Aces keep same side for return of Plunket Shield

MEDIA RELEASE

Wednesday, 15 February 2012

The Auckland Aces have kept faith with the players that contested the Ford Trophy final to tackle the Otago Volts in Dunedin on Friday.

Dusan Hakaraia is the one player omitted from the 13 that travelled to New Plymouth as the Aces head back into four day cricket for the rest of the season.

The Aces sit second on the Plunket Shield table and will be keen to start making up ground on leaders Northern Districts.

The transition from one day to four day cricket is a rapid one but coach Paul Strang believes his side will adjust quickly.

'It's something you get used to throughout the season as you transfer from one form to the other, and really it's just the players making sure that they've made that adjustment in mental attitude.'

It's a considerably different side than that which played the last round against the Central Stags back in December, with two out of the three top scoring batsmen (Colin de Grandhomme and Martin Guptill) and two of the top three wicket takers (Andre Adams and Michael Bates) unavailable.

But Strang is confident that the Aces have the depth to keep up their form in the Plunket Shield.

'We showed in the Ford Trophy that we've got a lot of guys who can step up and there's still a lot of experience in the squad when you look at guys like Gareth Hopkins, Chris Martin and Tim McIntosh.'

The twelve to take on the Otago Volts from Friday is as follows:

Gareth Hopkins (c) (Parnell)
Dean Bartlett (Ellerslie)
Brad Cachopa (Takapuna)
Anaru Kitchen (Waitakere City)
Mitchell McClenaghan (Howick Pakuranga)
Tim McIntosh (Parnell)
Bruce Martin (Parnell)
Chris Martin (Parnell)
Colin Munro (Howick Pakuranga)
Neal Parlane (East Coast Bays)
Jeet Raval (Suburbs New Lynn)
Bhupinder Singh (Papatoetoe)

ENDS