Paul Adams and Lance Klusener were bosom buddies back when they were Proteas teammates during the late 1990s through to the early millennium. Both were young and enthusiastic and brought a great deal of energy to the South African team in the Hansie Cronjé era.
Now retired, and in the process of fledgling coaching careers, the two former national heroes have brought a similar vibe to the Cape Cobras (Adams) and Dolphins (Klusener) in the first few weeks at the helm of their respective teams.
The Cobras are top of the Sunfoil Series log, having won two of their three matches thus far, which includes a rain-abandoned game. The Dolphins, meanwhile, are well-placed in third position, but the weather also affected two of their matches.
With the two sides set to meet in Pietermaritzburg this weekend, it could easily be described as the clash of the coaches more than the actual players in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
“Paul has been great for us thus far,” veteran Cobras seamer Johann Louw said yesterday at training in Constantia. “He’s really got a great team spirit going at the moment. The senior guys have really taken to him, it’s almost like he has given us a new lease of life. And it has showed thus far in our results, especially last Sunday, where our spirit got us over the line in a tight encounter.”
Dolphins stalwart Daryn Smit had similar views on the impact “Zulu” has had at the Dolphins. “Klusener has played a massive role and he’s completely changed the mindset of the players and the working environment,” the wicket-keeper said. “Our team’s outlook is much more positive.”
Holistically, it can only be good for South African cricket for the Dolphins to improve after a couple of seasons in the doldrums in all formats on the domestic scene. The KwaZulu-Natal franchise have a rich history, especially during the 1990s when they dominated the local scene under the leadership of Dale Benkenstein and produced quality players like Klusener and Shaun Pollock.
Louw, who spent many years in the Dolphins camp previously, acknowledged this fact yesterday, but was quick to point out that the Cobras were not in a generous mood, especially after their nail-biting 18-run win over the Warriors in Paarl at the weekend.
“Look, it’s great that the Dolphins are doing well, because they were playing almost negative cricket in the recent past. They were a side who almost waited for things to happen. But that’s got nothing to do with us. We are a side who play to win. That might sound simplistic, but we are always looking to attack and will try to make things happen. We really enjoy our four-day cricket because it’s the place where we can best display our full skill-set,” Louw added.
Adams and Klusener are likely to call on the same group of players that did duty in the last round of fixtures, although Test bowler Vernon Philander may sit out this weekend after playing at Boland Park. National Test captain Graeme Smith is also still not available to the Cobras, leaving the left-hander with no time in the middle ahead of the Australian tour since the England one-day series back in August. A notable absentee from the Dolphins squad, however, is Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
SQUADS FOR PIETERMARITZBURG
Cobras: Alistair Gray, Andrew Puttick, Stiaan van Zyl, Justin Ontong (capt), Yaseen Vallie, Justin Kemp, Dane Vilas (wk), Rory Kleinveldt, Johann Louw, Dane Piedt, Beuran Hendricks.
Dolphins: Imraan Khan, Divan van Wyk, Jonathan Vandiar, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, David Miller, Cody Chetty, Daryn Smit (capt, wk), Robbie Frylinck, Kyle Abbott, Prenelan Subrayen, Craig Alexander, Mthokozisi Shezi, Dane Paterson.