Hurt Toyana ‘closes chapter’ on match fixing scandal at Lions

HIGHVELD LIONS coach Geoffrey Toyana admitted yesterday that he was deeply hurt by the T20 match fixing scandal which engulfed the domestic game, but he considers it a chapter that is now closed.

Of the five players so far banned by Cricket South Africa over their involvement in the scandal, four played under Toyana at some stage for the Lions, including the franchise’s former skipper Thami Tsolekile.

“I went through some hurt, when the names were coming out,” Toyana said yesterday.

“The board and Greg (Fredericks, the Lions CEO) were very supportive.

“There were days when I was down but the culture and values we set up here at the Lions meant when guys are down, we pick that person up and that has helped me personally to move on from that chapter. “It’s a closed chapter for us. “It’s disappointing what happened with a lot of our players involved.”

Toyana said the team had moved on during last season already and pointed to their win in the Momentum One-Day Cup as an indication of how he and the players knuckled down as the scandal unfolded.

“That drama happened in the T20 competition.

“(Stephen Cook) and I sat down with the guys, we reminded them that our core business is cricket.

“I was happy with how the guys responded. They came out and played well in the Momentum One-Day Cup.”

That affair has made the off-season even more challenging for the Lions.

Not only did they have to seek new signings to fill in gaps left by Cook and Temba Bavuma, who are settling into the national Test side, but also to replace those players who’d been banned.

“For Thami, we’ve got Mangi (Mosehle), for Jean Symes, there’s someone like Dom Hendricks and for Pumi (Matshikwe) we have Aya Myoli,” Toyana explained.

The Lions will face the Titans on September 7 in what is regarded as an unofficial season opener, the eKasi Challenge.

This is fourth edition of the event that sees the two franchises meet at the Elkah Oval in Soweto.

That venue holds particular resonance for Toyana as it’s where learned and first played the game.

“That’s where it started for me, I’m really looking forward to going back there.

“Elkah used to host international matches, so it’s a pity something similar hasn’t been done more recently.

“It will be great if we can take international cricket there again.”

Toyana said his players have come off a tough pre-season programme that included a week of training in Potchefstroom.

“This game gives the youngsters an opportunity to showcase their skills and we can look at them under pressure in a game which is broadcast on TV and we can assess our depth,” he said.