Ghazanfar returns for second half of Blast!

After his successful spell with the county last year, I didn't expect to see Mohammad Ghazanfar return in 2026.

He did very well, even if he bowled at the start of the innings, rather than in the middle overs where I suspect he will be more dangerous. Samit Patel wanted those overs last year and as skipper he got them. In 2026, Matt Montgomery will likely bowl in the Powerplay, as he did successfully for Nottinghamshire, so Ghazanfar will be in more familiar territory.

He is obviously a very fine bowler and has continued to bowl with control and take wickets over the winter in the various Mumbai Indians franchises. Any spinner who goes for under eight in T20 is doing well and he has an economy rate of under seven. That is quite remarkable for any bowler, but especially one who is still only 19.

He will be available for the second half of the Blast and I understand he would also be able to play should Derbyshire make the knockout stages. That can only be a good thing and again I can only applaud the standard of recruitment this winter. 

Yes, his fielding left a little to be desired last year, but hopefully that has improved. We shouldn't need his batting, although he showed he can hit a long ball. His bowling will continue to be a handful. It will give his captain control and it speaks volumes for how he enjoyed his previous stay that he has returned. A bowler who can turn it both ways will always be prized and Mickey Arthur has managed to land two of them, in Sufyan Moqim and now Ghazanfar.

Be honest, we are all getting a little bit excited now, aren't we? 

What a winter this has been.

Do you agree? 

Derbyshire swoop for Pakistan mystery bowler, Sufyan Moqim!

First there was Zaman Khan, he of the slinging action and toe-crushing yorkers. Then came Mohammad Ghazanfar, of the hard to read variations and cleverly controlled spells.

Now, we welcome Sufyan Moqim (sometimes spelled Sufiyan Muqeem), a name that means as much to me as it will to batters across the county circuit. But unlike me, they will have to try and figure him out this summer, over a six-match Vitality Blast stay which will cover the first half of the competition, up to and including the Nottinghamshire game on May 29.

There isn't a lot of footage showing Moqim in action, which is excellent news for Derbyshire, because it will be difficult for others to prepare to face him. What is evident, from that footage, is that he turns the ball both ways, has a very high action and keeps a very good length with those left arm spin variations. His career average, so far in T20, is to concede less than seven runs an over, with best bowling figures of five wickets for three. In the current BPL he has figures of 1-11, 1-12 and 1-29 in his four-over spells.

It is another signing that is testament to the contacts of Mickey Arthur, the player on his radar since his time in Pakistan. While critical of some of his red ball signings, I cannot argue that he has enticed players of quality and exciting potential to Derbyshire for the last three seasons of white ball. Moqim has been playing under Arthur in this year's Bangladesh Premier League for Rangpur Riders and looks a very sound pick.

There are not too many left arm wrist spinners of quality in the world game and that rarity tends to make them a challenge. Tabraiz Shamsi of South Africa, Kuldeep Yadav of India and Noor Ahmed of Afghanistan are the only ones that come to my mind, but Moqim seems to bowl quite flat and present a challenge to batters hoping to get 'under' him. Of course he can be hit, but unless you pick him - never easy - or get lucky, such intentions are fraught with danger.

It is another winter signing that I applaud, although I might need some hand cream soon, since I've been doing that now for several months. I cannot recall a winter of such positivity and activity in all of those that I have supported the club. Moqim will doubtless form a dual spin attack in T20 with Matt Montgomery, who proved very effective for Nottinghamshire with his Sunil Narine-style off spin, often with the new ball. It was a role that Wayne Madsen once filled cleverly and ensures we can compete on all surfaces.

With this signing, the challenge is now to name a first choice T20 side. Pat Brown will be fit after surgery, as will Harry Moore. Could this be a first choice eleven?

Donald

Jewell

Montgomery

Madsen

Basra

Whiteley 

Andersson

Chappell

Moore/Aitchison

Brown 

Moqim

Depth and power to the batting, variation in the attack, greater athleticism in the field. While more positive about our red ball chances, if that team fires they will do pretty well in the short format.The bowling HAS to be better than last year, the fielding should be and the batting has the potential to do damage.

The great thing being that there are other options too.

Welcome to Derbyshire, Sufyan. 

We look forward to enjoying your talents in the months ahead.

Here's a clip of our new man in action, taking those five wickets for just three runs against Zimbabwe.

Just the second half of the Blast to sort now...

Midweek update

Derbyshire announced their preseason schedule today and it probably gave a warm, fuzzy glow to supporters everywhere. 

Because in just eleven days we can all wake up in the morning and think to ourselves 'cricket is back next month'. 

I always love this time of year, full of expectation and anticipation around the country, everyone starting with high hopes of a successful summer. For some there is the quick reality check, for others, the year becomes something special, on either an individual or team basis.

As I have written before, this will be my 60th summer as a supporter of the county. There have been more downs than ups in that time, but the sense of hope and expectation continues unabated.

