Highveld Lions v Yorkshire – Champions League Twenty20 2012 (Group B) – Match Preview
With the knockouts stage of the ongoing Champions League Twenty20 fast-approaching, the race is on for a spot in the semis, and understandably there is a lot riding on today’s clash between the Highveld Lions and Yorkshire, the 13th match of the
ongoing tournament, scheduled to be played at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, today on October 20, 2012.
With 2 wins from 3 matches under their belt, the Lions are perfectly poised to claim a spot in the semi-finals alongside the Sydney Sixers if they can manage a win today. Yorkshire, meanwhile, breezed through the qualifying stages, but have been unimpressive
in the actual tournament, receiving a sound thrashing at the hands of the Sixers in their first match, while the team’s second match, against the Mumbai Indians, was washed out due to rain. If the Lions win today, the second match of the day, Chennai Super
Kings v Mumbai Indians, will become a dead rubber – however, if Yorkshire manage a victory, the competition for a spot in the semis will continue.
Having beaten both the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, before the Sixers brought their winning streak to an end, the Lions have emerged as one of the more prominent sides in this year’s edition of the CLT20, and are currently placed at number 2 on
the Group B points table. Having proven adept at chasing, the Lions have a solid record in run-chases at the Wanderers, having won 10 of their 12 run-chases at the stadium.
The team’s batting order has played a key role in their victories so far. With skipper Alviro Petersen and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Neil-McKenzie-c2094 fortifying the line-up with their experience, teenager Quinton de Kock has also chipped in with solid contributions for the side. However,
the undeniable star of the Lions’ batting line-up has been http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gulam-Bodi-c1512 – the 33-year-old left-hander has contributed two vital half-centuries in the team’s last two games. While the team’s top-order looks solid enough, the only promising talent in the middle
order so far appears to be http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Jean-Symes-c66756.
Owing to the pace and bounce of the South African pitches, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DP-Nannes-c1396 – while both have managed to claim their share of wickets, the duo has not been as economical as the skipper
would have liked. In this regard, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Aaron-Phangiso-c884 has been the Lions’ unsung hero in their CLT20 campaign so far. Having claimed 6 scalps at an economy rate of 4 from 3 matches, the 28-year-old left-arm spinner has played a major role in bringing down the opposition’s
batting order, in addition to keeping the run flow in check.
In comparison to the Lions, Yorkshire have put forth erratic performances in the CLT20. Runners-up from the Friends Life t20, Yorkshire managed to defeat the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sialkot-c842 Stallions (in their CLT20 warm-up match), and followed up with victories over Uva Next and
Trinidad & Tobago in the qualifying phases. However, the team went on to suffer a brutal drubbing at the hands of the Sixers in their first match – having opted to bat first, Yorkshire found themselves restricted to a paltry total of 96, and eventually went
on to concede an 8-wicket defeat.
With their second match having been washed out due to rain, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Yorkshire-c867 face the pressure of having to win both of their remaining matches (today’s clash with the Lions, followed by a match against the Chennai Super Kings at Durban on October 22) if they are
to have a hope of staying in the running for the semi-finals.
However, at this crucial juncture in the tournament, the team finds themselves plagued by fitness concerns. With http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Phil-Jaques-c2182 and
skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AU-Rashid-c1106 to display the form they did during the qualifiers.
Meanwhile, the bowling attack is also beset with injuries. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 Indians, and while Sidebottom came back to bowl later, Ashraf’s pulled hamstring did not allow him to return to
the field. Head coach http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Jason-Neil-Gillespie-c66461 claimed that he intended to speak to the team physio - Scott McAllister – and the team was planning to “monitor the progress of both of them”.
The forecast for the day is sunny, with expected temperatures of around 15 - 24° C. Driven by the need to move closer to a spot in the semis, both teams will be hoping no unexpected spells of rain intervene as they look to further their CLT20 campaigns.
Highveld Lions squad:
1 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dwaine-Pretorius-c54825, 13 Sohail Tanvir, 14 Jean Symes,
15 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Thami-Tsolekile-c2662 (wicketkeeper)
Yorkshire squad:
1 Andrew Gale (captain), 2 Moin http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Lumb-c1981 Root, 13 Ryan Sidebottom, 14 Iain Wardlaw,
15 Eddie Wilson (wicketkeeper)
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