The DP World Lions, the #PrideOfJozi, continue to justify the adulation of their fans as they finished top of the CSA T20 Challenge and will host their semi-final on Wednesday, following their clinical victory over the Tuskers in Johannesburg on Sunday.
The Lions saw off the Tuskers by seven wickets with two-and-a-half overs to spare at the DP World Wanderers Stadium, taking them to 44 points from their 10 wins, and setting up a semi-final against the Titans at home on Wednesday.
Victory in that match will ensure the Pride hosts the final at the Wanderers on Sunday, against either the Dolphins or the Warriors, who will play the other semi-final at Kingsmead on Thursday.
The Pride won the toss against the Tuskers and sent the KwaZulu-Natal Inland team in to bat on a pitch that provided some assistance for the bowlers but nothing excessive. An excellent bowling and fielding effort saw the visitors restricted to 132/9.
Seamers Delano Potgieter and Lutho Sipamla set the tone up front by each grabbing a wicket and then young leg-spinner Nqaba Peter continued his sensational introduction to franchise cricket as he ripped through the Tuskers middle-order with outstanding figures of 3/15 in his four overs.
Those three wickets came in the space of four deliveries as he dismissed Kyle Nipper for 30 off 25 balls and then trapped hard-hitting Keith Dudgeon lbw first ball. Peter then bowled Ntando Zuma for a duck two deliveries later with his trademark slider.
Sipamla (4-0-25-2) returned to take a second wicket and left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin also took two wickets, for just 19 runs in his four overs.
Zubayr Hamza and Rassie van der Dussen then added 46 off 34 balls for the third wicket. Hamza, as usual, painted some beautiful pictures with his strokeplay as he scored 49 off 38 deliveries, before Van der Dussen splattered three sixes around the field in scoring 51 not out off 35 balls to see the Lions home. The exciting Mitchell van Buuren scored 23 not out off 19 deliveries as he and Van der Dussen added 53 unbeaten runs off 35 balls to seal the victory.
And now the Titans await in the semi-finals. The Lions and their Gauteng neighbours have written the treatise on close finishes in this season’s T20 competition, the Pride winning by one run five weeks ago at the Wanderers, while the Titans won by two runs at the start of the weekend at SuperSport Park.
Sent in to bat at Centurion, a methodical effort by the Lions saw them post 154/8. Reeza Hendricks was the pick of the batsmen with 48 off 35 balls, stroking five fours and a six. But he had good support from Temba Bavuma (21 off 13), Wiaan Mulder (25 off 13) and Potgieter (21 off 15).
A terrific bowling effort by the Lions subjected the Titans to pressure throughout their innings, reducing them to 135/8 after 18 overs. But from there, the Titans managed to scramble a bye off the last ball to win.
Codi Yusuf (4-0-25-1), Mulder (4-0-24-1) and Peter (4-0-29-2) all produced fine displays with the ball.
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