I have already booked hotels and have just to firm up on the travel for three trips in the early summer. I will be at Old Trafford in April, Derby in May then Chesterfield in June. If things go to plan, I might fit in another trip later in the summer, but with five separate weeks away with my wife and the dogs to look forward to, it is a challenge fitting everything in! 

Derbyshire will head to Zimbabwe in early March, to prepare for the red ball season and hopefully get some sun on their backs.

On returning to the UK, they will travel to Uptonsteel Grace Road from 25-27 March to face Leicestershire, before taking on Leeds/Bradford UCCE at The Central Co-op County Ground from 28-30 March. The season proper starts at Derby on April 3, against Worcestershire.

The second team fixtures were also announced today, with matches taking place at The Central Co-op County Ground, as well as matches in the county at Belper, Duffield, Repton School and Quarndon.

I always enjoyed watching the second team fixtures when I was better able to travel and my parents were alive. The logistics and cost largely rules it out these days, but there is much to commend watching our stars of the future on a pleasant ground. I have enjoyed numerous chats with people at such fixtures and if you haven't had the opportunity it is well worth considering.

Anyway, hopefully that acts as a midweek winter warmer. It did its best for me this afternoon on dog walks, when it was certainly not cricket weather!

Shoaib Bashir signs for Derbyshire!

For the next two seasons at least, Shoaib Bashir, England's number one spinner, is a Derbyshire player.

Supporters will have a few questions and it is only fair to respond to them as best I can here. But the fact that a player in the current England setup sees Derbyshire as the perfect fit for his immediate career ambitions speaks volumes, not least for the changing attitudes towards the county on the circuit. You have to go back to Phil de Freitas for a player being signed with genuine England aspirations, so in that alone it is a landmark signing.

Mickey Arthur has to take a lot of credit for this, as does Tom Poynton and the board for backing him. There can be little doubt that this would not have happened without a man of Arthur's reputation at the helm. 

For all that some supporters may question his involvement in franchises around the globe, such networking opportunities afford a chance to 'get in someone's ear'. We saw last year how Mohammad Ghazanfar came to the club because of the friendship between Arthur and Mahele Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan legend, heavily involved in Mumbai Indians. He will have done his homework on Bashir, spoken to people around the circuit and will know what he needs to get him back on track. The key now is to provide an environment in which a young man of undoubted talent can flourish.

Is he the finished article? Of course not, he cannot be at his age, despite strong performances in England colours. His county record is very ordinary, but perhaps he has needed somewhere that is the right fit. Tony Palladino did, likewise Mark Footitt, Luis Reece, Martin Andersson and a good many others. A good bowling coach would help too, so Chris Wright can build his own reputation as he hopefully rebuilds that of Bashir.

He will presumably come to Derbyshire as first choice spinner, when available, but he could form an intriguing spin duo with Jack Morley, one that would be ideal for late season pitches. The battle between them will make for good viewing and can only be to the county's benefit. Morley is also a young man of talent, two years the senior, but will understand - as I do - that it will do little for Bashir's fragile confidence to be the immediate number two at a new county. From there, though, it is up to him to maintain the position and for the other man to force his way ahead.

No one can doubt Bashir has ability. You don't get selected for and get wickets at international level without it. But it is up to him now, with his attitude and willingness to learn, to show that Derbyshire were right to give him opportunity. He can improve his all-wicket bowling, but needs also to be seen to contribute in the field and with the bat. 

I jokingly referred to Morley as 'Binary Jack' at the end of 2024, when eight of his nine innings produced only three runs, the same as his eventual average. Yet that had risen to fifteen last year and he contributed well on several occasions. He was also solid in the field and perceptions that this is not a strength of Bashir can only be changed by similar hard work. There was a time when one-dimensional players were fine and there were plenty of them, but not in the modern game.

Even going back to the time of the legendary Edwin Smith, more was needed. He tells the tale of getting out to an off spinner in one game and being berated by Denis Smith, the coach, when he got back to the dressing room. 

'You bowl it, you should be able to **** play it', came the counsel of a man not known for 'molly-coddling'.

Bashir is centrally contracted to England to the end of 2026, so will cost Derbyshire very little this year. If that contract was to end, the club will have budgeted for the ongoing cost, but would then have greater availability of the player. To me, it is a win/win situation. You simply cannot sign better than the player regarded as the country's best in a specialised skill.

In so far as next year is concerned, as I have written before, there are a number of senior players out of contract. Not all of Messrs Madsen, Dal, Whiteley, Brown and indeed Morley will be on the staff in 2027, some through age, others through a need for improved performance. The finance is not an issue and the club board will have that covered.

What does it mean for Joe Hawkins? Very little, to be honest. Hawkins has great potential and he can only benefit from working with the other spinners and the new bowling coach. Time is very much on his side and if his development is accelerated in the second team he will be a medium to long-term success story. But as it is unfair to place undue expectation on the shoulders of Bashir at 22, how could we expect more of an eighteen-year old?

