Peter's precision propels Lions into T20 Challenge final

Nqaba Peter’s mix of “sliders” and googlies propelled the DP World Lions into the final of the CSA T20 Challenge, after a comprehensive eight-wicket win against their neighbours the Momentum Multiply Titans at the Wanderers on Wednesday night. 

Peter, just 21, picked up 4/18 in a bewitching spell, tearing through the Titans middle order and giving further gusto to the excitement he has generated in the past few weeks. 

This tournament has understandably copped criticism from players and beyond for being too long, lacking a sponsor and failing to generate interest from the public, with attendances at venues around the country embarrassing at times. 

For all those faults, if Peter’s emergence is the sole good to come out of it — and that isn’t the case — then it has been a success. South Africa will always produce fast bowlers, and in recent years a plethora of left-arm finger spinners have provided control at provincial and international level, but with the exception of Imran Tahir, SA hasn’t had a leg-spinner to call on. 

Peter has started his journey to change that, quite superbly. His haul on Wednesday lifted his total for this competition to 19, putting him second behind the Warriors’ Beyers Swanepoel, the leading wicket-taker. 

Again it was his “slider”, a delivery that looks like it should sit up to enable the batter to play the pull, but then slides on to him at devastating speed, that served him well, while he also cleaned up David Wiese with a sublime googly that at one stage had him on a hat-trick. 

The Lions head coach Russell Domingo pointed out earlier in the week how because of the pace with which he bowls, Peter reminds him of Tahir. The enticing prospect for Peter and South African cricket is that he already displays so much control of one of the game’s toughest arts, and with the right growth in the next few years he should find himself achieving higher honours. 

With the exception of Jack Lees, who scored a career-best 64 not out off 43 balls, the Titans batting line-up was simply no match for Peter. 

The match had been reduced to 18 overs a side after one set of floodlights went down, causing a 25-minute delay in the seventh over of the Titans innings. It’s impossible to state what effect that had on their rhythm, because before then they didn’t have any, having scored just 38 runs in the power play. 

Lees smashed 23 of his runs off the last 11 balls he faced to give his team a sniff with a total of 131/9 — a target revised via DLS to 134. David Wiese picked up Reeza Hendricks’ wicket in the first over, but an 85-run second wicket partnership between Ryan Rickelton (38 off 26 balls) and Rassie van der Dussen, who finished on 73 not out — determined the outcome. 

It was Van der Dussen’s second consecutive half-century, and contained some muscular shotmaking, providing a reminder to the national selectors — not that they would have needed it — about his ability particularly in games that matter. 

The Lions will host the final at the Wanderers on Sunday, with their opponents being determined in the second semifinal that will take place in Durban on Thursday between the Warriors and Dolphins.