WHEN you are part of a team that has a squad as big as the Lions usually do in domestic cricket, it’s likely that you are going to miss a few games, regardless of your form.
Mitchell van Buuren knows this all too well, as he missed most of the Lions’ matches during last season’s Cricket South Africa T20 Challenge despite being in the form of his life with the bat.
With the home international summer having ended in January last season, that meant that the likes of Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen were available for selection at the Lions, leading to many other franchise players sitting on the bench for the majority of the T20 Challenge.
However, after riding through that tough period in his career, the new season has dealt Van Buuren a different card as he was announced as the captain of the Lions for the upcoming season.
At the launch of the 2024/25 edition of the T20 Challenge in Johannesburg yesterday, Van Buuren mentioned that he had to learn to deal with being left out of the playing XI due to the big squad that the Lions had last season.
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“It’s really difficult to deal with, but in the same breath, it’s something that I’ve had to learn over the last few years. When I was younger, I was a little bit more impatient with that sort of stuff,” Van Buuren said.
“I’ve learnt that the coach makes the decision in the best interest of the team. I understood last year with the squad we had and the players that were available, that certain decisions needed to be made.
“Life turns around … This year, I get to be the captain of the Lions, so it’s all worked out nicely,” he added.
Van Buuren and his Lions teammates will get the T20 Challenge started on September 27 as they defend their trophy against captain Neil Brand’s Titans in the Jukskei derby at the Wanderers.
Taking into consideration the competitive nature of the Gauteng derbies, Van Buuren and the Lions are happy that they only get to play the Titans once this season at home.
The T20 Challenge has been changed from having the home and away system in the round-robin stage to only having a single round, before the knockout stage begins later in the season.
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Van Buuren knows there will be a lot of pressure on him as Lions captain, more so as he is entrusted to lead the side to a successful trophy defence this season.
“There’s definitely pressure because of the fact that the Lions franchise is so massive,” he said.
“When we play the Titans, it’s always a high-pressure game, it’s always a heated battle. We are happy that in the competition coming now, we’re playing them at home – the Wanderers Stadium. We are looking forward to next week Friday.”
While the Division One T20 Challenge gets under way on September 27, Division Two’s T20 Knockout starts tomorrow at the Kimberley Oval, where the Northern Cape Heat host Eastern Storm in the tournament opener.