Lions need batsmen to step it up

JOHANNESBURG - Poor old Dominic Hendricks wore the look of a man who knew he sounded like a stuck record following Wednesday night’s defeat to the Dolphins. Another game lost, another terrible display with the bat, solutions must be found, blah blah blah.

That loss leaves the Highveld Lions skipper and his team, with no more wiggle room. The batting problems which have beset the team all season, across all formats, simply have to be corrected in the short term or they will be relinquishing their Momentum One-Day Cup crown.

“We didn’t bat particularly well, which has been the story of the season, going three or four down early,” a stern-looking Hendricks said after the Lions copped a drubbing against the table-topping Dolphins in Potchefstroom.

There is no magical switch to suddenly turn form around either and it’s not as if other players haven’t been tried through this season or even last summer. Remember Andre Malan in the T20 competition last season - played eight games and averaged 10? Or Devon Conway, who piles on the runs at semi-pro level and then gets a go at franchise level but is incapable of making the step up on a consistent basis?

This season has seen opener Rassie van der Dussen perform steadily, Reeza Hendricks find form late in the summer, Dominic Hendricks showing solidity and Mangaliso Mosehle provide fleeting glimpses of his talent. Rarely have they all combined at the same time.

The Lions coach Geoffrey Toyana has been at a loss to explain his teams woes with the bat; inexperience, inconsistency and some weak mentality have all been put forward as reasons. Lots of balls have been hit at nets and lots of chats have taken place behind closed doors and yet still there they were on Wednesday night 56/4 in the 14th over, less than a week after they were 53/4 in the 16th over against the Cape Cobras.

The absence of Stephen Cook and Temba Bavuma has hurt, but teams lose players and the back up has to be stronger on the batting front than the Lions have shown this season.

Certainly confidence is lacking but they’re still in the race for a play-off spot in the Momentum One-Day Cup and it is still a case of their destiny being in their own hands. Ultimately Toyana and his coaching staff can do only so much. On Friday, in what is always a fractious match against their provincial neighbours the Titans, the players have to front up.

The Titans haven’t been in the greatest form either, losing two out of their last three games - both against the Knights. They’ve had a few days to reflect on that 111-run pounding they took in Kimberley which came as a result of a failure by their top order.

It may well be a case of which batting unit has the courage to be more assertive this afternoon. The Titans have the experience in their ranks that suggests it may be easier for them to be bolder but the Lions are in a position now where nothing but a win matters which may force their batsmen out of their shells.