JOHANNESBURG - The weather gods weren’t being kind when the Highveld Lions touched down in East London yesterday. It was, as one member of the squad put it, “pissing down”.
The sight of more rain is not something any of the six franchises can afford on the penultimate weekend of the Sunfoil Series, but judging by forecasts for East London, especially for the opening day, it’s something the Lions and the Warriors will have to deal with.
The Lions were hoping to sneak a peek of the pitch yesterday afternoon, with coach Geoffrey Toyana saying that, given both sides need a win, he expected the Warriors to ask the groundsman to create a “result surface”.
What does that mean for the Warriors? The need to pick up 20 wickets to win would require a surface suitable for their bowlers. Their leading wicket-taker this season is off-spinner Simon Harmer with 26 victims.
However, their three seamers, Basheer Walters, Andrew Birch and Sisanda Magala sharing 59 wickets between them in eight matches, in terms of a “result pitch” the surface at Buffalo Park could go either way - assisting seam or spin.
The Lions won’t worry too much which way the pitch is set up, because it’s been their bowlers who’ve carried the side in the four-day competition this summer. Toyana has three seamers - all capable of utilising conditions well if there is grass on the surface - in the on-loan Beuran Hendricks, Aya Myoli and Sean Jamison. Bjorn Fortuin will provide a good option with his left-arm spin.
The Lions’ problem is getting their top order batting to provide a solid foundation, and then for the rest of the batting unit to build a big total.
“It’s no secret we’ve struggled with the bat,” said Toyana.
The Lions will welcome back Temba Bavuma who missed the previous match - against the Dolphins two weeks ago - to rest an injured groin. “It’s good having him back, it’s really lifted the spirit in the squad.”
A round of domestic matches may be just what Bavuma needs after his recent struggles in the Test arena. He averaged just 4.2 against Sri Lanka and especially in the last two Tests at Newlands and at the Wanderers it was hard to reconcile the player who made back-to-back ducks with the one who started the season off in such terrific fashion, making a hundred on his ODI debut against Ireland, and then the significant contributions in the first two Tests against Australia.
Bavuma needs to regain his confidence, and do so while contributing to a Lions batting unit that needs some of his class.
With Bavuma, Stephen Cook and Reeza Hendricks back, the batting order does have a more solid look to it, while the return of Mangaliso Mosehle, after his stint for the national side in the T20 series against Sri Lanka, will help off-set the absence of Dwaine Pretorius, who’s been called back to the Proteas One-Day squad as cover for the injured Lungi Ngidi.
“We know there’s not many options open to us, we have to win this game. We hope we can get a favour from the Cobras (who face the table-topping Knights in Paarl) and then it would be great to have a finale at the Wanderers next week,” said Toyana about playing the Knights in the last match of the competition.
The Warriors, though, are on the Lions radar now, and Toyana describes them as a quality outfit. “They are really good, especially at home.”
The Knights’ victory over the Warriors last week has given them control of the table. For the first time this season, one side has opened up a significant gap at the top - in the case of the Knights, just under nine points.
But even the Lions, propping up the table, 20 points behind Theunis de Bruyn’s side, aren’t entirely out of it, but they do need to win in East London.
Fixtures: Warriors v Highveld Lions, East London; Dolphins v Titans, Pietermaritzburg; Cape Cobras v Knights, Paarl.