Auckland Aces coach Paul Strang is currently relaxing after his first full season with the side, but recently he took some time out to reflect on the 2009/10 season and what the winter months hold during an interview with Auckland Cricket Radio.
Strang, a former Zimbabwean international player, first took over the reins of the Auckland Aces during the 2008/09 season, when Mark O’Donnell was called in to assist with the BLACKCAPS. During that season Strang helped the Aces to a four-day title.
The 2009/10 was the first full season for Strang at the helm and he said he wasn’t too sure what to expect. “We wanted to nail down player growth and structures, then trophies,” he said. “Two seconds and a fifth – it’s disappointing not to have something to show for our hard work, but the players did grow and go forward. They grew as individuals and the players expressed themselves.”
Strang guided the Aces to the final of the HRV Cup and Men’s One-Day competition, where they lost to the Central Stags and Northern Knights respectively. He said they have been through a process to analyse their final performances. “There’s a review in place to look at cause and effect,” he said. “One final we were out played, the other there were opportunities to win it and in the Plunket Shield we were disappointed not to defend our title
“There’s a lot to work towards.”
Bowling stocks has been a topic of discussion during the season for the Auckland Aces. With the likes of Kyle Mills injured and Daryl Tuffey away on international duty the the next breed of bowlers, including Michael Bates, had to fill the breach – which he did successfully, in turn securing the Mitre 10 MVP overall award. “Bates stood up and showed us what he was capable of. His strike rate was excellent,” he said. “We’ve got good stocks coming through, which bodes well for the future.”
The inclusions of the overseas players have also been positive for domestic cricket in New Zealand. Englishman Ravi Bopara was part of the Auckland side during the season. “I’m a big fan of overseas players with character and Ravi ticked all the boxes,” Strang said. “He was highly effective and brought a lot of good things. It was good to have him around.”
Overall Strang was pleased with the performance of his side and has learnt a lot during the season. “We try and look at the positives. We were in two finals even though we didn’t win is still a positive, we had a number of personal bests and a lot of players took responsibility and accountability.
“For us it was a B+/A- season. There’s some untapped potential in the team.”
The Aces also said goodbye to former captain and Auckland stalwart Richard Jones. “He retired at the end of the season and he wanted to finish on his own terms. He scored close to 1000 runs; not bad in a season.”
The Aces will reconvene in September in preparation for the 2010/11 season. Some players have headed off shore to play cricket in the United Kingdom or Europe, while some have stayed in New Zealand to focus on their cricketing skills. “We’ve got an in-depth review process that goes on after the season involving coaches, support staff and players. We look at what we did well and what we could do better. Then we get away and have some time off and come back refreshed,” Strand said. “There’s no compulsion for players to train in the off-season, but we’ve got 10-15 players training which reflects on their professionalism.”