I am pleasantly surprised at the signing, but even more delighted at the level of the club's ambition. It will be nice to see the county name alongside a player when an England squad is announced. I suspect he will remain first choice for his country (if they play a spinner) because the ones behind him, like James Coles and Farhan Ahmed, would represent an even bigger gamble, while Will Jacks doesn't look like an improvement, even if he offers a few runs. How could he be, when he bowled only 75 red ball overs in 2025?

What Bashir now needs is plenty of bowling, because like anything else in life, you only get better if you do something regularly. As Edwin Smith told me recently, it is doing the hard yards on unhelpful pitches that gives you the confidence to do your stuff when conditions are in your favour. Rhythm is king and you cannot replicate it without those overs under your belt. The wickets won't always come, but if you can keep things tight, as Edwin and Geoff Miller once did so well, something often happens at one end or the other.

Shoaib has 68 wickets for his country, at a far better average than for his counties, so far.

I reckon that situation will change over the years ahead.

And he is now Shoaib Bashir of Derbyshire. Well done to everyone concerned in making this happen.

And welcome to Derbyshire, Shoaib!

2026 Academy intake announced

There is a familiar and very exciting look to the Academy intake of twelve, announced by Derbyshire today 

Wicket keeper bat Joe Hall returns after an excellent 2025, as do seam bowlers Jake Green and Matt Stewart. There is quite a buzz about these two young seamers and they appear to have great potential. There is a place for gifted ex-Denstone College batter Rohan Vallabhaneni, while opener Sam Cliffe retains his place, along with all rounder Zak Kelly and tall seamer Ayman Karim, both learning their trade at Clifton CC under Daryn Smit.

Batters Oscar Edwards and Theo Brown, who enjoyed excellent summers with the under 15s and played at the Bunbury Festival, move up to a senior level for the first time, as does young bowler Lucas Green, who played alongside them. Lucas is the younger brother of Jake, so there is a lot of talent in that family!

Bowler Manav Bapodra moves across from Leicestershire, while all rounder Niall McHale is another from the excellent conveyor belt at Denstone College, while playing his club cricket for Milford Hall CC in Staffordshire

It is elite company and there is sadly no place for Hassnain Akhtar, who moved to Chesterfield CC this winter. He will play there alongside Matt Stewart, so both have an opportunity to shine at a higher league level.

Even more disappointing, for those who followed the fortunes of the under 18s last year, is the absence of Rubaiyat Abrar. He had a stellar summer in which he scored 816 runs at an average of 32, including eight scores of 50 or more, while his left arm spin also claimed 47 wickets at an average of 17, with best figures of 4-18.

His displays saw him take home the Under 18s Batter of the Year, Bowler of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and Coaches’ Player of the Year awards at the Awards Night in November. 

Yet ECB directives say that Abrar needs to have a British passport. He lives here permanently and will be qualified in two years time, but cannot take his place on an Academy until then. It seems a dreadful shame that a clearly talented young man will miss out on two years of important coaching at a key stage of his development.

It is a similar situation to that faced by Adnan Miakhel, who starred in Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams. He was helped to secure asylum in the UK and is now on the Lancashire staff, the programme's publicity doing his cause no harm.

I hope that common sense might at some point prevail and Abrar is able to continue his cricketing education with Derbyshire. There is no doubting his potential.

That is a good collection of young players, with a strong likelihood that some of them will eventually find a place on the county staff. 

I look forward to watching their progress during 2026 and wish them all the very best.

Bashir roundup

Well, the link with Shoaib Bashir certainly produced a range of comments! 

While I am confident that the story, in The Daily Mail, originated from the player's agent, I don't doubt that there is interest from Derbyshire. Such stories are normally put out there to generate competition or to make other clubs consider a late move, perhaps create an awareness they might have made a mistake by letting him go. 

It happened with Mohammad Abbas and you see it everywhere. The story on Bashir suggested that the Derbyshire board was split on the signing and I get that. So is the club's support, judging by your many and appreciated comments. 

My stance is this. Derbyshire have only one recognised spinner on the staff, as I noted a week or so back in another piece. It is a potential weakness, especially if Jack Morley sustained an injury in the early season that kept him out for some time. 

There is a small - make that very small - number of spinners of any quality in this country. Having discussed this at length with Edwin Smith, who is the only man alive to have taken over a thousand wickets for our county, the main problem is a lack of bowling and unsuitable pitches. You could also throw in a perceived requirement for the spinner to have to bat as well, to show the challenges that they face. 

Whoever we sign, there will be question marks. They were there when we signed Morley, and will be for anyone who has not established himself in the game. Such players are the lifeblood for a county like ours and a look through the existing staff shows plenty of examples of players who needed to move for that all important opportunity. Most have thrived on that chance.

Someone suggested Amar Virdi, another off spinner of talent, yet one who has failed to hold down a regular berth in the county game. Whispers of his lack of fitness have been an issue, while he isn't really a batter or fielder. Nor an international player. After that, who else might there be? Archie Lenham comes from good cricket stock in Sussex, but 30 first-class wickets at 40 will make counties see him and his leg spin as a gamble, even though he is still only 21 and currently available, to the best of my knowledge..

