The Lions are in knock-out cricket territory as they prepare to take on the Titans at the Wanderers on Friday.
After losing to the Dolphins by 118 runs on Wednesday, the Lions are second-bottom on the One Day Cup table.
Geoffrey Toyana is well aware that if they are to repeat last year’s performance, which saw them finish second on the table and claim the trophy, his side will need to win every game from now on.
‘The equation for us is simple,’ Toyana said. ‘We basically have to win every game we play in to stand a chance of reaching the play-offs.’
Statistically, they still stand a fair chance of reaching the play-off stage of the tournament. The Lions are currently below the Titans on the log, after playing one game more, and will need to beat their rivals in order to edge past them for a vital play-off spot.
‘There’s no better way to bounce back than winning the derby,’ Toyana explained. ‘Obviously, the loss to the Dolphins was very disappointing, but the guys don’t need any motivation for a match like this.
‘We are desperate to make amends after we let ourselves down with the bat.’
Titans coach Mark Boucher will face a tough double weekend. After playing the Lions on Friday, Boucher’s men will face the log-leading Dolphins in Durban on Sunday.
‘We’re not looking at that Dolphins game at all,’ he said. ‘Our focus is on Friday. If we can get through that well, it will be nice to have some momentum going into the last few games.’
Two wins for the Titans, who have a game in hand compared to Warriors three points above them, will jump them up the table, making them favourites for second position.
‘We’re lying third at the moment with a game in hand,’ Boucher added. ‘We didn’t have a good game on Sunday. Our batting failed badly in the top six, but we’ve spoken about it and I feel we’ve had a very good build-up to the game on Friday.
‘It’s a tough few weeks comings up with so much cricket in such a short space of time, so it’s going to test us mentally and we’re going to have to rely on the whole squad to get us through this period.’
Captain Henry Davids may return from injury to boost the Titans.
