Lions one step away from semi-finals

Match facts

October 20, 2012
Start time 1330 (1130 GMT)

Big Picture

With two wins and a game to play, Lions are just one victory away from joining Sydney Sixers as the other team from Group B in the semi-finals. Lions play the opening game of the Wanderers double-header on Saturday and their match against Yorkshire will be closely followed by Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, who face each other later in the evening. A Lions win will reduce the IPL derby to a dead rubber. It's been that kind of a tournament for the IPL teams, having to rely on other results to progress. If Yorkshire can sneak in a win, though, it opens up the group.

Nothing much has gone right for Yorkshire since qualifying for the main draw. After being demolished by Sixers in the most one-sided game of the tournament, their match against Mumbai Indians was washed out. They managed to get some game time though, conceding 156 in just under 18 overs. They opened their account with two points from the washout, but their anxieties grew when Ryan Sidebottom and Moin Ashraf pulled up with injuries. Though Sidebottom returned to bowl, Ashraf limped off after pulling his hamstring. Their fitness will be a concern ahead of the Lions clash.

Yorkshire will have to get their act together against one of the form teams of the tournament. Having calmly brushed aside the two IPL teams, Lions tripped up against the most dangerous of the lot, Sixers, on Thursday at Newlands. Gulam Bodi continued his good form from the Super Kings game with a half-century, but his colleagues, Neil McKenzie and Quinton de Kock, failed to show up. They will be back in home surroundings at the Wanderers, but both teams will be up against the weather, with rain forecast on match day.

Watch out for...

With six wickets in three games at an economy rate of 4, priceless by Twenty20 standards, Lions' Aaron Phangiso has been the find of the tournament so far. Bowling Sachin Tendulkar was his most cherished scalp, and to prove that it wasn't a fluke, he silenced Sixers through his spell, giving away only 14 and taking out the top three.

Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale is in need of runs. After his 61 against Sialkot Stallions in the qualifiers, his next three scores have been an underwhelming 13, 2 and 8. He struggled to get bat on ball against Sixers, before losing his leg stump while trying to manufacture a scoop to fine leg. The struggling side needs their captain to lead from the front.

Quotes

"We want to lead. We want teams to take us seriously."
Lions' middle-order batsman Jean Symes on his team's philosophy

"I'll have to speak to Scott McAllister, our physio, but at this stage we're just going to monitor the progress of both of them."
Jason Gillespie, the Yorkshire coach, on the two injuries in the team