Ken Borland

It was no surprise to Dolphins coach Lance Klusener on Thursday when he arrived in Johannesburg and saw the rain that has all but vanquished his team’s MiWay T20 Challenge hopes had followed them up to the Highveld.

Klusener’s side are in Johannesburg to take on the powerful Highveld Lions in Johannesburg on Friday and have to win with a bonus point and hope other results go their way to maintain their interest in the playoffs.

The coach was accompanied to Gauteng by the same squad that lost on Wednesday night to the Knights by just eight runs after rain intervened and the Duckworth/Lewis calculations failed to favour the Dolphins.

That followed a run of four consecutive wash-outs, but Klusener was philosophical as he surveyed the soggy view outside his Johannesburg hotel window on Thursday.

“We’re pretty much stuffed, we can’t fight the umpires, the opposition and then the weather on top of all that! I think we had the run-chase set up against the Knights but the rain swirled around and came back, which was unfortunate.

“But we’ll come out smoking against the Lions and we need to pursue whatever slim chances we have to make the playoffs,” Klusener told The Witness.

Klusener said the Dolphins’ work in the field against the Knights had pleased him, especially the fine debut made by Prenelan Subrayen, who took two for 13 in four excellent overs of off-spin.

“I’m very happy for him because he’s travelled around with us for a while without getting a game. We did really well in the field, especially after the start the Knights made.”

The Lions are comfortably on top of the log after winning seven of their 10 matches and one of the keys to beating them will be to take regular wickets against an in-form top-order that has seen Quinton de Kock, Neil McKenzie, Gulam Bodi and Jonathan Vandiar all shining with the bat.

But the Dolphins will firstly be looking to solve their own top-order batting woes, with a good start being essential against an attack that boasts the leading wicket-taker in Chris Morris and two threatening left-arm fast bowlers in Australian Dirk Nannes and Pakistan’s Sohail Tanveer.

Dolphins squad – Loots Bosman, Cameron Delport, Imraan Khan, Cody Chetty, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, David Miller, Daryn Smit (wk), Kyle Abbott, Robbie Frylinck, Prenelan Subrayen, Fidel Edwards, Mthokozisi Shezi, Ahmed Amla.