as lanky off-spinner Ruben Claassen, but they have gained the batting talents of Davids and young star Aiden Markram, as well as Bosch and wrist-spinner Thomas Kaber to boost their attack.

Morkel has marched back into Northerns cricket hungry to succeed in all formats and the most experienced T20 player in the land has linked up with the WAD Holdings Pirates and another formidable all-rounder in David Wiese.

Tournament commissioner Pierre Joubert announced a couple of changes to the format of the competition, with ties in the group stages now being decided through a bowl-out, in which all 11 players in a team will bowl at a set of stumps. A super over will be used in the final in the event of a tie.

The teams will also now be aiming for the bonus point on offer if they beat their opposition inside 16 overs or bowl them out for less than 80% of their own total.

The squads had to include at least one rookie, who must play at least 50% of their matches, and a minimum of four players of colour, with two on the field at all times. They were restricted to choosing a maximum of four players from any one club, and only two Northerns players each, although there was no restriction on Titans representatives.

The current squads will be for the next two editions of the Northerns Bash – in September and next April.

Joubert praised the four team sponsors as well as SA Breweries and Protea Hotels “for really buying into the concept in brilliant fashion”.

Squads

Tornados: H. Kuhn, G. van Buuren, J. Dala, M. Mosehle, T. de Bruyn, H. Davids, A. Markram, C. Bosch, G. Linde, T. Easton, T. Kaber, J. Snyman, C. Letcher, S. Phillips.

Gladiators: C. Pienaar, L. Kgoatle, E. Mbhalati, R. Houbert, S. Dickson, F. Behardien, T. Gouws, R. Sadler, M. Coetzee, B. Mahlangu, S. Nowak, R. Eksteen, J. Malan, E. Jones.

Phantoms: R. van der Merwe, S. von Berg, Q. Adams, R. Richards, B. Schraader, M. de Lange, J. de Villiers, J. Brooker, G. Pike, B. le Roux, E. Links, W. Scott, S. Klopper, D. Rossouw.

Pirates: D. Wiese, H. Klaasen, S. Naidoo, T. Khoza, E. Hawken, A. Morkel, T. Koekemoer, R. Claassen, C. Buitendag, J. Jumat, T. Shamzi, W. van Heerden, W. Britz, D. Foxcroft.

Fixtures

Thursday 11 September: 10:00 Gladiators v Phantoms; 1:30 Pirates v Tornados.

Friday 12 September: 10:00 Gladiators v Pirates; 1:30 Tornados v Phantoms.

Saturday 13 September: 10:00 Phantoms v Pirates; 1:30 Gladiators v Tornados.

Sunday 14 September: 10:00 3rd/4^th playoff; 1:30 Final.