Cricket: No spin in Ajaz's request

Aces batsman Robbie O'Donnell plays a defensive shot as Ben Smith fields at bat/pad for the Stags at Eden Park outer oval yesterday.

Batsmen asked to dig in toes on day 2

Ajaz Patel speaks for all the bowlers when he puts out the agenda for the Plunket Shield match in Auckland today.

"Ideally we'd love them to bat all day so I can put up my feet until day three, a day Youngy [captain William Young] calls the moving day," Patel said last night after taking 6-117 from 30 overs, including three maidens.

Having won the toss, Young elected to bowl before skittling the Mondiale Auckland Aces at the Eden Park outer oval for 373 runs from 80.2 overs.

Central Districts are 54/1 after 13 overs with last round's century maker, opener Greg Hay, and newbie first drop Mitch Renwick unbeaten on 23 and 18, respectively, when play was to resume this morning.

Patel said the greenish top on the wicket was somewhat misleading.

"We thought it'd move around a bit but it didn't do as much as we thought and the ball actually came to the bat nicely," said the 26-year-old spinner yesterday.

Those with positive intent prospered, especially Aces opener Michael Guptill-Bunce who made his maiden first-class century before Patel bowled him for 112.

Conversely he thought Central Districts, as a bowling unit, were guilty of sitting back a little and expecting the lush-looking strip to cough up wickets rather than "hitting our straps". However, he was loath to criticise his fellow bowlers who didn't start too well but gradually helped pull back a total that threatened to run away.

Ajaz Patel.

"Nav, Kurt and Ticks bowled in good areas at times but were unlucky," he said of bowler Navin Patel, fellow opener Blair Tickner and seamer Kurt Richards.

Navin Patel and Richards took two wickets each for CD, who are in the hunt for a second victory in the format this summer after beating the Wellington Firebirds in the previous round.

The bowling brigade could have executed their plans better but Ajaz Patel was mindful he could trump up at his end only because his teammates at the other end did their job.

While not a milestone, the Hawke Cup-winning player said a six-wicket haul was always a good feeling.

"Any time you fulfil a role for the team it's pretty satisfying," he said, preferring a contributor's role to personal accolades.