Lance Klusener's referral over sacking as Dolphins coach dismissed

Former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener, who had filed a referral with The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) over his sacking as coach of the Dolphins side in South Africa’s domestic competitions, was left disappointed after the CCMA ruled in favour of the franchise stating that there was nothing abnormal over the manner in which he was relieved of his services.

Klusener had expressed deep shock and sought arbitration after he was informed by the franchise’s board in February that they would not be renewing his contract at the end of the domestic campaign in 2016. Yashin Ebrahim and Roger Telemachus were appointed immediately as joint caretaker coaches until the end of the season, which Klusener felt was rather unfair.

Speaking at the time of the sacking, Klusener had said: "I am obviously very disappointed and surprised with the board's decision, considering the progress of the team in the last four years. I am a proud son of the soil of KwaZulu-Natal and I have relished every moment of coaching the Sunfoil Dolphins.”

However, the CCMA, which is an independent dispute resolution body which looks at unfair dismissals among other duties, felt that the franchise was well within their rights to seek a new appointment as they felt that the team was not making great progress as seen by the results on the field.

Backed by the brilliant performances of Kevin Pietersen, Dolphins had managed to reach the final of the Ram Slam T20 tournament but their campaign otherwise was bitterly disappointing as they went trophy-less in the 2015-16 season, finishing fifth out of six teams in both the first-class and the one-day cricket.

"In the Award, the CCMA found that Klusener had failed to discharge the onus of proving a legitimate expectation of renewal of the contract existed at the time of the non-renewal," a Dolphins release said. "When the team failed to match the expectations of the franchise and for that matter the public and fans, any expectation Klusener may have had of renewal, would have diminished," the release added.

Rajesh Behari, the acting CEO of Dolphins expressed relief after hearing of the CCMA decision saying that he was eager to put the distraction behind him now and start preparations for the new season under new coach Grant Morgan.

"It is a relief to have this matter now resolved, and we can focus all our energies on the upcoming season," he said. "The squad is energised and enthusiastic, and we are encouraged by the pre-season preparations. The conclusion of the CCMA matter involving Lance Klusener now clears the way for everyone at KwaZulu-Natal Cricket to commit all our energies into the new season."