Otago already looking to build on this summer's results

Things are looking up for Otago cricket after the senior men's side claimed a clear third place in the State Championship, the best finish for several years.

Backing this result has been the early re-appointment of coach Glenn Turner and the news that former Pakistan international Mohammad Wasim will return to the side next summer.

Wasim scored 651 runs at an average of 40.68 to finish in seventh place on the Championship batting aggregates and superbly complemented his fellow opening batsman Craig Cumming, who scored 751 runs.

Otago Cricket's chief executive Graeme Elliott said the side had benefited from having an attack which could bowl opponents out and the successive outright victories to beat Canterbury and Wellington in the last two matches of the season had been especially impressive.

"Shayne O'Connor was back and fully fit and was taking wickets while Kerry Walmsley and Warren McSkimming also bowled well.

"We had good top-order batting but our middle-order still needs to do better," he said.

Elliott was disappointed the side could not beat competition winners Auckland in their match at Queenstown when they had all day to score 247 for victory.

"We just let them get on top of us," he said.

"But it was really good to see a couple of chunky wins at the end."

Elliott confirmed that Wasim would be back next summer. He was going to be working on elements of his batting that he had worked on with Turner during the summer and would also be working on his leg-spin to give the Otago attack another prospective prong.

Elliott added that normally when Otago got to the end of season a period of time was wasted while sitting around wondering who might be the coach of the side in the next summer.

That had been resolved this year with Turner's early appointment, a move which allowed him to address issues over the winter.

The improved quality of pitches in the Otago region had also been a boost for the side. Apart from Queen's Park in Invercargill where there was still a need to lift the standard, Otago had pitches that were as good as anywhere in the country, Elliott said.

"Carisbrook was a wee bit ordinary before Christmas, but afterwards it, and Queenstown and Molyneux Park in Alexandra were among the best in the country," he said.

The use of the University Oval next summer would continue the quality of pitches available in Otago.

Elliott wants to play all of Otago's four-day cricket in Dunedin, and to take the one-day State Shield matches around the region.

"University Oval will have the Kakanui loam soil which is a proven product in our conditions.

"What I want to do is play two four-day matches at Carisbrook and three at the University Oval," he said.