Dolphins offer Khan and his lieutenants contract extensions

The Dolphins’ Momentum One-Day Cup success has guaranteed head coach Imraan Khan and his lieutenants a contract extension with the coastal franchise.

While the tournament was curtailed by the coronavirus‚ the Dolphins were at the top of the log at the end of the league stages.

They had won seven out of 10 games and were set to host a semifinal and the final if they got that far.

While they’d lost their final league game against the Lions in Potchefstroom‚ they’d only lost one out of five home games.

KwaZulu-Natal Cricket chief executive officer Heinrich Strydom said the two-year extensions were deserved.

The Dolphins had started the Four-Day Franchise series slowly‚ but had won two of their last three matches before the virus had the final say.

“Their passion for the game and the team culture that they have helped create here is hugely encouraging for us and we are excited to see what we can achieve in the next two seasons and beyond‚” Strydom said.

Khan‚ who is assisted by former team-mate Quinton Friend and Mduduzi Mbatha‚ said they were happy with their efforts this season.

They also had a young but talented squad at their disposal‚ a squad that showed its wares in the limited overs section of the season.

Grant Roelofsen was the tournament’s top run-scorer with 588 runs at 65.33 with one ton and five 50’s while Keshav Maharaj (16 wickets at 14.68) and Robbie Frylinck (13 wickets at 28.00) were in the top 10 wicket-takers.

“It’s always nice to be recognised for your performances but I think the credit has to go to the players.

"We have tried to create an environment where we maintain high standards‚ which I think we have managed to do throughout the season‚” Khan said.

“We knew that we had the talent in the squad to be competitive and the guys put their hands up and performed well‚ which is encouraging going into the off-season and into the new season.”