It seems strange to suggest that signing England's number one spinner is a gamble, but it is, even though the costs are negligible in year one with his central contract. 

Yet for me, it is one worth taking. At the end of next season the contracts of Messrs Brown, Madsen, Dal and indeed Morley are up and not all of them, I would suggest, will remain. Pat Brown has to recover his best form, Madsen to continue to defy Old Father Time, Dal to recover from two less productive seasons and Morley...well, he has a shoot out for the role of senior spinner - perhaps.

It might be that Derbyshire decide against the move, or someone comes in with a late offer. Equally, it could be that he signs and finds an environment in which he can flourish. In all sports, players who are lucky find a club where they can give their best and are appreciated.

Bashir needs that and, given the paucity of options elsewhere, English cricket needs it too. For me, the club needs to back Mickey Arthur if he wants Bashir, then trust him and his coaches to get him on the right track.

If push comes to shove, it could either be written off as having been a mistake at the end of 2027.

Or hailed as a masterstroke. 

Our county are strongly linked with a bloke currently on tour with England. That doesn't happen very often and it is certainly unique in my lifetime.

In itself, a reason to be cheerful, I think 

Anyway, thank you all for your many comments, your considerable interest and your donations in 2026.

I wish you all a Happy New Year, one that hopefully extends to our county and its fortunes!

Excellent interview on club site

There is an excellent interview with Mickey Arthur on the club site today. 

In the 20 minutes he covers recruitment, hopes for the new season and his winter experiences. 

It is well worth a watch

Bashir link surfaces

My post bag has been as sizeable as Santa's sack today, after a story appeared in The Daily Mail regarding Shoaib Bashir:

Daily Mail Sport can reveal off-spinner Bashir, whose snubbing for the first three Tests against Australia followed his release by Somerset. Unless there are any last-minute hitches, the 22-year-old will complete his switch to Derbyshire in the coming days.

Derbyshire believe there is potential for growth in Bashir as a bowler within their environment and equally that their squad will benefit from having someone with 68 Test wickets within it.

The only stumbling block has been some concern at board level about the six-figure salary such a player carries, and the prospect of it coming out of the 2027 budget should he lose his central contract next autumn.

Derbyshire’s outlay on him during the 2026 season will be limited to relocation expenses plus bonuses for team performance - whether he is selected by England or not.

Bashir’s 6ft 4in stature and high release point appear to be ideally suited to Derby, now one of the country’s bouncier venues for bowlers. But with competition from Jack Morley, the slow left-armer, highly rated by Arthur, he may have to bide his time to establish himself as the club’s No1 spinner.

My understanding is that things are not quite so clear cut and that this may be another of those stories emanating from the player's agent.

There is interest from Derbyshire and, as I wrote recently, I think he could follow in the footsteps of such luminaries as Tony Palladino, Mark Footitt, Martin Andersson, Luis Reece and Nye Donald in finding a successful home at the club. We have long been seen as welcoming, with the right atmosphere both inside and outside the dressing room. Some people need that, being valued and appreciated to produce their best.

Bashir can clearly play, but he needs the opportunity to rebuild his reputation in a positive environment, with the right coaching support. There also needs to be a touch of realism from the player/agent side, I suspect. Derbyshire has a finite budget and while the cost is minimal for this year under his central contract, they cannot and surely will not over commit for year two. 

By the same token, again as I wrote recently, we have only one recognised senior spinner on the staff. If we can afford to do so, how better to rectify that situation than with the man who has been seen as the best in the country until recently? How nice would it be to have the resources to challenge, regardless of the conditions? How good would it be to see 'Shoaib Bashir - Derbyshire' on an England team sheet? 

What the lad needs is a chance to bowl. Long spells, getting a rhythm, a preferred end and tiredness at the end of the day. Contrary to the current belief in the England set up, you don't get better at anything in life if you don't do a lot of it. Edwin Smith bowled hundreds of overs a summer for Derbyshire, which allowed him to take 1246 wickets. Some were in favourable conditions, but plenty of times he had to work hard for them.

The public perception of Derbyshire has changed. The club's foresight in appointing Mickey Arthur has been a factor, the presence of a world-renowned coach at the club has lifted our image beyond doubt.

There will be dissenters, of course and that's fine. And I must stress my understanding is that things are not yet at the stage expressed by the Daily Mail. Bashir may yet go down as an unfulfilled talent, but in my book if the chance to sign an international player presents itself, surely it is an opportunity to grasp, a risk to take? 

It is something to keep an eye on. I don't foresee a midnight dash to a service station on the M5 to get his signature, nor necessarily expect that it will end with a photo of him in Derbyshire kit.

But...it's intriguing isn't it? 

And if Bashir ended up signing, a few days after Mickey Arthur said that his team building for red ball was complete, he has thrown a curve ball worthy of Sir Brian of Clough...

