'This is one of the great teams of all time in South Africa': Morgan

Dolphins coach Grant Morgan grinned wryly before bestowing one of the biggest compliments on the Titans after his team’s seven wicket humiliation in the Ram Slam T20 final at SuperSport Park on Saturday.

“This is a helluva team‚” he said while glancing at the celebrating Titans. 

“This is one of the great teams of all time in South Africa‚” Morgan said.

With their galaxy of stars the Titans dominated the league stages of the competition before powering past the Warriors and the Dolphins in the semis and the final. 

It was their third T20 crown in a row.

Morgan attempted to break down the anatomy of the Titans’ success.

“With Aiden Markram you never know where it will end. 

"He does everything so unassumingly. As (AB) De Villiers carries on shining we’ve got another master that just quietly develops. 

"If you have players like that and you have the experience of a (Albie) Morkel‚ a guy like (Farhaan) Behardien whose batting stats are off the charts‚ you are going to have success.

“Then you have Quinton de Kock who may not have shone through the competition but still showed in the final what pressure he can impose on the opposition. 

"Then there is Chris Morris‚ and I can go through the rest of the options they have.”

There may be some who bemoan the high concentration of Proteas (15) in one franchise but the Titans habitually get things right. 

Those seeking success will naturally gravitate to institutions of excellence. 

The challenge now for coach Mark Boucher is to lift the bar even higher.

”The players take themselves to the next level‚” said Boucher. 

“I said from the start I want to get as many players into the Proteas squad as possible. 

"We will have some players who will go to the Proteas. The next batch that comes through I will try and develop them as well.

“We set high standards‚ we want to win trophies. We want to play in pressurised games‚ semis and finals. 

"I don’t think we can ever rest on our laurels here. The standard is so high. 

"Complacency is not something we allow in the dressing room.”

By way of improvement Boucher acknowledged that there is room‚ but crucially also desire.

“We can always improve as a team‚ especially going with science and professionalism. 

"People might look at the Titans and ask why they are such a successful franchise. Well‚ Jacques Faul (Titans chief executive) is here. 

"He is one of the best there is. He always raises the bar. If he raises the bar we have to raise the bar as well. It keeps us on our toes.”