Cricket South Africa (CSA) has congratulated the Dolphins on winning the final event of the franchise era, the 4-Day Domestic Series.

The five-day final, which was badly disrupted by inclement weather for the first two days, concluded at Kingsmead Stadium on Monday with the Dolphins winning by an innings and 76 runs.

‘It was unfortunate that the match was disrupted by the weather to the extent that it was,’ commented CSA acting chief executive Pholetsi Moseki. ‘In the circumstances both teams are to be complimented on succeeding in getting a positive result.

‘There is no doubt that the final was contested by the two most deserving sides as they both won their pools by decisive margins. The Titans have been a dominant force throughout the franchise era while the Dolphins have had an excellent season which has seen them reach the final of all three franchise competitions.

‘We now move into a new era which will contain many positives for SA cricket,’ explained Moseki. ‘With eight teams in the top division, there will be greater opportunities for players to compete at the top level of domestic cricket.

‘Sponsorship opportunities should also improve with all teams playing their games at a single venue and this will also make for an improved and more convenient offering to our loyal fans.

‘Once the promotion/relegation system kicks into place after the first two seasons there will be greater context to all matches.

‘It is a system that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) introduced some time ago which has led to great success for their national team; we are confident that we will have the same outcome here,’ Moseki concluded.