With that, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and thank you for your input and support in 2025.

I will be back soon!

Weekend warmer

As we approach Christmas, Derbyshire supporters can allow ourselves a smile of satisfaction, because a lot of excellent work has been done since the end of the 2025 season. 

Better than England anyway. I have avoided commenting too much on the Ashes, partly because I have watched very little, partly because the incestuous nature of the national side holds no interest for me. 

The English side will return from Australia with exactly what they deserve. They failed to prepare, having paid lip service only to the format and got absolutely nothing in return. You cannot disrespect the game. It's all very well creating individual and collective reputations built on big scores on flat tracks against average bowlers. When you subsequently come up against the best, you will be found wanting. 

My county - OUR county - cannot be accused of that and I am hopeful that they will get the rewards that they deserve in 2026. A good squad has been assembled, now it is a case of getting them all to their physical and mental peak. 

With Mickey Arthur pretty much confirming that the red ball squad was complete, the only thing now would appear to be the third overseas player, a specialist for The Blast.

I followed an extraordinary game in The Big Bash yesterday, when the Perth Scorchers failed to defend 257-6 in their twenty overs. Brisbane Heat got the runs with a ball to spare, which was too much of a run-fest for me (I like a more even battle between bat and ball) but appealed to the crowd, who enjoyed 36 sixes. I don't think I saw that many in my first three summers as a Derbyshire fan...

I was a little baffled by the captaincy of Ashton Turner of The Scorchers, soon to become a Leicestershire player. When his bowlers  were going at 15-20 an over, he only gave Cooper Connolly two overs, in which he conceded only twelve runs. I mentioned Connolly a couple of winters ago as one to watch and he earlier made 77 from just 37 deliveries. With counties signing Aussies pretty much every day at present, I am surprised that no one has yet made a move for the 22-year-old. He hits a very long ball, bowls controlled left arm spin and is a fine fielder. He even attracted a 'Wow' from Mickey Arthur on X, which I won't read too much into. 

I suspect Mickey is hoping for a quality spinner who can perhaps hit down the order, but I would expect someone to move for a highly talented young man who has already made his national side. 

Speaking of Mickey, I was asked the other day if I thought he would stay beyond the coming season. My answer was 'yes'. I feel he has a genuine desire to win something at the club and the contracts this winter would not have been signed by players who were uncertain of the future. I very much doubt Mohammad Abbas would sign a two-year deal if he thought Mickey was not going to be there..

That's it for now. I will be back just before Christmas to wish you all the best, but between times enjoy your weekend and stay in one piece if you are finishing the Christmas shopping...

Tomorrow is the winter equinox. After that, the days grow gradually longer and before we know it, county cricket will be back.

With that lovely thought, I bid you adieu...

Chris Wright appointed the new bowling coach

I have no idea of his ability as a coach, but based on his extensive experience as a player, only recently retired, Chris Wright is an excellent choice as the new Derbyshire Men's Assistant Coach - Bowling Lead.

He only stopped playing at the end of last season, at the age of 40, having helped to steer Leicestershire to promotion as champions. In a career that started at Middlesex, then took him to Essex and Warwickshire beforehand, he took over 600 first- class wickets, adding another 200 in List A and T20 cricket.

It is a new voice in the ear of the Derbyshire bowlers, one that will be respected after a career in which he was always reliable, steady and dangerous. He was selected for England Lions and, like several members of the Derbyshire staff, had a stress fracture of his back, so he can relate to the challenges of their roles in the first-class game.

Head of Cricket, Mickey Arthur, said:

We had an unbelievable amount of talent apply for this role, but it was Chris’ energy, enthusiasm and his ideas for how he can drive our project forward which impressed me most.

He’s a very promising coach and, as someone who was playing the game at a high level as recently as last season, he will be able to form a great understanding with our squad and continue the development of our bowling attack.

Our pieces are coming together for nicely for the new season, our red ball squad has been finalised and now our coaching structure is ready to hit the ground running in the new year. I’m very excited for next season and I know our supporters share that optimism.

Wright added: 

I’m immensely excited to be joining Derbyshire. The squad is in a really strong place, and I’m

looking forward to working closely with our bowlers to help them continue developing their games.

I'm very familiar with the quality within this squad and well aware of the skills the players possess. Now it’s about refining our work through the winter and taking that next step towards promotion next season.

This is a fantastic opportunity for me and one I’m eager to embrace. Derbyshire is a club on the up, and the chance to work alongside a coach like Mickey Arthur is something any young coach would relish.

It will be interesting to see if he can get more from an attack that has undeniable talent but struggled at times over the past couple of seasons. The players will know what he can do and that he has been a respected operator in the county game for a long time.

Like all of you, I wish him well.

What a great end to 2025 we have had! 

Matt Stewart hat trick in Australia!

More good news for Derbyshire supporters! 

Matt Stewart is spending his winter playing for Glenelg Cricket Club in South Australia. Arriving in October, he took a lot of wickets in the second team and marked his debut in the first grade last weekend in Adelaide - when he was capped - with four wickets, including a hat trick!

