THE Dolphins find themselves in the play-off of the CSA 1-Day Cup following Cricket South Africa's decision to dock four points from the Warriors for not fielding a team that adheres to the rules that the governing body has in place for men's domestic cricket.
Following a comprehensive review and investigation, CSA determined that the Warriors failed to meet the stipulated transformation requirements during their match on February 16, 2025, against the Hollywoodbets Dolphins in Durban.
The breach pertained specifically to Clause 3.2.2 of the CSA administrative conditions, which requires teams to field a minimum of three black African players in the starting XI.
BREAKING: @DolphinsCricket CEO Heinrich Strydom confirms Kingsmead will host @DomesticCSA 1-Day Cup qualifier against the @Titans_Cricket after Warriors were docked points for not meeting transformation policies. @iolsport @Werries_ @cricfanaticsmag https://t.co/wyj32LH9d2
— Zaahier Adams (@ZaahierAdams) March 10, 2025
The sanctions imposed include loss of match points. Thus, the Warriors will forfeit thdir points for the match, with the Dolphins awarded four points for the fixture. It sees the Dolphins now move from fourth in the 1-Day Cup standings to second, ensuring they will host the play-off against the Titans.
Criticism has been levelled at the Dolphins that they don't deserve to play in the match, let alone host it. Dolphins head coach Quinton Friend, however, argued on Monday his team's consistency in the last four group games means they deserve the spot.
"The Dolphins definitely deserve to have made the play-offs based on the consistency in the second half of the competition. We've created nice momentum for ourselves going into Wednesday," Friend told Independent Media.
"There will be disappointed teams, there's no doubt about that. CSA had rules in place and they had to make a decision on what they thought was best from what the outcome was in the competition.
"We've been presented with an opportunity to play in the play-off and host it at Kingsmead. We are just looking forward to the opportunity and I feel the guys deserve that because they've been superb over the last two weeks.
"We had a slow start to the competition and we've gone on a run to win four games in a row which I think is a phenomenal effort from the boys.
"To go back-to-back this past weekend was massive in the context of the log. So, I think from that perspective alone, if there's a team that played good cricket throughout the competition taking away the first couple of games, the guys have done just that."
It's almost close of business and still no official word from Cricket South Africa about the Warriors-Dolphins situation in the #OneDayCup
— Ongama (@imongamagcwabe) March 10, 2025
The Warriors have also received a monetary fine, 50% of which they are expected to pay at the end of the financial year and the other 50% will be suspended for five years and will only be activated if a similar breach occurs within that period.
As a coach in the system, Friend also has to adhere to the rules and highlighted the importance of doing so.
"The system is what it is at the moment. I won't talk badly about what the system says. That's what's stated by CSA and that's how they want the game to transform," Friend said.
"I've gotten into the head coach role for the last five months and I've always known what I needed to deal with. It's important that you find ways and solutions to upskill every cricketer in your team, whether it's white, black African, coloured or Indian.
"We are a very diverse group in Durban and at the end of the day, I'm just focused on being able to put out my best team in the front at all times. I'm not here to judge on any decisions that have been made by CSA ...
"We create opportunities for all our players in our squad," he concluded.