Pace bowling at the DP World Wanderers Stadium can be a rewarding occupation but there is a great deal of precision and effort required to garner the success that Codi Yusuf has been enjoying for #ThePrideOfJozi.
The 26-year-old took 5/71 in the first innings of the DP World Lions’ previous match at their Johannesburg fortress and added the key wicket of Eddie Moore in the second innings as the men’s team beat WSB Western Province by 125 runs in their CSA 4-Day Series match that ended last weekend.
It was fine, fiery and skilful stuff from Yusuf and it is the sort of pressure-inducing bowling that he and the rest of the Lions attack want to bring to their next match, against the Warriors from Eastern Province, at the Wanderers from Thursday.
The convincing victory over Western Province was a repeat of last season’s thrilling final and it has taken #ThePrideOfJozi to the top of the standings, with two wins and a draw giving them 60.14 points. The defending champions have a healthy 13.74-point lead over the second-placed Titans.
“We are in a good position at the moment and you want to give yourself the best chance of winning the title, like we did last season when we had a home final,” Yusuf said. “We’ve got the majority of our games in the early part of the competition at home and that stands us in good stead. We are the defending champions and obviously we want to hang on to that trophy.
“We are gelling very well as an attack, so we will look to bring a lot more of the same. We look to play hard in the field, not give the opposition as much freedom to do their thing. It’s nothing too complicated; the DP World Wanderers pitch will give you a lot of help if you do the basics right.
“It’s our backyard so we do have a bit of an advantage and we know how to bowl on the slope. But your length is also extremely important. If you bowl a touch short then the ball will go over the stumps and the batsman gets the pace of the pitch better and the ball moves too early so they have extra time to adjust and get set.
“You don’t want to bowl full, but slightly fuller than back-of-a-length, you want to challenge the top of off-stump, get the batsman on the front foot as much as possible. And you also need energy on the ball,” Yusuf said.
Last season was the kindling for Yusuf to burst on to the scene as one of the most promising young fast bowlers in the country. Having previously struggled to nail down a regular place in the Lions starting XI – in the three seasons between 2020/21 and 2022/23 he played just eight matches and took 17 wickets at 35.52 – in 2023/24 he played an integral part in the four-day triumph with 21 wickets in six games at an average of 33.57. So far this season, he is going even better, with 13 wickets in three matches at just 23.61.
“I’ve learnt a lot in the last two seasons and I think I’ve played my role better. It’s nice to be able to lead the attack, I enjoy the responsibility. I’m feeling good at the moment, I’m in very good rhythm even though I’ve had a bit of a no-ball problem,” the University of Johannesburg alumnus said.
Yusuf’s growing standing in the local game has been underlined by his appearances for the Paarl Royals in the first two editions of the SA20 league and he was also chosen to represent the SA 'A' team at the start of this summer.
The Knysna-born Yusuf speaks with great enthusiasm about both the Lions and the Royals franchise.
“It’s just very exciting, a lot of life-changing things are happening for me at the moment. The SA20 is coming now and that has allowed players like me to get more exposure, a lot more people can see what I’m about.
“It also helped me here at the DP World Lions because Russell Domingo saw me bowl at 145 against his Sunrisers Eastern Cape team, he saw there was more about me and he backed me in T20 as well.
“We are enjoying a lot of success as a Union, we have an unbelievable coaching staff with a lot of knowledge. I just try to be a sponge and learn as much as I can from them. So I’m definitely very excited for the next few years, I just want to learn more and progress in the game,” Yusuf said at the announcement that DP World are now a logistics partner of the SA20.
For now, Yusuf and his team-mates are focused on ensuring the Lions do not slip up against the Warriors, to ensure they go into their break from four-day cricket still firmly ensconced at the top of the log.
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