Quinton Friend will take over from Imraan Khan as KZN Dolphins head coach.

Khan was recently head-hunted by CSA for its batting lead role.

Friend, who has been with the Dolphins both as a player and a coach for many years, will move on from his bowling coach role.

“Quinny has been with the Dolphins for many years and has a very good understanding of how things are done here,” said CEO of KZN Cricket Heinrich Strydom.

“He’s done his time as an assistant, and we feel that he’s the right man to take on the role of head coach with Mduduzi Mbatha right on his shoulder as his assistant.

“The team and the coaching staff haven’t missed a beat in the pre-season, and they are prepared and ready for the new season getting underway at the end of the month.”

For Friend, it is a dream appointment.

“I’m super excited and very privileged to be named Dolphins head coach,” he said. “It’s something that I have always wanted and worked hard towards.

“We’ve had some nice success over the last five years, and I must commend Imraan Khan on what he has achieved with the team.

“He was a huge asset to our team, and he will be missed.”

The 42-year-old is looking forward to seeing how the squad compete in his first season at the helm of Dolphins cricket.

“We’ve got a great bunch of players within our squad, and I back them to put in some big performances during the 2024-25 season.

“We have to make sure that we cover all of our bases heading into that first match on 29 September.”

Friend will have the same contingent of staff that Khan had, with Mbatha as his assistant and Devon von Onselen as the strength and conditioning coach, Nick Moffit as the physiotherapist, and Kushen Kishun as the video analyst.

“These guys have done an exceptional job over the last few years, and I am really looking forward to working closely with them going forward,” said Friend.

“Not much changes in the sense that we have been working together for a couple of years and have a good understanding of how I operate.

“Everyone behind the scenes has been supportive and I’m just so grateful for the opportunity that lies ahead,” Friend added.

The Dolphins begin their season with the T20 Challenge starting with an away clash against the EP Warriors on 29 September. Their first home game is against the Northerns Titans on 4 October.

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