Lions hope depth will prove the difference in T20 semi against Titans

The kind of charity the Lions showed on Monday will be locked in the shipping container that stands near the Wanderers entrance, with selfishness the only quality they desire for the final week of the 2024/25 season. 

The Lions are planning for two more matches, starting with Wednesday night’s T20 Challenge semifinal at the “Bullring” against neighbours the Titans. Despite their dominance of the league phase of the competition, the Lions’ two matches against the Titans were the kind of narrow affairs that should ensure complacency is absent from the home changeroom.

Both matches came down to the last ball. The Lions won the first by one run, the Titans ran a bye to win by two wickets in the second.

“The competitive nature of the two Highveld teams is what makes the games close. We are expecting another tough one on Wednesday,” said Lions head coach Russell Domingo. 

The Titans have made hard work of defending the title they won last summer, struggling to find the right balance in their starting team and putting enormous pressure on their coach, Mandla Mashimbyi.

The decision to drop Aaron Phangiso as skipper and from the starting team worked, with the Titans going on a four-match winning run under the leadership of Neil Brand to secure the final play-off berth.

The Lions, despite frequently chopping and changing their team, managed to find consistency in terms of results, winning six of their last seven matches to surge to the top of the table. 

“I have, in a way, taken performance out of it,” Domingo said of his selection strategy during the competition.

The depth of talent at his disposal and the desire for so many players to stake a claim for T20 World Cup spots had to be carefully managed. 

Three of the Lions’ top four batters — Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen and Reeza Hendricks — are all strong contenders for the Proteas squad that will be announced next week. The fourth, Temba Bavuma, was an unfortunate victim of his teammates’ success and it is unlikely his 145 runs in the series at a strike rate of 117.88 will be enough to earn him a ticket to New York.

“I’ve tried to be fair in giving them opportunities to find form, stake their claim for the World Cup, without it being detrimental to our team’s performances. 

“They have all bought into it. We had long discussions before about how tricky this will be, and how to manage it. No-one has complained. They have all been really cool,” said Domingo. 

The top four have rotated between opening the batting, coming in at 3 and 4, with both Hendricks and Rickelton scoring more than 300 runs, while Van der Dussen, has topped 250. 

They have shared eight half-centuries, and not surprisingly Domingo is looking to them to assert control on Wednesday. 

“In the last few games we have not had someone get a big score, an 80 or a 90.

“We’ve had good starts, but in the middle overs we’ve not built on that sufficiently. Having batters in at the ‘death’ are areas we need to improve on in the semifinals. We need a Rassie, Bavuma, or Rickelton in after the 15th over.” 

The Wanderers on Monday became the first venue in Africa to host a shipping container packed to the brim with cricket equipment as part of DP World’s global “Beyond Boundaries” initiative. Cricket equipment will be distributed to underprivileged children to aid the start of their journeys in the sport.

“Hopefully some of the kids will be playing for the Lions. You go into a cricket shop and a bat costs R20,000. You break it in the nests and now you have to spend another R20,000. 

“I asked the guy what happens if it breaks and he said ‘ just buy another one’,” remarked Domingo.

“It is an expensive sport. I was watching Chasing the Sun, and you see the guys get on the bus with a little rucksack with their boots, and some tape and that is all they’ve got. Cricketers have R50,000 worth of equipment in their bags. The initiative is hugely important to promote the game, and give kids the opportunity to become professional cricketers.”