The Lions are learning to roar again

His eyes darted around the room like a nervously excited puppy, unsure of where to look and whom to look at. His gaze rose and fell as person after person spoke to the man next to him. Occasionally, he would find someone looking directly at him and a timid smile would creep across his face. Finally, someone dared to talk directly to him and the shyness gave way to a hearty grin. That was the face that would come to characterise the Lions, re-born finally as the big cats they are.

It belonged to Ethan O'Reilly, who, together with his captain Alviro Petersen who was fielding most of the questions, was attending the post-match press conference after the Lions beat Guyana in the Champions League Twenty20. He had taken four wickets in the match and it didn't matter what he was asked, his answer was the same: "I'm just enjoying being here and playing in the tournament," he said, almost on auto-pilot. It was clear that this man was in cricket heaven.

It was the first time in almost three seasons that a player plying his trade at the Wanderers had looked that excited. Paradise is not a place the Lions have been to, too many times since winning the Standard Bank Pro20 at the end of the 2006-07 season. "We should really have kicked on from there," Lions veteran Neil McKenzie said. "It was really disappointing the way things went after that." McKenzie was captain at the time of that triumph and remained the Lions' leader through two and half of their three summers of going to hell and back.

They finished rock bottom in five out of nine competitions, went through three coaches (Shukri Conrad, Gordon Parsons and Jimmy Cook, who coached at the same time) and lost a number of key players such as Charl Langeveldt, Justin Ontong (both went to the back to the Cape Cobras), Garnett Kruger (Warriors) and Blake Snijman (Titans). It was a time of enormous transition for a union that was traditionally strong. With inexperienced players and a new coach, Dave Nosworthy, the foundation on which to rebuild was shaky.

Luckily, the player exodus was plugged. "Players wanted to stay because Dave Nosworthy said that he had a three-year plan for us," Jonathan Vandiar, a 20-year old batsman and one of the youngest members in the squad, said. "The first year was just to gel as team and in the the second year we could start thinking about competing with other teams." Last season was that second year, when the Lions finished third in the first-class four-day competition, the SuperSport Series, and showed signs of repair. They shocked everyone by reaching the final of the Pro20 and qualifying for the Champions League Twenty20. "Playing in the Champions League gave us belief," McKenzie said.

And the belief was to set out and achieve the last goal in Nosworthy's plan. "In the third year, we would try to win a trophy," Vandiar explained. This is the third year and the Lions are in a good position to bring silverware back to Corlett Drive. They lie second on the SuperSport Series log, and are the only unbeaten team in the MTN40.

"We knew that things wouldn't happen overnight but nothing about our culture has changed. The team spirit was always strong," Vandiar said. The Lions have painted themselves as a pride, playing as a group, and not individuals, which is why it's tough to isolate individual performances for their recent successes. It could also be why, when McKenzie relinquished the captaincy mid-way through last season and Petersen (and stand-in Thami Tsolekile) took over, the transitions were smooth. "The captaincy doesn't mean a lot to us, we just play as a team," Vandiar said.

McKenzie said he felt the time was right for him to start contributing in ways beyond selection meetings. "I still wanted to add value and I like to help the guys. They all know that they can come and chat to me about anything but I also wanted to spend more time concentrating on my own game and my family life." Behind the scenes though, it seemed like boardroom politics may have had a hand in McKenzie stepping down.

The Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB), who are one of the affiliates that make up the Lions (the other is the North West Cricket) had incurred Cricket South Africa's (CSA) wrath by accusing them of violating norms at the Wanderers during the Indian Premier League in April and May 2009. As a result, CSA stripped the Wanderers of international status. To get back its international fixtures, the GCB agreed to restructure its board to be more racially representative, as it was long seen as too white.

The resulting battle was bloody and an interim board was elected and then members were removed from it. The numbers of black and white members fluctuated and CSA called a commission of inquiry into the GCB's operations. Eventually an interim board with 50% black and 50% white representation was formed and a new chief executive officer, Cassim Docrat, was appointed. Under him, the union has stabilised.

"When the team is in an environment that is healthy and stable and communication from a management perspective is good, it has a tremendous effect," Docrat said. "The performance of the team has been exceptional and it's translated off the field into a happier office as well."

The GCB has also made greater strides towards transformation, with both a captain and vice-captain of colour and players like Aaron Phangiso and Temba Bavuma making a name for themselves. "We often have five to six players of colour on the field and that makes a real statement," Docrat said. He has imposed no lofty goals on the team but said that if they get to the final of the MTN40 it would be a "great achievement."

It would be premature to suggest that the glory days of the 1980s Mean Machine are beckoning. But some level of pride has been restored to the once-revered union. "It's important to have a strong Gauteng," said Gerald Majola at the Wanderers leg of the CSA road show just less than ten days ago. Slowly, the Lion is learning to roar again.