Imraan Khan named Dolphins captain

Batsman Imraan Khan has been appointed captain of the Durban-based Dolphins franchise, replacing Ahmed Amla who led the team for the past three seasons. His elevation to the post comes shortly after Graham Ford replaced Yashin Ebrahim as the team's coach.

Khan was the leading run-scorer in the SuperSport Series with 835 runs at 55.66 and that earned him a Test cap against the Australians in Cape Town earlier this year. Khan admitted that his team had not performed to expectations in the last few seasons.

"It's always been my ambition to captain the Dolphins, so I didn't need much time to think about it," Khan was quoted as saying in the Mercury. "We need to work extremely hard on our skills as well as our intensity levels, which have not always been right in the past. We have a squad with immense potential and I see no reason why we shouldn't start to turn things around next season."

Ford, the former South African coach now involved with Kent, welcomed Khan's appointment.

"I've been watching and working with Immy since he was a boy, and I've always admired his qualities as a player and a leader," Ford said. "We've got a lot of work to do to turn things around, but I'm encouraged by what's happened so far."

Amla, brother of South African batsman Hashim, said he was determined to put the results under his leadership behind him.

"The results during my time as captain were disappointing, but I learnt a lot about myself and team dynamics," Amla said. "Unfortunately, I didn't have the right resources on and off the field."