Here is the footage of the talented young man taking his wickets. 

He has looked like one to watch since I first saw him and I am sure that he will continue to develop and hopefully become the next one off the supply line for the club.

Well done Matt! That's what I call making an impression...

Thoughts after the signing of Abbas

Serious question - has there been a more positive winter for Derbyshire supporters in recent, or even more distant memory?

The signings of Caleb Jewell, Mohammad Abbas, Matt Montgomery, Amrit Basra, Rory Haydon & Joe Hawkins, along with long term deals for Martin Andersson, Zak Chappell and Nye Donald will give the Derbyshire staff a leaner, meaner look for 2026 and beyond.

The red ball side, so much improved in 2025, should take on a different, better dimension next summer, with a proven new ball bowler leading the attack. Hopefully the arrival of a new bowling coach will help a few players find their best form and there will be strong competition for places when the action starts.

I suppose the only 'weakness' might be if Jack Morley sustained an injury. With Alex Thomson gone, we don't have another spinner of experience. It would be optimism beyond even my compass to expect Joe Hawkins to bowl teams out at his tender age, but surely the pitches at Derby will now offer additional help to seamers? 

Behind all the experience, the likes of Matt Stewart, Jake Green, Harry Moore, Rory Haydon & Nick Potts will be keen to draw on the expertise of Abbas (and the new bowling coach) to further their development. 

I would love to see the latter position filled by someone with a reputation to build and recent experience of the first-class game. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, keen to work hard with Mickey Arthur and Ben Smith as they aim to build on the summer just past.

After that it would just be the third overseas player, a specialist for the Blast. Surely a spinner, as the balance of the side dictates it? Most would favour a return for Mohammad Ghazanfar, but he will not lack suitors after his efforts last year and it would need another herculean effort to deliver that one.  But a T20 side that included a quality spinner alongside Matt Montgomery and three improved seamers would surely better last summer? 

Let us not forget that Harry Moore should return, his back hopefully strong and able to compete for a place across the formats. News of his immediate availability from April would indeed be the cherry on the icing of the Derbyshire cake...

Over the years I have written this blog, by this stage of the winter I could pretty much call a first choice Derbyshire side. 

I can't this year, so strong should be the competition for places. Especially in the seam department, where the options are many. I suspect that an opening attack of Luis Reece and Mohammad Abbas might cause sleepless nights among opposition batters, but who next? Aitchison? Chappell? Haydon? Moore? Brown, hopefully fit after struggling through last year?

It is pleasing to see so many positive comments on the signing of Abbas. I was surprised to see one referring to him as a 'has been', when his form for Nottinghamshire last summer and this winter in Pakistan suggests anything but. 

In seven matches for Lahore this winter he has 38 wickets at 15 runs each, following on from 32 wickets at 21 for Nottinghamshire last summer, including 3-33 and 3-18 in the final game against Warwickshire, when they clinched the title. 

Of course he could be injured, that can happen to anyone, but as a friend pointed out in a message to me, he has managed more cricket in recent summers than most of Derbyshire's existing attack. He knows what he can do and generally bowls within himself. Les Jackson was 37 when he took 143 wickets at 10.99 in 1958, and for a bowler of his style, 36 is not an issue. I could see him playing until he is 40, with little reduction in his effectiveness.

Nor do I see similarities with the signings of Suranga Lakmal and Mohammad Amir. I had concerns with the former at that time, because he had hardly played regular cricket in his career. He had never played in England and ended his career having played less than Abbas. As for Amir, he was poorly managed and advised, my enthusiasm at his 'signing' tempered by knowledge of circumstance. That isn't the case here. 

Genuinely, I cannot think of a better, more suitable player that we could REALISTICALLY have signed, who crucially wanted to commit to the next two summers in Derbyshire. 

These are exciting times and I can only applaud the club board for backing Mickey Arthur and giving him the resources to develop a keen squad.

It is over to him and his coaches now, to get them producing their best form across the summer and to get the best eleven onto the pitch at all times.

However it pans out, I reckon the slip cordon and Brooke Guest will be in for a busy summer!

Derbyshire sign Mohammad Abbas!

Wow. 

There are certain headlines that stick with you through your life. I clearly recall, as a youngster, reading the Derby Telegraph back page that said in big letters 'Rams Sign Dave Mackay'. Fast forward a few years, I remember the goosebumps when I was able to write on this blog  'Derbyshire sign Chanderpaul'. 

Today I can add to that, with the new headline. 

What a signing that is, what a statement of intent. What a fantastic piece of work by the Derbyshire off-field team, not just Mickey Arthur, but also Tom Poynton, the Non-Executive Director (Cricket) on the club board, Ryan Duckett, Dan Wheeldon and others. A signing of this magnitude happens infrequently, certainly in Derbyshire circles, definitely in this modern age when season-long availability is increasingly a challenge. This has taken weeks of work to bring to fulfilment and they deserve every credit.

