Real team work the key for happy Dolphins
THE Dolphins ended the era of franchise cricket with the last trophy that was up for grabs, thanks to some smart strategies, but also because everyone at the union, from sponsors, to the coaching staff and administration were pulling in one direction.
The team’s impressive young captain Marques Ackerman explained after their stunning 4-Day Franchise Series final win against the Titans - the most successful team of the franchise era - that it took some hard talking between him, coach Imraan Khan and the players, to realise what was needed to be successful.
The results have been extraordinary - they qualified for the final of each competition this season, sharing the One-Day Cup with the Highveld Lions because of rain, suffered just one loss in the T20 Challenge, which came in the final against the Lions and then the thumping win against the Titans yesterday.
“I said to the coaching staff what I felt needed to happen,” said Ackerman. “The guy with the experience was Imraan Khan, and he gave his thoughts on what needed to happen and what needed to change for us to be successful.
“Then it was a squad discussion - each person talking about what he wanted to achieve, how he sees his role in the team.”
Ackerman described a “little flame,” which was lit that started to galvanise the team. Creating a team song, was one element, as was developing a winning culture. “There was so much hard work; we trained really hard, we have great facilities but we have so many matches impacted by weather, so (to) get so many games completed was amazing thanks to the ground staff, we had the (office staff) making sure we were looked after, all the small things, we have the best sponsors ... it’s small things like that. The players took more responsibility.”
The Dolphins’ achievement in winning the four-day competition final after just 10 overs of play was possible over the first two days is remarkable. Ackerman explained that the team were used to losing time playing matches in Durban because of bad light, so even after his side’s first innings, in which Sarel Erwee’s century was crucial, he remained optimistic that they could achieve a positive result.
“I told the coach after the first innings, that the quality of our spinners will be so vital, because there’s enough in this wicket and their control is exceptional,” Ackerman said.
Even in the absence of Keshav Maharaj, who had been so influential in two critical away victories in
Johannesburg and Gqeberha in the last two rounds of Pool play, Senuran Muthusamy and Prenalen Surbrayen stood tall. The pair shared 19 wickets between them with Subrayen’s 10/80, his maiden first-class career “ten-for”, securing him the player-of-the-match honours.
“They are world-class spinners, I really hope both of them get recognised for this,” said Ackerman. “Their grouping is so good, they test technique on both edges. We’ve seen so many tactics employed against them, but the skills they’ve exhibited are just impeccable.”