Run fest on cards in Warriors encounter

A high-scoring encounter is on the cards as the Warriors welcome the Lions to East London for their Momentum One-Day Cup match-up at Buffalo Park on Friday.

The table-topping Warriors will have their work cut out for them against a hungry Lions unit, who will be eager to make their way up the table from fourth place.

The Warriors will be brimming with confidence as the only unbeaten team left in the competition, having picked up three wins and one no-result along the way.

This included a thumping eight-wicket win over the Dolphins in their match in Durban on Tuesday, which elevated them above the side they share the one day trophy with.

The Warriors will be without the services of speedster Anrich Nortje who has joined up with the Proteas and that will be a blow.

But with the rest of their bowling contingent, consisting of Sisanda Magala, Andrew Birch and Lutho Sipamla along with the spin options of captain Jon-Jon Smuts and Colin Ackermann, as well as a few part-timers in the wings, they should be well covered.

Their in-form batting department will be hungry for runs, with opener Gihahn Cloete, Smuts, Lesiba Ngoepe, Ackermann and Sinethemba Qeshile keen to get stuck in.

The Lions, however, should be fired up after picking up their first win of the competition, an eight-wicket mauling of the Titans.

Visiting captain Temba Bavuma said: “The start to our one-day campaign hasn’t been ideal.

“We’ve lost two and we had two rained out, so we need to try to get some momentum.

“I’d like to believe that this is the game.”

The Lions have enjoyed a superb season so far, winning the four-day competition while a large number of their players were in the Jozi Stars team that triumphed in the inaugural Mzansi Super League.

They will thus be high on confidence and keen to add even more silverware.

But Bavuma admits that they must not look too far ahead at this early stage in the competition.

“It’s the old cliche of take it game by game,” Bavuma said.

“I think it’s important that we’re still trying to find our game, how we’re going to go about playing one-day cricket.

“I believe if we can find that then we can take on any team.

“But for now it’s just the next game that we’re focused on.”

Kick off is at 1.30pm on Friday. -