It probably wouldn't have happened without Mickey Arthur, who gave the bowler his international debut when in charge of Pakistan and maintains a close relationship with the player. But this is a major coup for the county.

A high class international bowler with well over 800 first-class wickets at twenty apiece? For the next two red ball summers? That'll do nicely, thank you. Mohammad Abbas has taken wickets for fun throughout his county career, for Leicestershire, Hampshire and Nottinghamshire. He will keep taking them, because his style is eminently suited to English pitches. He isn't especially fast, but doesn't need to be. He nips it around at medium fast and is a handful for batters at any level. He hasn't played as much international cricket as he should have done, but has one hundred Test wickets at just 23 runs each. 

Derbyshire needed an attack leader for next year, the leader of the pack (vroom, vroom, for those of a certain age). With Abbas, they have it in spades. I would think the other seamers will be itching to play alongside him, work with him and learn from his skills. Other counties in division two will doubtless be sitting up at this news, because we have landed a genuine international star for the next two summers of red ball cricket. 

To quote the player: 

It’s exciting for me to join Derbyshire and work with Mickey Arthur again, he’s a fantastic coach and hearing his plans for Derbyshire, we share the same ambitions for the Club: to be in Division One. 

The team only just missed out on promotion in 2025, so I’m hoping I can come in and perform to win a few more games and give our supporters a trophy to celebrate.

Derbyshire did extraordinarily well to see off strong competition for the services of the player. Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Hampshire were all interested and the competing offers will have given Abbas and his agent some food for thought. I have no doubt there might have been more lucrative ones, given that those three counties play in division one and on Test grounds. 

Yet the bowler has chosen Derbyshire. He has a sports coaching business in the city and perhaps wants to lay down roots. I don't worry about the cost, because the club will be confident they can handle this, even at the level that was rumoured a few weeks back, figures of £110K plus £400 a wicket being mentioned. It may or may not be accurate, but even if it is, with inflation taken into account, those figures are similar to what was paid, back in the 1970s, to Eddie Barlow. 

Abbas has the potential to be an equal talisman. Not as a captain, certainly not as an all-rounder, but as that all-important man that they can throw the ball to if a wicket is needed, or the opposition are getting away. He will give confidence to everyone in the side. Such players always do. Risks will be taken at the other end, because he gives little away, so others will benefit.

Some might churlishly say he's too old. My reply would be simple. At 35, he has a good few years in him yet. Barlow was 35 when he came to the county, while Mitchell Starc has been bowling out England, at 36. Then there's Jimmy Anderson...

There is, I suppose, a chance he could miss some county cricket this summer, if selected for the Pakistan touring side on a 'horses for courses' basis. Yet he is likely to take more wickets in 2/3 of a season than many in the full season.

You have to be excited at this. You have to applaud the initiative, the dogged pursuit and the eventual capture of the man who could see Derbyshire go one better than they did this year, in red ball cricket.

I can't wait to see him in action. It is as if the winter has already shortened and Spring is already here.

Ashes to ashes

Dust to dust

If Abbas don't get ya

You'll be doing well...

Mohammad Abbas. Of Derbyshire. 

Merry Christmas, everyone! 

Postscript: there is a terrific recent article about our new man here

And you can watch him taking ten Australian wickets here

Weekend thoughts

Christmas is fast approaching and all Derbyshire supporters will doubtless be hoping for news of an overseas signing as an early festive gift. 

Will it happen? Who knows, but I hope so. There is a talented squad shaping up for next season and it only seems to require a talisman to lead on the pitch. 

It is evident, however, that the overseas market is a challenge. Quite simply, most of the big names simply don't need the graft of the county game, when they can make more money in less time with the many franchise opportunities around the globe. 

This week, Gloucestershire announced the signing of Australian all-rounder Liam Scott. He seems a decent player, but a batting average of 27 and bowling one of 30 is hardly spectacular. Meanwhile Hampshire picked up Jake Lehmann on a two-year deal as a 'local' player. Again a fair player, but in his early thirties he averages the same. I'm not sure what it says to the domestic players on their staff. Both signings could turn out to be brilliant, but on the face of it they are solid, rather than spectacular.

The ever more congested calendar makes overseas recruitment a real challenge. Derbyshire also need a third overseas player for the Blast and my guess is still a spinner, which seems our greatest need, especially with Alex Thomson and Samit Patel gone and Jack Morley not likely to play that format. 

Speaking of overseas players, Blair Tickner continue to take wickets for New Zealand, but picked up a nasty shoulder injury in their last game, which looks set to rule him out for some time. 

I wish him well, as I'm sure you all do.

Chris Rushworth, so often the bane of Derbyshire lives in his time leading the Durham attack, has announced his retirement from first class cricket. He has been an outstanding county bowler and I am sure will be equally effective as a coach at Warwickshire. 

Were I to select a team of players who would scare our side, Rushworth opening the bowling and Nick Browne, of Essex, the batting would be the first names on the team sheet!

