Johannesburg – Despite an unbeaten start to the Ram Slam T20 Challenge competition, Highveld Lions coach Geoffrey Toyana is cautious about getting his hopes up too high.
The Lions have won their opening three matches of the series for a first-place position at the top of the log.
“It is still early days in the competition and there is still plenty of cricket to be played,” Toyana said on Wednesday.
“I am happy but I think we can play better, I think we are operating at 60 to 70 percent at the moment.”
West Indian hired gun Chris Gayle had been worth his weight in gold so far this season, slogging two half-tons and a century for the Lions.
Gayle once again got the Gauteng side off to a good start with his second half-century of the series in Sunday's nail-biter against the Warriors.
Both sides made 161 for seven in their 20 overs, and the match went to a super over, with both teams remaining level after hitting seven runs each. However, the Lions earned the win after racking up more boundaries in their regular innings.
“Chris has been superb in the three games he's played for us he has got off to those good starts that we always wanted,” Toyana
said of Gayle, who has racked up a total of 214 runs in the three matches.
“He is a great individual to have in the change room and he seems to be enjoying his time here at the Lions.”
Lions captain Neil McKenzie said while they had made a positive start to the competition, they were far from firing on all cylinders.
“Death bowling always needs work and when you have exciting fast bowlers like we have, I think they need to step up a little bit more to the plate,” McKenzie said.
“It is a serious bowling unit and they know they are a bit under par at the moment.
“Upfront we can take a few more wickets and be a lot more aggressive hitting our line and length hard.”
The high-flying Lions will have a busy weekend on their hands first taking on the Cobras in Johannesburg on Friday evening.
They will be hoping the wet conditions experienced on the Highveld this week clear up for the match.
Toyana said they have made preparations for a strong Cobras batting line-up.
“They are a dangerous side, I think they are the best team in South Africa and, if the weather holds, I think we are in for a good afternoon,” he said. – Sapa