Johannesburg – Dolphins' coach Lance Klusener has refused to dwell on the franchise's past record and instead wants to concentrate on what lies ahead for the team as they begin a new era under his mentorship.
The former Proteas' all-rounder formally begins his tenure as full-time coach on Thursday, when he leads the Dolphins in their first match of the season against the Highveld Lions in the Sunfoil Series.
“I'm not interested in the past,” Klusener said.
“I just want to put a stake in the ground from Thursday.
“Whatever happened in the past can stay in the past. It's important that these guys forge their own path going forward.”
The last time the Dolphins won any silverware was when Klusener was skipper of the coastal side in the 2005/06 season.
In the last four years, they have won just five matches out of 40 in four-day cricket.
The 41-year-old is confident there is enough quality in the squad to imply they are a better side than their record suggests.
“There are many players here of national calibre and they want to show that this season,” Klusener said.
“Surely we can't finish where we have been in the past.”
Klusener said he was also confident of a much better outlook when they take to the field at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg from Thursday.
“I think it (pre-season) has been pretty good, but you can only really judge once the games start,” he said.
“I feel there is a change of attitude, but again, the proof is in the pudding and we'll only know once we're on the field.
“The good thing is that everyone is really hungry to start.”
The injury-free Dolphins did not play in the opening weekend of matches, when their opponents suffered a 10-wicket humbling by the Cape Cobras in Potchefstroom.
The Lions will be without captain Alviro Petersen, after he fractured his left hand in the field on the first day of their clash with the Cape Cobras.
The match is the final four-day encounter for the Johannesburg side, as they break for the Champions League Twenty20 tournament thereafter, followed by the domestic one-day competition, with their next Sunfoil Series tie coming in late December. – Sapa