DP World Lions men\u2019s coach Russell Domingo is backing his star players to once again stand up for our team as they go into Sunday\u2019s CSA T20 Challenge final hunting for back-to-back titles.<\/p>\n
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Having topped the round-robin log and then convincingly beaten the second-placed Momentum Multiply Titans in Qualifier I, #ThePrideOfJozi went straight through to the final at the DP World Wanderers Stadium. The Pride will face the Titans once more at 2pm on Sunday.<\/p>\n
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It’s been another stellar campaign for the Pride, with Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks and all-rounder Evan Jones in the top-10 of the batting averages and Junaid Dawood, the competition\u2019s leading wicket-taker, Nqaba Peter and Kwena Maphaka making up the top three in the bowling averages.<\/p>\n
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\u201cParticularly in the big games, you need your senior players to stand up. Reeza is producing some fantastic batting and Rassie is playing very well at the moment, he\u2019s in really good touch,\u201d Domingo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cKwena is only 18, he\u2019s a baby really in cricket terms, writing his matric exams, but he\u2019s already a match-winner for us. He showed in that second-last over in Potch, how good his ability and maturity is at the death. He\u2019s a fantastic asset for us \u2013 he can take early wickets and bowl at the death.<\/p>\n
\u201cNqaba is a quality bowler too. There will be days when he is not 100%, but he\u2019s also a match-winner who we back because when he has a good day, he\u2019s spectacular. Junaid has also been fantastic, he\u2019s put in a lot of effort, stayed patient and I\u2019ve been very pleased with his bowling.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe enthusiasm Evan brings is amazing, he has a great presence, he\u2019s aggressive with bat and ball. He\u2019s had a few niggles previously but now he\u2019s in good shape and is a big player for us. He\u2019s one of the first names on the team-sheet,\u201d Domingo said.<\/p>\n
Big-match temperament is not something on sale at the Wanderers Stadium Sports Shop and Domingo is pleased that our Pride once again seem to be peaking at the right time. Their seven-wicket win over the Titans with four overs to spare was an immaculate all-round performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was close to the perfect game, the fielding and bowling were particularly good. We\u2019ve worked really hard on those things and I\u2019m very pleased that we are arriving at our best cricket at the business end of the competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe standard has been set and now it all comes down to what happens on the day. At the end of the day, we are all human and it comes down to who executes better on the day, which team is calmer under pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"