With the Dolphins having booked a spot in the final of the CSA 1-Day Cup Final at Boland Park in Paarl on Sunday, Ongama Gcwabe picks five players to watch in the contest.
Keshav Maharaj
The Dolphins might be playing away from home but, boy, will they be confident heading into this encounter knowing that they have Maharaj on their side in conditions that tend to favour spin. Maharaj showed his impact in the qualifier when he led the Dolphins to victory over the Titans with figures of 3/37 in spin-friendly conditions. The 35-year-old will be motivated to lead from the front once again on Sunday as he once again has an opportunity to bring silverware to Kingsmead Stadium.
Gavin Kaplan
Kaplan's move to Paarl from Cape Town has proved to be a fruitful one. The right-handed batter has since gotten regular game time under coach Justin Ontong and has repaid the faith shown in him with a tally of 241 runs in the tournament at an average of 41. Batting at three for Boland, the 27-year-old will be key for the hosts as they look for a rare silverware.
Jon-Jon Smuts
Having had a quiet qualifier at Kingsmead Stadium mid-week scoring 22 runs and returning figures of 1/26, Smuts will be itching to make a statement in the final. The 36-year-old is currently sitting second in the top run-scorers list with 382 runs, 16 runs behind Dewald Brevis in first place. The right-handed batter has five half-centuries in eight innings this season and has scored at an average of 48. Smuts is known as a leader and will be looking to dominate on Sunday with hopes of winning the competition for the Dolphins.
Imran Manack
The 33-year-old has had an impressive 1-Day Cup campaign. The right arm off-break has made full use of the turn at Boland Park this season and taken full advantage of the visiting batters. As a result, Manack sits second on the top wicket-takers list with 15 wickets, one wicket away from Kyle Simmonds' tally of 16 in the tournament.
Glenton Stuurman
In a wicket fast bowlers barely get assistance on, Stuurman has been able to find success at home this season with the new ball. His best figures in the tournament came at Boland Park when the seamer took the North West Dragons apart with figures of 6/18 earlier this month. With his ability to swing the ball upfront, Stuurman will be looking forward to having a crack at the Dolphins' opening batters Tshepang Dithole and Smuts.