EXCLUSIVE | Fortuin targets full fitness as Lions prepare for new domestic season

With the 2025/26 domestic season on the horizon, Lions white-ball captain Bjorn Fortuin confirmed that he is not far from full match fitness after sustaining a groin injury in the off-season.

Having performed well during the South Africa ‘A’ tour of the West Indies in winter, Fortuin has missed out on the ongoing South Africa ‘A’ series against New Zealand ‘A’ at home due to the setback. However, the spinner is confident he will soon be ready to turn out for the Lions later this month when the season gets underway.

The 30-year-old told Independent Media that his pre-season has been all about recovery and getting his body ready for what is expected to be a busy campaign.

“It’s coming along decently, a little bit slower than I anticipated. It was a groin injury that I aggravated during the ‘A’ side tour in the West Indies,” said Fortuin.

“I didn’t know the extent of it until I went over to play in the Blast, and things got progressively worse. A lot of this pre-season has been about getting back to match fitness, which I don’t think I’m far from.

"The last two to three months have been quite hard pre-season-wise. From a fitness point of view, I think I’m where I need to be right now.”

Last season, Fortuin captained the Lions to victory in the CSA T20 Challenge, as they beat the Titans in the final at the Bullring. He confirmed he will continue to lead the side in white-ball cricket and contribute in the red-ball format.

“I don’t think much will change going into the new season. We’ve got a strong core of senior players that filter throughout the formats, so whoever is captaining will have sufficient support around them, which they can rely on,” he said.

“I will probably be captaining white-ball cricket again this season, offering support and leadership in the red-ball format wherever I can. We’ve got a strong team going into this season.”

Known for his impressive white-ball credentials, Fortuin underlined his red-ball potential during last season’s Four-Day Series final, where he took a five-wicket haul to help the Lions share the trophy with the Titans.

The spinner emphasised that he has grown to enjoy red-ball cricket as more opportunities have come his way.

“I’ve really started to enjoy red-ball cricket a lot more than I have in the past, purely because earlier in my career I was pigeonholed,” he said.

“I didn’t get a lot of opportunities to play red-ball cricket, whereas the opportunities have come a lot more in the last few years, and the enjoyment for it has grown from there. I’m a big believer that enjoyment and performance have a direct correlation.”