Adams still bamboozling after all these years

Times Media

TELFORD VICE, Johannesburg

Paul Adams used to bamboozle batsmen as a bowler. Now, as a coach, he seems to be confusing them again - even someone as experienced as Andre Odendaal, the chief executive of the WP Cricket Association.

“We have a five-year strategy for Paul, but he’s going to quickly for that,” Odendaal said about Adams having guided the Cape Cobras to four trophies, or shares of trophies, in the six competitions his team have contested in his first two seasons as a head coach.

But, asked if he was worried that Cricket SA would soon poach Adams in the national cause, Odendaal delivered a googly of an answer: “Paul’s not in a rush.”

Both are true. Under Adams, the Cobras have won the first-class championship and shared the one-day title for the past two seasons. On the T20 front, they finished bottom in 2012-13 but bounced back to reach the final in 2013-14 - when they lost by two runs off the last ball to the Dolphins. That is plenty of progress to pack into two seasons: in a rush indeed.

However, Adams has also shown patience. “Up to now he has had to establish his own identity,” Odendaal said. “It wouldn’t have been good for him to be an assistant coach with the SA team for years without getting further.”

Two of the players in Adams’ squad, Charl Langeveldt and Jacques Kallis, are older than his 37 years. For some in cricket’s conservative culture, Adams’ age and its implication that he lacks experience would be a disadvantage. For Odendaal, it is a strength.

“Besides Paul’s absolute professionalism and focus and his great attitude, he has an excellent way of communicating. He has special skills that way.

“He was the youngest player ever to play for SA (at 18 years and 340 days when he made his test debut against England at St George’s Park in December, 1995), and he’s very up to date with modern trends.”

Another of Adams’ advantages is that he has a powerful squad at his disposal. At full strength, his 2013-14 dressingroom would have bristled with Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Kallis, Beuran Hendricks, Rory Kleinveldt, Vernon Philander, Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn.

Not that he could call on those players too often, what with the cluttered international schedule. But there were more where those came from - Stiaan van Zyl, Justin Ontong and Andrew Puttick were all among the top five runscorers in the first-class competition and Dane Piedt was the leading wicket-taker.

That kind of depth has earned the Cobras 10 trophies in as many seasons.

“Paul is blessed with some very good players,” Justin Kemp said. “We’ve had sustained success and he’s continued that.

“Sometimes a coach can come in and upset the applecart, but that he hasn’t allowed that to happen.

“He’s in an environment with a lot of senior players who know what do when things start slipping or when guys need to be pulled up.

“The big test will come when there are three or four retirements but by then he will have more experience.”

So far, so good. Of the Cobras’ 60 matches across all formats with Adams at the helm, they have won 34 and lost only 19.

Here’s hoping that, experience and all, he will bamboozle people for years yet.