24 Nov 2009 9:53 a.m.
The Auckland cricket team is still searching for its first victory of the Plunket Shield season heading into their third round clash with Canterbury, beginning in Christchurch today.
Coach Paul Strang knows the importance of picking up a win, but points out that it's a long season and it isn't time to push the panic button just yet.
"It's a 10 round competition," Strang says. "At the end of the day you get on a role and you can win five or six pretty quickly like we did last year.
"It really is about searching for that first elusive win and the sooner that happens the better."
Strang is keen to see his talented batsmen put everything together after a couple of disappointing performances to begin the competition and sees no reason why his boys can't start putting up some big scores.
"When you look at our line-up with guys like Scotty [Styris] there and Ravi Bopara too, it can be frustrating at times.
"But none of them are scratching around, they've probably just got to make it their day a little bit more and go out there and get a match-winning performance."
Auckland will be without the services of Daryl Tuffey, Tim McIntosh and Martin Guptill, who are all involved in the Black Caps' opening test against Pakistan in Dunedin.
But the team is boosted by the return of captain Gareth Hopkins, who missed last week's game while his wife gave birth to their new baby, as well as Reece Young and Tarun Nethula, who played for the New Zealand Invitation XI last week.