Imraan Khan takes over as batting lead for South Africa’s Test team

Former Test cricketer and longtime Dolphins coach, Imraan Khan, has been named Cricket South Africa’s new batting lead.

Khan, who has been with the Dolphins for the past five years, is currently with the South African Test team in the West Indies and will be working under national red-ball coach Shukri Conrad.

He takes over from Ashwell Prince, who stepped down from the role due to personal reasons. Khan’s new position marks a significant expansion of his responsibilities at CSA.

In his tenure with the Dolphins, Khan enjoyed a successful stint, guiding the team to two four-day series titles (2020/21 and 2022/23), a shared one-day cup in the 2020/21 season, and three CSA T20 Challenge finals. Under his mentorship, the Dolphins have produced notable national players, including Sarel Erwee, Keegan Petersen, Ottneil Baartman, and Keshav Maharaj, who has emerged as a capable leader.

Khan’s professional cricket career was rooted in Durban, where he spent 15 years playing as a top-order batter. He earned 161 first-class caps, amassing 9,367 runs with 20 centuries and an average of 36.58. His sole Test appearance came in 2009 against Australia, where he opened the batting alongside Prince. He also played 121 List A matches and 51 T20s.

In a statement, Khan expressed gratitude for his time with the KZN Cricket Union: "It's been an incredible journey, and I've loved starting my coaching career at the union that has been my home for many seasons. This is an exciting step in my path as a coach, but Kingsmead will always be home, and I will miss everyone here."

The Dolphins are yet to announce a successor for Khan, with the domestic season scheduled to commence with the T20 competition in late September.

The two-Test series against West Indies will take place in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, from August 7 to 11, and in Providence, Guyana, from August 15 to 19.