Durban – With the excitement of the domestic T20 competition behind them, the Dolphins turn back to the more sedate and gentlemanly matter of four-day cricket as the Sunfoil Series picks up after its mid-season hiatus.
All the better for the Dolphins who are still in touch with the Titans at the top of the log after five games, unlike the T20 competition which saw the men from Durban slump to second from the bottom after the round robin stages were done.
It was a far more polished display when the Dolphins donned their white kit and red ball for the opening games of four day swashbuckling. The Dolphins won their first two games - against the Warriors who they play at Kingsmead starting on Thursday, and the Lions. They lost badly to the Titans and then drew to the Cobras.
Captain Morne van Wyk is hoping to put the T20 stint of the season to the back of his, and his team’s, mind as they continue where they left off in early November.
“We feel that we are very much in the running for the Sunfoil series, we are only a handful of points behind the leaders, and there were a number of positives that we could take from the first half. But it is not only a new year, it feels like a new competition,” Van Wyk said mindfully.
New Year, new competition, well, sort of. The T20 interlude means that the Dolphins can recall what they did at the opening of the season that went so well, but also feel they are starting fresh and putting a poor run of short-format games behind them.
“We have had a good rest and we do feel disappointed with the lack of performances we put into the T20,” Van Wyk added. “But the nice thing about cricket competitions is that you always get chances to try and right the wrongs in other formats and stamp down your authority.”
Their first game back is the Warriors at home, a team that shone in the short-format, but has been traditionally weaker in the longer stuff. Something captain Van Wyk is taking note of.
“I do think a successful campaign can help the confidence grow,” Van Wyk said of the T20 finalist Warriors. “It is still a game of batting and bowling, even though it is a different format, and I suppose you can expect their guys to arrive here relaxed and coming off a good competition – but they will be the first to admit that historically this has been their weakest format.”