Ajaz Patel vs El Niche Cache
GOAT
Describe the last day's play of your game with Northern Districts and how the team found out that they were Plunket Shield champions...
The last day was pretty chilled, I was quietly hoping that I wouldn't be required to bat as we were setup to look to see out a draw with ND setting us an 'out of reach' total. Although in saying that I was pretty drained from a tense day 3 as the game between Auckland and Wellington was moving very quickly and we needed Auckland to beat Wellington to claim the Plunket Shield.
Most of the boys had got closer together all on our phones as we focused on the Auckland vs Wellington game with wickets tumbling. Then Seth Rance, I believe just said "boys!" and we all jumped up and started dishing out hi-5s and hugs. Pretty amazing feeling especially when everyone had worked so hard to get ourselves into that position.
CD had an incredible season making Ford Trophy and Super Smash finals as well, in your opinion what are some key aspects of the Stags' successful culture?
I believe we have been successful because we have a strong core group that have played a lot of cricket together now to know our roles within the group and everyone is on the same page as to what and how one particular person is looking to bowl/bat. We have had a lot of work done with us through management and countless hours put into coming up with a way to play that suits us.
We believe the best way to play for us is being fearless and by expressing our individual skills. I guess the most important part of that is having a good understanding of our skills and that is something that Heinrich (coach Heinrich Malan) has worked hard with us to develop individually and collectively.
Have you learned anything new about being a professional athlete/team culture/sports psychology etc from this season?
I wouldn't say its anything new but if anything this season has probably reinforced how important it is to have a good team culture where everyone is on the same wave length, with individuals working collectively towards a set, common team goal.
Having taken 40+ wickets in 3 consecutive seasons, how has your bowling developed over those 3 seasons?
I think my bowling has come a long way in the last 3 seasons because each season I have had to develop and progress to continue to have success. In the first of the 3 seasons I took a lot of wickets from over the wicket bowling into the rough. The following season I worked on bowling quicker by putting more on the ball and was successful from around the wicket.
And this season I believe has been out of all 3 my breakthrough season because I have built the confidence and smarts to be able to develop methods to get different batsmen out in different situations and surfaces by using pace, drift, dip and spin.
What was an aspect of your bowling that you worked hard on last winter in preparing for this summer?
For me I like to break things down and simplify things. And after the 16/17 season I wanted to continue to work on my stock delivery and get it the best that I could. I did a lot of crease bound work, to work on getting plenty of revs on the ball. I bowled lots and lots from the crease getting a feel for my best delivery how it feels out of the hands, which parts of the body need to do what work to get the best result. For me it was about repetition, repetition, repetition; to develop muscle memory and reinforce good habits. Crease bound work is great because it allows you to get a high volume of work done without exhausting yourself.
What did a standard day of training look like for you during the season?
My trainings varied from day to day dependent on how I felt leading up to a game. At most trainings I like to bowl as much as I can as I feel more confident going into a game mentally if I have bowled lots of balls/overs. For me preparation (volume) is big before games if I feel low on volume then I would take Heinrich on most occasions out to the block and bowl a few overs before the game until I was satisfied with the volume.
On other days if I was satisfied with the amount of overs I had bowled in training or in a previous game if it was a short turn around then I wouldn't bowl at all. It all comes down to being mentally satisfied with my preparation/volume.
Who do you think is the best current spinner in the world (any format) and why?
There are a few players that have been successful in the current international cricket environment and each of them has different strengths which I believe are what makes them successful in various respective formats. I may be a bit biased because I have watched a lot of NZ games in recent times but these are my front runners.
Test
Rangana Herath - His control is amazing he's always asking questions and keeps putting the ball in a good area over and over again.
Nathan Lyon - I think in recent times he's started putting a lot more spin (revolutions) on the ball which is why I believe he's been so successful in recent times in different conditions.
ODI
Mitchell Santner - I believe he is one of the best in the world at the moment in staying ahead of the batsmen, he has a really good feel for the batsman's next move.
T20
Ish Sodhi - I believe he's a very valuable asset in T20 cricket because his ability to turn the ball both ways so well disguised makes it very difficult for batters to read and come up with a plan. Also the pace that he is bowling now also is taking time out of the batters hands.
What are your plans for the winter and do you have any ideas of areas of your game that you will be trying to improve?
I will be involved in the NZC Winter Training squad this winter. Its a great opportunity for me to train on grass more consistently over the winter and also it will allow me to focus more on different aspects on my game with various coaching staff available through the NZC programme.
I have a few things that I will looking to be improving on and experimenting with. In terms of bowling I will look to develop my variations and experiment around with the other one. A major work on for me this winter is going to be my batting I will be looking to put in a lot of work to develop my batting further this winter as it is an area I believe I can contribute more to my team.
Do you have any advice for young cricketers, based on the season you just had?
KEEP THINGS SIMPLE. The simpler you keep your game plan the easier it is to execute. The more you execute the more success you will have.
Who so you want to give thanks to?
There are so many I wouldn't be able to thank all of them. But mostly my family (Dad, Mum, Wife, Sisters) without their undying support it wouldn't be so as easy doing what I love doing. My Associations Hawkes Bay Cricket & Central Districts Cricket for the opportunities that I have received to be able to go out there and do something so many people would love do.
To the cricket clubs that have give me opportunities to develop as a cricketer, Suburbs New Lynn Cricket Club (Auckland), Taradale Cricket Club (Napier). To my amazing sponsors who so generously support me with amazing cricket equipment, Freedom2Play and Cyclona. Most of all I would like to thank each and every coach & player that has been a part of my cricketing journey this far without them I would not be the player and human being I am today.