Jayasuriya to play for Dolphins

Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankan batsman, has been signed up by the Dolphins, the KwaZulu-Natal-based franchise, to play in the South African domestic circuit for two seasons.

The Dolphins' CEO Cassim Docrat said he was thrilled to have got Jayasuriya on board. "Sanath arrives in South Africa in the first week of November," he told South Africa's News24. "He will be playing for us when the one-day series kicks off in mid-November."

Jayasuriya confirmed he had signed a contract with the Dolphins but refused to reveal his fee. "I'm bound by my contract not to make any statements about the financial side of the deal," Jayasuriya told South Africa's Daily News. "All I can say is that I will play for the Dolphins and help change things around over the next two seasons."

Jayasuriya said he was joining the team for a purpose. "I'm still part of the Sri Lankan one-day and the Twenty20 squads. Hence I am coming to Durban with a goal: I want to transform the Dolphins into a trophy-winning team. That's my aim."

Yashin Ebrahim, the Dolphins coach, said that signing Jayasuriya was a dream come true for the team. "He is still one of the best players in the shortened form of the game and he will no doubt add value to the Dolphins this season. The fact that we have not won a trophy for a few years motivated Sanath to make the trip to Durban. He said he loves challenges and would do his best to bring back the glory days and crowds to Sahara Stadium Kingsmead."

In the previous season, they were placed fourth in the SuperSport Series, South Africa's four-day domestic tournament, fifth in the one-day championship, and were finalists in the Pro20.