The KZN Dolphins will be looking to bounce back from a first-round loss in the 4-Day Domestic Series when they face the Northerns Titans at Kingsmead, starting on Tuesday.
The Dolphins lost to Western Province by 51 runs in Durban, a disappointing result for coach Quinton Friend and his team as they got into the match as it went on and could have won it. Experienced bowler Prenelan Subrayen stood out once again with the ball.
The Dolphins will face a Titans side that also lost their opening match of the competition, by 153 runs to the Central Gauteng Lions.
“We had a chance [to win] and unfortunately we didn’t take advantage of that,” Friend said of the defeat to WP. “We also lost our top batter and last seasons top run-scorer in Marques Ackerman to injury during the match which set us back.
“We’ll be without him for this week’s game but other than him and Andile Simelane being with the Proteas the squad won’t look much different.”
Over the past few seasons Kingsmead has been a fortress in four-day cricket for the Dolphins and their loss to WP was an outlier in terms of results. For Friend, it’s important that they regain focus and make sure they are positive on their home patch.
“It’s another home game and another chance for the boys to turn things around from game one. We are looking forward to getting back on track and playing some positive cricket.
“If we can start well and try and play good cricket for four days then we’ve got the best chance to finish on top of this game.
“The focus lies on what we can control. That means looking after our preparation and performance and so far, that has gone well in the build up to this one.
“We’re still in a good space and the mood in the group is good.”
The Dolphins have included another graduate of the 2023 Westville Boys’ High 1st XI team in Aryan Gopalan, and all-rounder Bryce Parsons also returns to the team after recovering from his injury.
Jon-Jon Smuts also comes back into the mix following his time away with the South African team at the Hong Kong Sixes tournament.
KZN Dolphins squad: Hanu Viljoen, Prenelan Subrayen, Jon Jon Smuts, Bryce Parsons, Tshepang Dithole, SJ Erwee (c), Banele Cele, Romashan Pillay, Jason Smith, Daryn Dupavillon, Okuhle Cele, Aryan Gopalan, Slade van Staden.
4-Day Series fixtures and results
Photo: Dolphins Cricket
