Lutho Sipamla hoped to replicate his form from the T20 Challenge and SA20 for the Lions in One-Day Challenge which started on Saturday.
The CSA One-Day Challenge started with what on paper is a tasty fixture at Newlands between the DP World Lions and the defending champions Western Province.
“The SA20 is just something else,” remarked Kyle Simmonds, who played for the Pretoria Capitals in that tournament.
“Our last game at Newlands, I’ve not seen Newlands like that and I’ve been there for four years.”
Players who were fortunate enough to part of the SA20, realise that in some cases they will have to create their own vibe — especially in the initial stages of the One-Day Cup — but there’s also a realisation that despite attracting less attention, it remains a crucial part of the South African schedule.
Simmonds explained that local players who’ve not been part of the SA20 should view the One-Day Challenge as an opportunity to make an impression because scouts are always watching.
“For the guys who aren’t in SA20, this competition — a white-ball competition in South Africa against good teams [with] a lot of local players — gives you a chance to put your name in the hat.”
The 2027 World Cup should serve as another source of motivation and this season in particular creates a chance to draw the national selectors’ attention.
“We’ve seen a lot of players being used over the past 12 to 18 months, which should give players a lot of motivation to up their performances, because those performances are being noticed,” said Lions captain Bjorn Fortuin.
“The management hasn’t been shy to thrust players into the limelight and as soon as they recognise that they are good enough, that should be all the more motivation for players to come back to stake a claim for a Proteas spot.”
While that is part of the wider context of the tournament, there is also the opportunity to win some silverware.
The Lions have become a powerhouse in the domestic game in the last few seasons, winning back-to-back T20 Challenge titles and the Four-Day competition last summer.
The One-Day Challenge is missing from the Wanderers trophy cabinet.
“One of the priorities for the season is starting well,” said Fortuin. “We learnt last year that there’s not a lot of time left to get back into the competition if you have a bad slide up-front.
“Having WP first is a nice challenge. We can gauge ourselves against a quality team, but it also gives us a chance to throw the first punch in the competition — and if we do, that holds us in good stead for the rest of the tournament.”
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Updated: 28 February 2025 Friday
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