Ken Borland

The Titans may be on a six-game winning streak while the KZN Dolphins just scraped into the last four by winning their last game, but Northerns coach Mandla Mashimbyi knows Friday’s CSA T20 Challenge semi-final is going to be no walk in the park for his high-flying team.

The Dolphins are still waiting on the fitness of ace batsman David Miller, who has a hamstring strain, but they have other potent potential matchwinners in paceman Eathan Bosch, spinner Prenelan Subrayen, all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo and batting kingpin Khaya Zondo.

“Winning six-out-of-seven games is no small feat and we need to enjoy that,” Mashimbyi told The Citizen on Thursday, “but the Dolphins are a formidable team in their own right.

“They have been the best white-ball team in the country for the last three years and we know that they are going to bring everything. The fact they are in the semis means they are doing something right as well.

“It’s going to be all about what you bring on the day and we will never take them lightly. We have to make sure we bring the intensity,” Mashimbyi said.

Working in the Titans’ favour, however, is that they seem to be on a similarly high-flying trajectory to when they won the T20 competition three times in a row between 2015/16 and 2017/18. They are playing with the confidence of a team that knows and executes its plan, and how to adapt when necessary.

“We must have done something right to get here, so the guys can take confidence out of that instead of feeling pressure in a knockout game. It’s a good opportunity to go out and have some fun,” Mashimbyi said.

“The guys should feel good about themselves and what is pleasing is the work they have put into what was initially a bumpy process. Different guys are putting their hands up.

“And I look forward to seeing who will be the game-changer in the semi-final, if one of our players can get the man of the match award then we will probably win.

“We are a team of 15 and we are in a good space with everyone playing a role. So it could be anyone who plays a matchwinning hand, we believe they are all capable and we have a lot still in the tank,” Mashimbyi said.

Most notably, Proteas stars Quinton de Kock and Tabraiz Shamsi have had good tournaments without ever really taking flight. They are both clearly in good form again and the big stage of a knockout match could well see them at their best.

Western Province take on neighbours Boland in Friday’s other semi-final.

It’s been a long and sometimes potholed road for Temba Bavuma, but the Proteas vice-captain will play his 49^th Test in the second match against New Zealand and he says he now feels fully valued and accepted as a leader in the team.

Bavuma made his Test debut way back in 2014, in the Boxing Day match against the West Indies at St George’s Park, which was ruined by rain. Six matches later, his maiden Test century, against England at Newlands, was historic and one of the most memorable moments in South African cricket after the return from isolation.

But as with most of his team-mates, 2019 was an annus horribilis for Bavuma as he only averaged 19.84 in 13 innings. He was dropped and has come back stronger, averaging 46.16 since then.

“I have more peace about how I fit in now, my role in the team,” Bavuma said. “Every game does not feel like my last opportunity now. My role is not just about the runs but my presence, how I contribute to building the culture and environment.

“It has helped me to be more at ease. It’s also helped that I’ve played a fair number of games now and I’ve learnt to accept that there will be good and bad days. If it’s a bad day, then you need to have perspective.

“They don’t define who we are, although we take the lessons from them. Technically, I’ve just tinkered here and there, but I’ve not done much apart from trying to be as still as I can be when the ball is delivered.

“It’s more about the mental processes. But the main thing you want when you come in as a young debutant is to be accepted as part of the team, that’s the main way you perform. And I truly believe that I am accepted and valued in terms of my input, and I think that’s why I have had good performances over the last little while,” Bavuma said.

The 31-year-old Bavuma is a sucker for honest leadership, being that kind of skipper himself with the Proteas white-ball teams or the Central Gauteng Lions. Which is why he has dovetailed so well with Test captain Dean Elgar.

“Dean and I have played alongside each other for quite a while, ever since playing for SA A in 2012/13,” Bavuma said. “The relationship has always been built on honesty, there’s no bullshit with Dean.

“He can be very blunt, he will call you out if you need it, but if you’ve done good then he lets you know as well. His character resonates with me and he wants the same sort of feedback from me.

“As his vice-captain, I try to be a calming voice because he can be quite emotional. But I understand his vision and I back it 100%, and I also back him as a leader and player.

“His success is my success and vice-versa, and we both just want to bring back the respect for the Proteas badge and leave the team in a much better state,” Bavuma said.

