Lions end Momentum One Day Cup campaign with a losing streak

The bizhub Highveld Lions ended their 2017 Momentum One Day Cup campaign with five straight losses as they relinquished their title in a disappointing campaign.

The defending champion Lions started their campaign brightly with a 44 run win against the Warriors in Johannesburg. In the second match, the Lions lost against the Dolphins at Kingsmead by 27 runs.

The Lions then suffered a 109 run hiding against eventual finalists the Titans in Centurion, before getting two important victories against the Cape Cobras (3 wickets ) and Knights (57 runs) respectively.

This is where the party stopped for the Lions as they slumped to 5 straight defeats as their title defence dramatically ended. The first defeats in this barren run occurred in Potchefstroom at Senwes Park, where the Cobras (6 wickets) and Dolphins (118 runs) got the better of the home team.  The Titans once again got the better of the the Lions in the Jukskei derby with a crushing 169 run victory as Aiden Markram hit a brilliant 183 for the Titans in a huge total of 415/3.

The Lions then came close to breaking their losing streak with a narrow 4-run loss against the Knights in Kimberley. In this match Dwaine Pretorius (102) and Rassie van der Dussen (115) scored centuries but it was not enough as David Miller’s 123 propelled the Knights into a playoff spot.

The Lions then ended their season with a 36 run loss against the Warriors.

The final will be played between the Titans and Warriors on Friday, 31 March.

bizhub Highveld Lions top scorer: Reeza Hendricks: 396 runs at an average of 44 and strike rate of 98.01.

bizhub Highveld Lions top wicket-taker: Beuran Hendricks: 14 wickets at an average of 30.71 and strike rate of 30.4.