Cobras cut ties with Conrad

Johannesburg - South African first-class cricket champions the Cape Cobras announced on Friday that they had sacked coach Shukri Conrad as the domestic franchise goes in search of a "fresh face" for the 2010/2011 season.

Conrad has coached the side for the last five years, but Western Cape Cricket (WCC) chief executive Andre Odendaal said the board of directors had "reviewed the situation and decided that a fresh face was needed to take the Cobras to the next level".

Conrad played five first-class games for Western Province in the 1994/95 season, and also coached the Highveld Lions in 2004 before taking up the post at the Western Cape franchise in July 2005.

The Cobras secured three trophies with Conrad at the helm - winning the MTN One-Day Championship in 2006/07 and the Standard Bank Pro20 title in 2008/09 before lifting the SuperSport Series trophy this past season.

"Shukri Conrad has done a good job and still has a lot to offer cricket," said WCC chairman Mohamed Ebrahim. "We thank him for his contribution and wish him well for the future."

The franchise said they would advertise shortly for a new coach to fill the post.