Lions run out of life lines
T20 CHALLENGE: THREE WASHOUTS HAVE MADE IT TOUGH
Cobras one win away from hosting a home semi.
The Highveld Lions returned home yesterday and for the third successive time it will be a case of reloading and refocusing as they continue their quest to secure a RamSlam T20 Challenge semifinal place when they host the Warriors in Potchefstroom tonight.
The washed-out game against the Dolphins in Durban in midweek was the third straight match from which the Lions have had to settle for two points and, currently sitting in fourth place, they know they cannot afford any slip-ups and they will need to seal the deal tonight and prevent the Warriors from catching up with them.
“It’s back to square one but I guess with the two points, it means we probably have to win just one of our games. The Warriors have their backs even further to the wall, but all the teams are close and they did beat us in Cape Town, so we can’t take them lightly. We need to go out there and make sure we get the result we need,” Lions coach Geoff Toyana said.
The Lions neighbours, the Titans, have no such worries as they are already assured of topping the table, but they will be looking to hit top form ahead of the semifinals after they survived a little blip in performance against the Knights last weekend, when they visit the Cape Cobras at Newlands and then travel to Durban for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins.
“It was an awesome game to have against the Knights because things have been going quite well for us, and we needed a match like that just to get us back to basics and revisit our mistakes. But we also want to keep fresh this weekend and maybe give one or two other players a run,” in-form batsman Farhaan Behardien said yesterday.
The Cobras need one win from their last two games to ensure they finish second and will host the other semifinal.
“We need to win to try and reach the semifinals, we’re at home and we have to go away on Sunday to the Warriors, who may well be needing a win to get through. So hopefully we can get the job done at Newlands and hopefully we’ll peak at the right time of the season,” Cobras coach Ashwell Prince said.