Imraan Khan reveals his unique coaching methods that has been key to the Dolphins’ success this past season.

The Dolphins have just completed a successful season in what can only be described as the most challenging in South African domestic cricket history post isolation, winning two of the three available trophies.

They have done this with a covid pandemic in the background and infighting at the board level with those that pay the players. However, if you were looking for a man to lead, you will not find much better than former Protea, Imraan Khan. 

Imraan himself is a man who while softly spoken speaks with authority in a calm assured manner, he comes across very much of the new age of coaches who rather puts an arm around the shoulder of a player than gives them the riot act when they do not perform. It is at least in part why he has been successful so far. 

He retired from the game after the 2016/17 season, following a long career with the Dolphins, which included a solitary Test cap.

He says he always wanted to be involved with the game at some stage after retirement and “I tentatively looked into amongst other avenues umpiring.” But it was former Dolphins coach Grant Morgan, who at the time was looking for an assistant coach, who offered Imraan a chance to show what he could do and from there he eventually got the full-time job after Grant left.

There was much doubt that the season would get back up and going after it was postponed in December after an increase in covid cases.

Imraan himself was not sure “We were very uncertain about whether we would get back on the park, it was an incredibly challenging time for all concerned.”

However, once we did know there was going to be cricket everyone involved from CSA, the health care workers “worked extremely hard to get things in place and from my perspective it was important to create a positive vibe around the camp. The players responded in kind and that helped us as a squad. Even something like the biosecure bubble challenges that we faced was good for the players to face up to, reminded us that there was something bigger at play.”

On the season itself, Imraan cannot speak highly enough of his players who he says are a squad “with huge character and whose mentality is strong (that is a word he uses a lot), a really good bunch of guys and the environment was a good one.”

It is hard to disagree with those words when you look at the success, they have achieved under Imraan Khan. While you do occasionally hear rumours of players not happy at one team or other, this is something you do not hear from those at the Dolphins.

The players, coaches and support staff seem a close unit; Imraan calls it a “community feeling.” It is because of this that he has managed to get most of the squad from last season. On the field itself, The Momentum One Day Cup final, which had to be shared due to rain with the Lions does still rankle with him, just shows you the standards he requires from his players. The draw was not their fault, but he still wanted that treble.

Of course, having the Proteas players at his disposal throughout the season was a blessing as it became clear that they had a huge impact on what happened to the Dolphins during the season. He says “Keshav was huge on, (leading wicket-taker in the 4 Day Series and best economy in the competition of 4.54 in T20 Challenge) and off the field to the youngsters, Miller, of course, was also superb during the white ball competitions.” He also talked fondly about Robbie Frylinck whose absence, he says, “will be a huge blow to the side and his experience will be missed but thankfully we do have young guys like L Ntanzi coming through.”

Overall, he is positive about the future of the move to provinces and the squad that he has assembled for next season. He is glad “We have kept the nucleus of the side that has just won two of the three available trophies.”

While most of the Division 1 teams have gone to the former Kolpak market to strengthen their sides, he says, “It was not something I considered at this point.” While most teams needed that quality in their side, you cannot say his approach is wrong, you can see how important togetherness and harmony is to him and the squad.

On the finer point of the restructuring taking place in SA domestic cricket next season he expects “teething problems to arise as we move forward but long term, I think it will be good for the future of out game.” 

It was clear the status quo was not working so a streamlining was necessary to take the domestic game forward.

There are of course many changes afoot within South African cricket, but you would be a brave man to suggest that they will be a change at the top of the domestic standings at the end of next season. The Dolphins look strong on and off the field and you would expect that they will again be extremely hard to beat.

Imraan Khan has just finished up as one of the assistant coaches for the SA Emerging sides T20 and ODI series tour to Namibia so expect his stock as a coach to keep rising, at least within Cricket South Africa.

Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix