Lions can still improve - Petersen
Alviro Petersen believes there is still further room for improvement for his Highveld Lions side, despite booking a place in the Champions League Twenty20 final with a superb 22-run win over Delhi Daredevils in Durban on Thursday.
In what was largely a combined team performance, there were a few standouts like Gulam Bodi (50 off 49 deliveries) and Neil McKenzie (46 off 28) with the bat as well as Chris Morris (2-7) with the ball.
The Lions initially posted a modest 139 for five, before restricting the Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit to 117 for nine.
Petersen, who said before the game that his charges were running at only 85 per cent, felt there was a marked improvement at Kingsmead.
"I definitely think we upped our performance by about 10 per cent or so from the 75 [per cent] we were running at previously," the captain said.
"The bowling was fantastic and we obviously need to do some work on our batting, but collectively I'm very happy with where we are and how we played today.
"There's certainly room for improvement and I can't wait for that day when we put that 100 per cent together."
Having put on 34 for the opening stand with Bodi, Petersen was dismissed for 24 as his team stuttered along, before some late impetus by McKenzie.
"We would have liked to get up to 150, which I felt was a really good total on that surface," Petersen said.
"But we didn't, and it was going to be hard work from there.
"They just needed one of their batters to go big and for a partnership, but we didn't allow that.
"We kept taking wickets and I thought that was the key."
He also hailed the way the Lions played together as a team, describing it as the hallmark of the team.
"Obviously everyone can't perform well every game, [so] we need to play as a team," he said.
The Lions will now meet either the Titans or Sydney Sixers in Sunday's final.
Petersen said the Lions had no preference over who they wanted to play in the decider.
"I don't really mind any of them," Petersen said.
"We lost to the Titans last year in the final, so it will nice to beat them there.
"The only game we've lost in the tournament is to the Sixers, so it will be nice to get one over them [too].
"It doesn't really matter; what I can assure you, is the boys are hungry.
