Durban - The Hollywoodbets Dolphins return to Kingsmead Cricket Stadium for their 4-Day Franchise Series clash with the Multiply Titans starting on Monday hoping to go into the mid-season break with some momentum.
It has been a tough start to the season for the Durban side who have yet to register a win in the red ball format, but have spent a lot of their games right in the mix until a poor passage of play cost them the result.
The Dolphins and the Titans played to an exciting draw in the opening game of the competition at SuperSport Park in a match that saw the Dolphins miss out on victory as the Titans just managed to defend for the draw.
The way in which the Dolphins started the season, and were dominant throughout that opening game of the tournament will give them confidence when they return home to take on the defending champions.
“In the three years that I have been in charge we have improved a lot against the Titans,” coach Grant Morgan said.
"Going from heavy losses in our first season to being on the edge of victory proves that. We are probably going to go into the match with seven batsmen, three seamers and a spinner. Sibz Makhanya will have do a bit of bowling and Keshav will also have a lot of bowling to do," he said.
Despite being on the wrong end of three of their four results this season, Morgan knows that the side are close to turning that around considering all three of their losses came from positions of strength and a few bad sessions.
“We might not have got the results but we have been in much better positions to win the game. We’ve got so many tangible goals that the boys know about, and we understand what we want to achieve and it’s something that we continue to address. The people must know that we are putting in the effort and working hard towards turning it around,” Morgan added.
The Dolphins have added the Hollywoodbets KZN Inland pair of Lwandiswa Zuma and Grant Roelofsen to the squad while Robbie Frylinck is given a rest.
Roelofsen played in the first game of the season against the Titans in Pretoria and has been selected to bolster the batting line up. Zuma is yet to make his first class debut for the Dolphins.
Squad
Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Sarel Erwee, Cody Chetty, Khaya Zondo (captain), Dane Vilas, Sibz Makhanya, Grant Roelofsen, Keshav Maharaj, Eathan Bosch, Okuhle Cele, Kerwin Mungroo, Lwandiswa Zuma.