CAPE TOWN – He left the Cape Cobras in difficult circumstances, but now Paul Adams is back as a coach in first-class cricket.
“Gogga” was appointed as the head coach of the Western Province semi-professional team – which is one level below franchise cricket – on Friday, and said that he was “excited by the talent” in Cape Town.
The 41-year-old Adams achieved great success when he was in charge of the Cobras, winning five trophies in total, before things went awry in the 2016/17 season as the Western Capeoutfit battled to find their touch again.
There was also a long-running saga about player unhappiness at the time, which saw an independent review conducted by former Proteas performance director Paddy Upton.
The Cobras board chose to keep Adams in the post, but following defeats in the Sunfoil Series and missing out on the T20 Challenge playoffs, the two parties came to a mutual decision for Adams to step down and move to a new job as the Western Cape Cricket high performance manager and coach from January 1, 2017.
Ashwell Prince was then appointed as the Cobras head coach.
Last June, Adams took charge of the WP Academy and Under-19 sides, and following what the WP Cricket Association say was a “comprehensive selection process involving an independent interview panel”, the former left-arm chinaman tweaker is now the WP senior team coach.
“I was quite excited when I got the call from Nabeal Dien, chief executive officer of the WPCA, that I had been appointed. I see my role at senior provincial level as one in which I have to learn what each player’s individual goals are, to help nurture a team culture and to get each player to perform at optimum level,” Adams said in a statement on Friday.
“You need to tick other boxes like the motivation of the squad, unlocking the potential of every player, understanding what drives them and having the right work ethic. I am excited about the talent.”
WPCA chief executive Nabeal Dien added: “The WPCA is privileged to have a vastly experienced coach like Paul available to work with a squad full of young talent. We believe he possesses the track record and knowledge on how to propel Western Province to a trophy-hugging unit again.”
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