Cricket: Aussie hero Jones drops bid for Auckland job

By RICHARD BOOCK

Former Australian star Dean Jones has withdrawn from the race to become the next Auckland coach.

Arguably the finest one-day batsman in the game at his best, Jones also was a world-class test player and helped prepare New Zealand for their one-day campaign in Australia earlier this year.

The Herald understands that Jones - spotted at Auckland International Airport a fortnight ago - was a front-runner to fill the position vacated by Tony Sail, who guided the side to the state championship title last season before stepping down.

However, the Melbourne-based Jones evidently advised Auckland at the weekend that he was unable to pursue his application because of family and business commitments, a decision which has narrowed the likely contenders down to a tight-knit bunch of three.

Whereas it initially seemed that former test player and Central Districts coach Dipak Patel was a shoo-in, it now appears there is strong competition from Auckland second XI coach Alan Hunt, and from New Zealand-born Gauteng coach Mark O'Donnell - who is favoured to receive the nod.

O'Donnell was last in the New Zealand news a year ago, when he confirmed his interest in the national job now filled by Denis Aberhart and, in the absence of anyone else, was touted as David Trist's likely successor.

Auckland cricket chief executive Lindsay Crocker was in meetings most of the day yesterday and could not be contacted, but he did shortlist and interview O'Donnell for the Aces job in 1998, before ultimately choosing Sail.

The cousin of former Australian player Simon O'Donnell, he possibly deserves a medal for surviving six years at Gauteng, given the South African province's administrative problems and the complications added by the ever-blossoming quota system.

There were also suggestions last week that South African coach Graham Ford was interested in the Auckland position but had opted against a shift in order to honour his contract with the United Cricket Board of South Africa. The UCB sacked Ford at the weekend.

The new Auckland coach is expected to be announced this week.