Share

Lions strengthen batting resources

accreditation
Geoffrey Toyana (Gallo Images)
Geoffrey Toyana (Gallo Images)

Cape Town - In desperate need of a victory to keep their Ram Slam T20 campaign alive, the Highveld Lions are hoping to catch the Titans on an “off-day” when the two teams meet at Sahara Park Willowmoore on Friday night.

While the Titans have already guaranteed top spot and a home final, the Lions need to win their two remaining games to stand any chance of finishing in the top three and qualifying for the play-off.

That looks to be an unenviable challenge given that the Titans have won their last seven games on the trot, especially as the Lions have lost their last two.

“It will be tough for us, but we’ve chatted as a group and our equation is quite simple. We have to go to Benoni and beat them on the day,” said Lions coach, Geoff Toyana.

“Hopefully they have one of those off-days, because in competitions like this you can’t go six, seven, eight wins on the bounce as they have done. So let’s hope they have an off-day, but that said it’s key that our group have belief in themselves.”

While the Lions bowling attack have often been impressive, the side have generally been short on runs and so Stephen Cook and Dominic Hendricks have been drafted into the squad as the selectors mull changes.

As they look to maintain their winning run in the lead-up to next weekend’s final, the Titans have opted for consistency with their selection and are in no mood to relax.

“We’ve sat this week and spoken about the weekend, and the importance of not taking our foot off the pedal,” said Mangaliso Mosehle. “We want to make sure that when we go into the final next week that we have some momentum. If we lose these two games then we might find ourselves in trouble.

"The Lions have a lot of inexperienced players, so we’ll be looking to pick up some early wickets, which is something that we’ve done very well, to put the middle order under pressure.”

Titans squad:

Albie Morkel (Capt), Qaasim Adams, Farhaan Behardien, Junior Dala, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, Heino Kuhn, Sammy Mofokeng, Chris Morris, Mangaliso Mosehle, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Graeme van Buuren, David Wiese.

Lions squad:

Thami Tsolekile (capt), Stephen Cook, Rassie van der Dussen, Dominic Hendricks, Alviro Petersen, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Hardus Viljoen, Aaron Phangiso, Eddie Leie, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Bjorn Fortuin, Nicky van den Bergh.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE