After a stellar first term in charge, Geoffrey Toyana may have that morning-after-the-night-before feeling as he contemplates the Highveld Lions’ start to the 2013/14 season. But he also has an inkling that things are starting to turn around as his side head into Friday’s Momentum One-Day Cup clash with The Titans at Wanderers Stadium.
Neil McKenzie (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“We’ve got the services of Neil McKenzie again which is a big plus because I think his experience has been missed,” said Toyana. “He still has to go through a fitness test before the game but I’m quite confident he’ll pull through.
“It’s still early days - I think this competition will only take shape after six or seven games, so we still have time.”
Although Toyana points out that the Lions have lost five competitive games on the trot going back to their time playing in the Champions League Twenty20 in India, he also knows that they are more comfortable at the Wanderers than they are in Potchefstroom, where they lost to the Sunfoil Dolphins and Chevrolet Warriors.
Having enjoyed a full week off since their two-run defeat to the Cape Cobras last Friday, the Titans have had time to ponder their shortcomings and captain Henry Davids confirmed they have been put through some hard, taxing sessions.
The biggest point that coach Rob Walter has been pressing home is the need for a stronger start with the bat - an obvious failing in their tournament opener when they collapsed to 20 for four.
“It was a big positive for the guys in the middle order that they came through with some runs, and there were some performances from the guys in the lower order as well, but that’s not really their job,” said Davids.
“The guys at the top of the order need to set some decent foundations and get the team to a winning position.”
LATEST STANDINGS
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Pts | Net RR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warriors | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | +0.863 | ||
| Cape Cobras | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | +0.306 | ||
| Dolphins | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | +1.397 | ||
| Titans | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.042 | ||
| Knights | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.390 | ||
| Lions | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.791 |
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James Buttler
As the editor of World Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
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