Johannesburg – 27 March 2026:
DP World Lions bowling coach Allan Donald is a firm believer in Mother Cricket and how she will kick you in the backside if you ever take anything for granted on the field or cross the line in terms of behaviour, which is why #ThePrideOfJozi won’t let their spectacular unbeaten charge through the CSA One-Day Cup into Sunday’s final go to their heads.
Our DP World Lions go into the final match of the season on a run of four consecutive victories – three of them with bonus points – following an abandoned match and a no result, having started their campaign with a convincing win over Western Province.
They will now face arch-rivals the Titans in the final at the iconic DP World Wanderers Stadium on Sunday from 10am.
Leading the way with the bat for #ThePrideOfJozi has been opening batsman Zubayr Hamza, who is the leading run-scorer in the competition with 400 in just six innings at a neat average of exactly 100. Always so easy on the eye and in rich form this season, Hamza has revealed a fluency at the top of the order that has been the foundation of the DP World Lions’ batting. In 2021/22, Reeza Hendricks was the hero of the DP World Lions’ triumph in the One-Day Cup, scoring a majestic 157 off 135 balls as they chased down 319 to beat the self-same Titans at Centurion. In a promising sign, the Proteas stalwart has been in fine form again this campaign, with both bat and ball. He has been a great partner for Hamza at the top of the order, averaging 45.60, and has been a revelation with his off-spin, taking six cheap wickets in 12 overs for 72 runs, putting him second in the competition’s bowling averages.
Third in the averages, with 12 wickets at just 13.83, is Nqaba Peter. The talented leg-spinner was instrumental in the DP World Lions’ 2023/24 CSA T20 Challenge title and it is wonderful to see the 24-year-old back to his best, taking wickets and bossing the middle overs.
This was most evident in the bonus point win over the Dolphins at the DP World Wanderers Stadium when the visitors were 123 without loss in the 25th over. Peter claimed two wickets in the 26th over and went on to take a career-best five for 38 in his 10 overs as the KwaZulu-Natalians crashed to 239 for nine in their 50 overs.
Left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin was also responsible for putting the squeeze on the Dolphins batsmen, and the skilful all-rounder has also been integral to this season’s success, taking nine wickets at an average of 19.44 and conceding only 4.16 runs-per-over.
Other stars for our DP World Lions have been Delano Potgieter, who has batted twice and finished in scintillating fashion on both occasions, scoring 29 not out off 19 balls against the Tuskers and a matchwinning 91 not out off 78 balls in the win over Boland that sealed the home final; Mitchell van Buuren, cleaning up with the bat with some superb strokeplay as he has averaged 54 with the bat at a strike-rate of 109; and Temba Bavuma has looked polished at the crease, averaging 41 at a strike-rate of 90.
Beyers Swanepoel and Codi Yusuf have bowled with classy brilliance up front, conceding just 3.74 and 5.11 runs-per-over respectively, while also making important breakthroughs.
The form of our DP World Lions is all painting a picture of a team that will bring a great deal of presence to the final, playing with calmness under pressure, using their skills to produce a brilliant style of complete cricket.
But Mother Cricket’s warning about not taking anything for granted is also unforgettable, and there are plenty of level heads, with great experience, in #ThePrideOfJozi’s camp to ensure they treat Sunday’s finale against their greatest rivals as a new day, requiring them to stand tall in the face of a challenge that will not be easy.