Ken Borland

DP World Lions men’s coach Russell Domingo is backing his star players to once again stand up for our team as they go into Sunday’s CSA T20 Challenge final hunting for back-to-back titles.

Having topped the round-robin log and then convincingly beaten the second-placed Momentum Multiply Titans in Qualifier I, #ThePrideOfJozi went straight through to the final at the DP World Wanderers Stadium from 2pm on Sunday, and now they are just waiting for the final Qualifier to be played to decide whether their opponents will be the Titans or World Sports Betting Western Province.

It’s been another stellar campaign for the Pride, with Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks and all-rounder Evan Jones in the top-10 of the batting averages and Junaid Dawood, the competition’s leading wicket-taker, Nqaba Peter and Kwena Maphaka making up the top three in the bowling averages.

“Particularly in the big games, you need your senior players to stand up. Reeza is producing some fantastic batting and Rassie is playing very well at the moment, he’s in really good touch,” Domingo said.

“Kwena is only 18, he’s a baby really in cricket terms, writing his matric exams, but he’s already a match-winner for us. He showed in that second-last over in Potch, how good his ability and maturity is at the death. He’s a fantastic asset for us – he can take early wickets and bowl at the death.

“Nqaba is a quality bowler too. There will be days when he is not 100%, but he’s also a match-winner who we back because when he has a good day, he’s spectacular. Junaid has also been fantastic, he’s put in a lot of effort, stayed patient and I’ve been very pleased with his bowling.

“The enthusiasm Evan brings is amazing, he has a great presence, he’s aggressive with bat and ball. He’s had a few niggles previously but now he’s in good shape and is a big player for us. He’s one of the first names on the team-sheet,” Domingo said.

Big-match temperament is not something on sale at the Wanderers Stadium Sports Shop and Domingo is pleased that our Pride once again seem to be peaking at the right time. Their seven-wicket win over the Titans with four overs to spare was an immaculate all-round performance.

“That was close to the perfect game, the fielding and bowling were particularly good. We’ve worked really hard on those things and I’m very pleased that we are arriving at our best cricket at the business end of the competition.

“The standard has been set and now it all comes down to what happens on the day. If we play the Titans, then they have so many match-winners, someone like Heinrich Klassen, who has just been retained for R50 million in the IPL. But at the end of the day, we are all human and it comes down to who executes better on the day, which team is calmer under pressure.

“Western Province have won four in a row and are also really peaking at the right time. They are a very dangerous, very streetsmart side and they know what it takes to win trophies,” Domingo said.

And so do the DP World Lions and the host of match-winning stars that make up the Pride.

You can’t buy the sort of composure and experience that wins big games of cricket and DP World Lions coach Russell Domingo is confident that our star players will stand up and lead the way for the #PrideOfJozi when they host Sunday’s CSA T20 Challenge final against the HollywoodBets Dolphins.

Our DP World Lions breezed through their semi-final against derby rivals the Titans with a performance of great calm and quality, and Domingo expects the same mental strength to be on show against the Dolphins.

Proteas stars Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma were at the crease at the end steering our Pride to victory with the bat, with another international, Ryan Rickelton, setting the tone up front with his innings. Throw in the strong contributions through the tournament made by Wiaan Mulder, Bjorn Fortuin and Reeza Hendricks, and it is easy to see that the DP World Lions environment is a brilliant one, making it easy for youngsters like Nqaba Peter, Lutho Sipamla and Codi Yusuf to shine as well.

“It was a really good performance against the Titans,” Domingo agrees. “Semi-finals are often nerve-wracking, they can be harder to handle than the final itself. But we kept calm and composed.

“There is always a lot of expectation on us because we topped the log and we have a very good side, and in T20 cricket anything is possible. It was a really solid performance in the semi-final, but we cannot rest on our laurels.

“Rassie is scoring runs where it counts, he showed really good intensity against the Titans, and Temba is also playing well, I can see a big score just around the corner for him. You want your big names to perform in the big games and we will have to be close to our best to beat the Dolphins.

“But the big names are the guys who know under pressure that you don’t have to play 100% perfect cricket, you just need to play solid, do the basics really well, and stay calm and disciplined,” Domingo said.

The KwaZulu-Natal Coastal visitors will be bringing a team with experienced and canny campaigners of their own, and a powerful bowling attack, even without T20 ace Ottneil Baartman, who has joined Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

“They have a formidable pace attack with Okuhle Cele, Daryn Dupavillon and Andile Phehlukwayo, and a quality spinner in Prenelan Subrayen. They are also a very street-smart side, they know what it takes to win. Jason Smith, Khaya Zondo and Jon-Jon Smuts are also a key trio of very experienced players,” Domingo said.

But our Pride are playing at home at the DP World Wanderers Stadium and have only lost two of their eight matches there this campaign. And they beat the Dolphins there at the start of the month in their round-robin match, Yusuf and Rickelton leading them to victory by seven wickets with four balls to spare in a rain-shortened match.

Rickelton, Van der Dussen and Hendricks all feature in the top-12 of the tournament averages and have consistently given the DP World Lions solid starts. Delano Potgieter and Evan Jones are the six-hitters at the end of the innings and it is all brought together by Mulder, who is also in the top-20 of the averages and strikes at 126.97.

Leg-spinner Peter has been the outstanding bowler of the competition with 19 wickets in only nine matches, and has bowled with such potency that he averages just 7.78 and has twice taken four wickets in an innings, and also with such control that he has only conceded 5.19 runs-per-over.

Mulder has also been tight and effective with the ball, and that has allowed tremendous flexibility in terms of bowling options. Sipamla, Jones, Yusuf and Fortuin have served as a wonderful bowling unit, taking 55 wickets between them. Seamers Sipamla, Jones and Yusuf are all conceding little more than 7.5 runs-per-over, while Fortuin is the second-most economical bowler in the competition, at 5.84.

Our DP World Lions have quality through their line-up and their strengths cover whatever conditions or match situations are thrown at them. They are primed to peak under the pressure of Sunday’s final.