Johannesburg – The domestic four-day series match between the Titans and the Highveld Lions at SuperSport Park on Thursday may just be the first of 10 four-day games for each team, but Lions coach Geoffrey Toyana sees it as possibly the most important.
The Lions endured a hugely forgettable One-Day Cup, finishing bottom of the table, and one of the key lessons Toyana took from it was the importance of beginning a campaign on the right note.
“How we start is very, very important,” Toyana said on Tuesday.
“If you look at the Momentum Cup, we didn't start well and it just became too hard to play catch-up cricket.
“We realise we didn't play well, and I think it's time for us to make amends and play well for the remainder of the season. There's still a long way to go, so we're looking forward to a fresh start.”
The feeling in the Titans camp was quite different after they put together the One-Day Cup's best run on their way to an unexpected final, which coach Rob Walter hoped would be beneficial as they headed into the four-day tournament.
“There are two sides to it: one is that you have momentum from a winning and a performance kind of view, and the other is that I guess in some ways sharing the trophy as opposed to winning it (outright) might just keep us grounded,” Walter said.
“Because often when you win a trophy, to compete three or four days later in another competition can be tough.”
The Lions would be missing four players who were part of the South African Twenty20 squad - Quinton de Kock, Imran Tahir, Aaron Phangiso and Lonwabo Tsotsobe – but Toyana was pleased to have Alviro Petersen available to lead the side.
Although Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel were unavailable for the Titans, it was something to which the franchise had become accustomed but the absence of Henry Davids and David Wiese would be no doubt slightly more frustrating. – Sapa