Injury blows for Dolphins
The Sunfoil Dolphins travel to Cape Town this week for their penultimate outing of the season when they take on the Cape Cobras at PPC Newlands from Thursday, 31 March to Sunday, 3 April and have brought in five fresh faces for the trip.
The injured Morné van Wyk, Khaya Zondo and Daryn Dupavillon have all been rested in the hope of their recovery in time for the Sunfoil Dolphins final encounter against the VKB Knights at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead next week.
Van Wyk and Zondo’s absence has opened the doorway for the inclusion of former South Africa Under-19 captain Sibonelo Makhanya and likely franchise debutant Senuran Muthusamy, both set to turn out in the Dolphins top six.
The probable return of Craig Alexander from a hamstring strain will offset the loss of Dupavillon somewhat while Calvin Savage – who started the second half of the Sunfoil Series with the squad before getting injured and then returning to play via the KwaZulu-Natal provincial team – also returns to the mix while Brandon Scullard’s inclusion further bolsters the squad’s bowling stocks.
“Morné (van Wyk) will revisit the doctor regarding his wrist while Khaya (Zondo)’s knees are giving him hassles,” explained caretaker coach, Yashin Ebrahim.
“Unfortunately Daryn (Dupavillon) broke down in Maritzburg during our last game; hopefully some rest this week will however see him available for us again next week. Craig (Alexander) will undergo a final fitness test before Thursday’s start however he got through two sessions of bowling on Tuesday morning and he should be good to go,” he added.
Having beaten the Warriors convincingly and then come within 18 runs of victory against The Unlimited Titans in their first two matches of the second half of the competition, the Durban side wasn’t at its best against the bizhub Highveld Lions in Pietermaritzburg before the Easter break.
The Dolphins are however eager to rectify their recent errors and put in a stronger performance against the Cobras this week.
“To an extent we were a little disappointing against the Lions, mainly because our bowlers didn’t hit the ground running and we let the Lions get away from us in that first session. We had two good games before that though and we’ve got a young squad now so hopefully we can pull it all together again in Cape Town and play well,” said Ebrahim.
The Sunfoil Dolphins are currently fourth on the Sunfoil Series log, less than two points ahead of the fifth place Cobras, adding to the importance of this week’s clash.
Sunfoil Dolphins squad:
Craig Alexander, Rabian Engelbrecht, Sarel Erwee, Imraan Khan, Keshav Maharaj, Sibonelo Makhanya, Senuran Muthusamy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Calvin Savage, Brandon Scullard, Mthokozisi Shezi, Daryn Smit, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Roger Telemachus (coach), Yashin Ebrahim (coach).
(File Photo: Gallo Images)
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre
Van Wyk and Zondo’s absence has opened the doorway for the inclusion of former South Africa Under-19 captain Sibonelo Makhanya and likely franchise debutant Senuran Muthusamy, both set to turn out in the Dolphins top six.
The probable return of Craig Alexander from a hamstring strain will offset the loss of Dupavillon somewhat while Calvin Savage – who started the second half of the Sunfoil Series with the squad before getting injured and then returning to play via the KwaZulu-Natal provincial team – also returns to the mix while Brandon Scullard’s inclusion further bolsters the squad’s bowling stocks.
“Morné (van Wyk) will revisit the doctor regarding his wrist while Khaya (Zondo)’s knees are giving him hassles,” explained caretaker coach, Yashin Ebrahim.
“Unfortunately Daryn (Dupavillon) broke down in Maritzburg during our last game; hopefully some rest this week will however see him available for us again next week. Craig (Alexander) will undergo a final fitness test before Thursday’s start however he got through two sessions of bowling on Tuesday morning and he should be good to go,” he added.
Having beaten the Warriors convincingly and then come within 18 runs of victory against The Unlimited Titans in their first two matches of the second half of the competition, the Durban side wasn’t at its best against the bizhub Highveld Lions in Pietermaritzburg before the Easter break.
The Dolphins are however eager to rectify their recent errors and put in a stronger performance against the Cobras this week.
“To an extent we were a little disappointing against the Lions, mainly because our bowlers didn’t hit the ground running and we let the Lions get away from us in that first session. We had two good games before that though and we’ve got a young squad now so hopefully we can pull it all together again in Cape Town and play well,” said Ebrahim.
The Sunfoil Dolphins are currently fourth on the Sunfoil Series log, less than two points ahead of the fifth place Cobras, adding to the importance of this week’s clash.
Sunfoil Dolphins squad:
Craig Alexander, Rabian Engelbrecht, Sarel Erwee, Imraan Khan, Keshav Maharaj, Sibonelo Makhanya, Senuran Muthusamy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Calvin Savage, Brandon Scullard, Mthokozisi Shezi, Daryn Smit, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Roger Telemachus (coach), Yashin Ebrahim (coach).
(File Photo: Gallo Images)
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre