Lance Klusener says he has been left ‘shocked’ after the Dolphins decided not to renew his contract as head coach.

The former South African all-rounder told ESPNCricinfo he was given ‘no reason’ for his dismissal and thought the decision was ‘very strange’.

Yashin Ebrahim and Roger Telemachus have taken over the coaching duties with immediate effect for the remainder of the Sunfoil Series, which concludes South Africa’s domestic season.

‘I am obviously very disappointed and surprised with the board’s decision, considering the progress of the team in the last four years,’ Klusener said in the official statement. ‘I am a proud son of the soil of KwaZulu-Natal and I have relished every moment of coaching the Sunfoil Dolphins

‘I have no doubt that the squad has the talent to win more trophies like the Ram Slam title we won in the 2013-14 season, and while I won’t be their coach they will all know that I will be backing them all the way.’

Klusener was appointed interim coach at the Dolphins in January 2012, when Graham Ford left the franchise to take over as Sri Lanka’s national coach before confirmed in the role later that year.

Under his tenure, Dolphins won one trophy – the 2013-14 T20 competition – and have maintained good form in the shortest format. This season, they lost the final of the Ram Slam to the Titans. They have not done as well in other competitions, finishing fifth in the one-day cup with four wins from 10 matches and lie fourth in the fourth in the Sunfoil Series, which is only at its halfway stage, but have only won one match.

Dolphins CEO Pete de Wet explained the decision to let Klusener go: ‘Lance has been a loyal servant of KZN cricket and the Sunfoil Dolphins and his passion and loyalty to the team is unquestionable. That has made the decision taken by the board all the more difficult.’

‘The board felt that the time was right to refresh the team dynamic to enable this talented group of players to reach the next level, and agreed that a new coach was an integral part of that process.’