The DP World Lions beat the Dafabet Warriors by eight wickets in a staggering reversal of fortunes on the third day of the CSA 4-Day Series final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday.
The match, scheduled for five days, was riding in favour of the Warriors at the beginning of the day with the Lions more than a hundred runs shy of the Warriors’ first-innings total of 305 with just three wickets in hand.
But the loss of star Warriors’ pace bowler Matthew Boast – through illness – and an unbeaten 88 from key allrounder Delano Potgieter – the source of so many Lions’ recoveries – as well as some stalwart support from the Lions’ lower-order, enabled the home team to creep within 10 runs of the Warriors’ total on the stroke of lunch.
Then it was the turn of Codi Yusuf and Beyers Swanepoel who blew away the Warriors for 95 in their second innings in the afternoon and for a short period after tea.
Yusuf, player of the match, bowled with discipline and great intensity to claim 5-34 in 10 overs, his fourth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, while Swanepoel grabbed the first two and last two wickets in the innings, finishing with 4-26 in 7.4 overs.
First-Class 5-wicket haul no.5⃣
— DP World Lions (@DPWorldLions) February 20, 2026
Codi Yusuf is pumped up at the moment, with unstoppable speed and precision in his deliveries!😤😎#DPWorldLionsCricket#LegacyOfChampions#DPWorldLions26#4DaySeriesFinal#ThePrideOfJozi pic.twitter.com/ZKwCL4AOBW
The other wicket went to Wiaan Mulder who had JP King caught behind.
The Lions, clearly determined to give themselves two days off, attacked their victory target of just 106 fiercely, led by an aggressive unbeaten 65 in 47 balls (10x4s, 2x6s) from Zubayr Hamza.
The match was appropriately finished off with a pulled six from Wandile Makwetu as the Lions reached their victory target for the loss of two wickets in just 17 overs, 10 minutes before the close of play.
1st Class Champions 🏆🏏
— CSA Domestic Leagues (@DomesticCSA) February 20, 2026
The DP World Lions reign supreme, claiming the Division 1 4-Day Series title in style against the Dafabet Warriors!
Grit. Discipline. Big moments. That’s how you win a 4-Day crown. 🦁
Congratulations to the Pride on a phenomenal campaign! 💙💛… pic.twitter.com/AI1yzQDZU9
The Warriors’ spectacular collapse began after lunch when temporary opener Aphiwe Mayanda was trapped leg before by Swanepoel with the last ball of the fourth over.
Mayanda was replacing regular opener Modiri Litheko who was injured in the first innings.
Fellow opener Jordan Hermann, who struck a brilliant century in the first innings, began in typically flamboyant style, striking four boundaries in his run-a-ball 25.
But then he threw himself into a wild drive at a wide delivery from Swanepoel, edging to the wicketkeeper. It was a poor stroke at precisely the wrong time.
WARRIORS COLLAPSE
The collapse gathered pace as Hermann’s dismissal became the first of three wickets to fall for nine runs in three overs.
Matthew de Villiers, the injury sub for Litheko, was caught behind off Yusuf for four, then – in a particularly dramatic moment – Matthew Breetzke was trapped leg before off a fine delivery from Yusuf that nipped back at him.
As the key Warriors’ batter left the wicket, a gleeful Potgieter brushed his shoulder as he ran to celebrate with his colleagues.
That collision occasioned a heated exchange of views between the batter and the fielders which was quickly cooled by the umpires as emotions threatened to get out of control.
The final wicket to fall in the session was that of first innings centurion JP King who edged a superb leg-cutter from Mulder to the wicketkeeper to leave the Warriors on 45-5 and in danger of complete collapse.
But skipper Senuran Muthusamy and Sinethemba Qeshile showed grit and determination to stand firm to get the Warriors to tea on 80-5 without any further disasters.
But the Lions were clearly invigorated by the break as they swept up the remaining five wickets in quick succession.
Qeshile was the first to go, caught by Beyers Swanepoel in the gully off a delivery that rose off a length from Yusuf before the same bowler ripped out Muthusamy’s off-stump with a snorter.
Wesley Bedja, with another careless slog, gave his wicket away to complete Codi’s five-for and then Swanepoel took care of Gideon Peters (bowled without playing a stroke) and Boast (bowled) to complete the rout.
The Lions, who won the trophy in 2023/4 and shared it with the Titans last season in a rain-affected match, claimed the winner’s cheque of R1.5 million while the Warriors received R750 000.
The “Taste of Victory”
— DP World Lions (@DPWorldLions) February 20, 2026
Featuring Beyers Swanepoel😉#DPWorldLionsCricket#LegacyOfChampions#DPWorldLions26#4DaySeriesFinal#ThePrideOfJozi pic.twitter.com/8jI7KLU0P5
DP WORLD LIONS: Dominic Hendricks (capt), Richard Seletswane, Zubayr Hamza, WandMakwetu, Wiaan Mulder, Connor Esterhuizen (wkt), Delano Potgieter, Bjorn Fortuin, Codi Yusuf, Beyers Swanepoel, Siya Plaatjie
DAFABET WARRIORS: Jordan Hermann, Modiri Litheko, JP King, Matthew Breetzke, Sinethemba Qeshile (wkt), Senuran Muthusamy (capt), Patrick Kruger, Aphiwe Mnyanda, Mathew Boast, Wesley Bedja, Gideon Peters