The 15^th instalment of the Indian Premier League will be Rassie van der Dussen’s first as the Proteas batsman has been signed up by the Rajasthan Royals, the team who won the first edition of the T20 tournament and have been the side the 33-year-old has supported since then.

Apart from the R2 million payday, Van der Dussen is delighted to now be able to mix it on the global stage with his international batting peers, having proven his worth with an average of 38 and a strike-rate of 130 in his 31 T20 innings for South Africa.

Rajasthan Royals, who beat the Chennai Super Kings by three wickets in the first IPL final in 2008, have the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer on their roster.

Van der Dussen had just made his first-class debut for Northerns as an opening batsman when the first IPL was played. Just as that tournament has grown and evolved, so too has Van der Dussen’s game, such that he is now one of the most successful middle-order batsmen in the world of white-ball cricket.

“It feels pretty good to now be part of the IPL, but it’s been a long road to get there,” Van der Dussen said on Monday. “It’s good to be acknowledged and it’s another opportunity to do what I do.

“I’ve always been a Rajasthan Royals fan since the early days, with Graeme Smith playing there. So I’m happy and honoured to be playing for a prestigious franchise like that.

“It’s an exciting prospect to be playing with several world-class players,” Van der Dussen said.

The Central Gauteng Lions star, egged on by the need to be adaptable in different situations batsmen face in the middle-order, feels he has the skills to do well in the IPL.

“My move from being an opener into the middle-order meant I had to adjust my game. I feel I have all the bases covered, I’ve shown I can adapt well in challenging conditions.

“I feel I’ve got the skills to adapt to all situations. I can hit sixes in South Africa where the ball comes on nicely; India is more challenging with spin, and it’s more about working the ball around and picking up the ones.

“But that’s what we’ve done lately with the Proteas. And I’ve managed to perform well in Paarl, where conditions are as similar to India as you’ll find anywhere outside of the subcontinent.

“I’ve shown I have the skills to adapt and execute in those conditions,” Van der Dussen said.

Van der Dussen averages 80 in T20s in Paarl, having scored 240 runs in five innings, with two not outs.

Sharks coach Sean Everitt said the United Rugby Championship standings are so closely contested that he regrets his team did not put the 14-man Bulls away properly, instead allowing them two log points, while saluting the determination his side showed in defence.

The Bulls looked ripe for the taking at Loftus Versfeld as flyhalf Morne Steyn was red-carded for a late, high hit on Lukhanyo Am’s neck and the Sharks surged into a 14-0 lead after half-an-hour. But the Bulls fought back and actually dominated for long stretches of the game, forcing the Sharks to defend manfully in their 22. Especially after they had scrumhalf Grant Williams sent off permanently for a high hit on Steyn’s replacement, Chris Smith, who also left the field due to his head injury.

The Bulls had more than enough chances to snatch a remarkable victory, but eventually went down 22-29, with bonus points for four tries and losing by seven points in consolation.

“The log is so closely contested, so every point counts,” Everitt said. “We will enjoy this win, we haven’t beaten the Bulls at Loftus for quite some time, but there are obviously work-ons.

“But the character the guys showed was unbelievable, just keeping the Bulls out although they had 11 opportunities inside our 22 by halftime. So we showed great resolve and pride.

“It was a good but not complete performance by any means, but we did perform much better than last week.

“Defence is about character and I have to credit the team with defending really well. But when Grant went off at 26-12, the job was not done and we needed to be more accurate,” Everitt said.

One player who was faultlessly accurate was captain Lukhanyo Am, who produced two massive individual moments when he claimed a restart just after the Bulls had scored and dashed down the touchline before grubbering and regathering to score in the last play of the first half. His brilliant turnover when the Sharks were leading just 26-22 then won the penalty that was the final play of the match.

Everitt was unequivocal in describing Am as the best outside centre in the world.

“The skill he showed at the end and the try he scored just before halftime: He makes magic, he just gets it right every time,” Everitt said.

“His try took the wind out of the Bulls’ sails – to score and then immediately concede again. Lukhanyo is just an unbelievable player, making better decisions and executing better with age.

“I am totally convinced that we do have the best outside centre in the world in him,” Everitt said.