JJ Smuts bids adieu to Warriors as new Dolphins adventure awaits

Proteas limited-overs batter Jon-Jon Smuts has left his beloved Gqeberha nest where he played for the Warriors and will move to Durban to join the Dolphins.

Smuts, who has played six ODIs and 13 T20Is for the Proteas, is an important acquisition for a Dolphins side that found the going tougher than normal in the 2021/22 domestic season.

The weather interfered with their Four-Day series, but the white-ball formats were their weakness this season.

The Dolphins were bottom of the 1-Day Cup table with four losses and three no-results from their seven matches and fourth in the T20 Challenge with four wins and three losses.

Smuts made 261 in four matches at 65 with two 100s, while not featuring much in red-ball cricket for the Warriors.

KwaZulu-Natal Cricket chief executive officer Heinrich Strydom was overjoyed with Smuts moving up the coast, especially with his left-arm spin being suited to the low and slow Kingsmead surface.

"Jon-Jon has proven over many years that he is a great team man and match-winner so to have him in our change room this season is a real bonus for the side as well as the younger players in the set-up," Strydom said.

While seamer Kerwin Mungroo and young cricketer Thamsanqa Khumalo leave the union, the Dolphins also welcome back Tshepang Dithole, who moves from KwaZulu-Natal Inland.

Dithole has featured for the Dolphins in the past, with former Afghanistan coach and Proteas all-rounder Lance Klusener having given him his earlier forays into franchise cricket.

Dithole has starred for KZN-Inland, making 335 runs at 83.75 in the Four-Day Series with his season's magnum opus being the 93 in the second division 1-Day Cup final that allowed Inland to beat the Northern Cape Heat by five wickets.

Being a wicket-keeper