Lions look to emulate domestic performance

Overview
For the first time in six seasons, the Wanderers trophy cabinet had to be opened to add something. The Lions won the domestic 20-over competition for their first outright victory - they shared the one-day cup - since 2006/07 and capped off a stellar season for new coach Geoffrey Toyana.

After a period of underachievement, something changed at the franchise. Gone were the days when they had to look elsewhere for players, such as when they last won a cup with Cape Town-based Justin Ontong and Charl Langeveldt in their ranks, because they placed faith in their own.

Therein lies the Lions' greatest strength. Without many 'superstars' they have built a unit that relies on collective performances, particularly in the bowling department. They had five bowlers in the top six of the competition last season. Hardus Viljoen led the charts with 17 wickets at 17.35, followed by Sohail Tanvir, Aaron Phangio and Chris Morris. Imran Tahir was sixth on the charts.

With Morris playing for Chennai Super Kings, it will up to Viljoen and Tanvir to lead the attack but they also have acquired the services of Lonwabo Tsotosbe, who was allowed to play for them despite not turning out in the domestic campaign. They also have two international spinners in Tahir and Phangiso.

Their batting contains an individual who stands out in Quinton de Kock. He forced his way into the national team with stand-out performances in the shortest format, after topping the run-scorers' list last season with 524 runs from 11 matches, including a big hundred which saw him handpicked for bigger things, although he has yet to fulfil that promise particularly on the subcontinent. He appears to have been relieved of the gloves, with Thami Tsolekile the designated wicketkeeper, which will free him up to concentrate on his batting.

The likes of Neil McKenzie and Jean Symes complete a balanced unit that, for the first time in a long while, seems happy in its own skins. Whether they will be able to repeat the success of their domestic season in foreign conditions will be the biggest challenge.

Key players
When Imran Tahir was last in India, it was for the 2011 World Cup. He was South Africa's second-highest wicket-taker but mysteriously did not play limited-overs cricket after that until the recent tour of Sri Lanka.

There, he demonstrated excellent control and plucked wickets at important times. His confidence is obviously renewed after he was dropped from the Test squad following a hammering against Australia in Adelaide and the Lions played an important part in that by nurturing him at domestic level and he will no doubt want to repay them.

Although he is not the captain, McKenzie is Lions' most important leader. Having played for the franchise for more than a decade, although he moved away for a brief period, McKenzie plays like a content man would. He puts in his bets, does a lot of work with the younger batsmen and he is never short of an idea in the field. He has spoken about this being his last season, although if all goes well, he may be convinced to stay on.

Weaknesses
Many of Lions' youngsters have not had much experience in India before, although some of them may have traveled there on emerging tours. During their build-up, Toyana said he'd prefer to practice on pitches that were more subcontinental in nature than the bouncy Wanderers wicket. They played a warm-up match in Mamelodi against the Titans on a slow, low track and trained in Potchefstroom, which is flatter in nature. Like the IPL sides, who initially struggled in South Africa last year, Lions' biggest challenge will be adapting quickly.

Surprise package
Much of the hype over the last season has been over de Kock but there is another young batsman commanding attention. Rassie van der Dussen won the CSA awards for Club Championship Player of the Year and Provincial One-day Player of the Year for a tournament in which he scored 349 runs in six matches at an average of 87.25. He is a clean hitter of the ball with an exceptional eye and was drafted into the Lions squad in the latter parts of last season. If he gets the opportunity to play, expect him to grab it with big shots.