Finally today, Lancashire announced this week that Sir Jimmy Anderson will be their red ball captain in 2026. Unless anyone can tell me different, I assume that is the first time a knight of the realm has been a standing county captain.

At 43 he will also be the oldest skipper in the current county game. Wayne Madsen, two years younger, will simply need to keep playing to catch up...

He has the Cricket World Cup to look forward to before the next county season.

We're all Italy, aren't we? 

See you soon! 

Book Review: Bedtime Tales For Cricket Tragics by Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins

This is an interesting little book, based on the popular The Final Word podcast.

It has a strong Australian bias, given both the authors are from that country, but there are some interesting tales within its 191 pages.

Some of them will be known to you, others less so. Bobby Peel allegedly urinating on the pitch is in here, so too the unrelated Charles Palmer taking advantage of a wet patch. The chapters are short and so it is a good book in which to dip when a few spare minutes become available. I enjoyed reading about the man who *could* have challenged Larwood, Laurie Nash, who sounds a character par excellence, as well as Jack Marsh, an indigenous player from the previous century.

There are tales from the UK, including Harold Heygate's one appearance for Sussex and Glamorgan's Frank Ryan, whose excesses with beer and women made Derbyshire's Bill Bestwick seem a paragon of virtue. He still managed over a thousand career wickets at 21. 

I especially enjoyed the chapter on 'Father' Marriott, whose eleven Test wickets cost only eight runs each and whose 711 first-class wickets exceeded his career runs by well over a hundred. A school teacher, he only played in the holidays, but after surviving both Ypres and the Somme, probably counted himself fortunate to play cricket at all. 

Stylistically, it is written as if listening to a podcast, but in this instance it perhaps adds to the charm. 

It is an entertaining and fairly inexpensive read. 

Bedtime Tales For Cricket Tragics is written by Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins and is published by Fairfield Books

Book Review: Lester And The Deckchair Revolution - The Life And Times Of Tony Pigott by Tony Pigott and Andrew Murtagh

Tony Pigott was a journeyman professional who was good enough (and crucially nearby) to help out England for his one Test match appearance, when he did better than most. He even postponed his wedding (sadly, later doomed to fail) in order to do so.

He gave excellent service to Sussex and latterly to Surrey on the field. The book contains some telling comments on his playing contemporaries and it is in its honesty where it scores over similar books that I have read over many years. 

Perhaps his greatest service to Sussex was when he attempted to get them back on an even keel and did so in a way that saw them become county champions, albeit after his somewhat acrimonious departure. 

His comments on the challenges faced as CEO of the club are refreshingly honest, including an 'inept' marketing officer and the groundsman's wife who ran and pilfered from the club shop.

His has been a far from easy life, with tales of divorce, custody battles for his son and battling through treatment for oesophogeal cancer. He tells of the challenges of injury throughout his cricket career and at times the book is far from an easy read.

Nor is it one of the longer books I have read, but much is packed into its 143 pages, including a useful statistical section. 

I have long held the view that many of the best cricket books are not necessarily about the biggest names.

This one, written with Andy Murtagh, reinforces that assertion and is well worth anyone's time.

Lester And The Deckchair Revolution: The Life And Times of Tony Pigott is written by Tony Pigott with Andrew Murtagh and published by Fairfield Books

Weekend warmer

I remember a few years ago, when the competition that many of us have come to loathe first started (it begins with an H...) I was on speaking tour of Lancashire.

How do you feel about the team for your area being the Manchester Originals, I asked in Southport, Liverpool and at Old Trafford. Somewhat unsurprisingly, given the parochial nature of sports support, there were very few in favour. None in the first two places, which should have come as a surprise to no one, given the long rivalry between the football teams of Liverpool and those in Manchester. More surprisingly, there weren't that many people in favour in the large audience at Old Trafford. Manchester doesn't represent Stockport or Salford either, to give a couple of examples. 

So it was no surprise to see Warwickshire this week deciding to do away with the moniker of Birmingham Bears, for the Vitality Blast. Plenty of people in that county are not Brummies and a few will have voted with their feet when the name was changed.

It is why people around God's Own County get annoyed when commentators (and an occasional player) refer to 'Derby'. Had we opted at any point to go down that route, I would have had plenty to say about it. I am from Ripley, from the county of Derbyshire, but not from the city. There are many more in the same situation, plenty in the north of the county, a good few from the south. Sports teams depend on supporters and it is not the wisest of moves to antagonise a large section of the fan base. It is different for football, when there are more teams and many major towns and cities have their own that people can get behind. Whenever I hear anyone refer to 'my' cricket team as 'Derby', I feel the hackles going up and my teeth clenching...

A similar thing happened this week, when Nottinghamshire announced that they would be playing one of their 50 over games at Chesterfield. They cited Queen's Park hosting The Blaze as the rationale, but looking around social media, the move to play Northamptonshire there on August 7 has not been well received. Lancashire fans are never happy when they play an occasional game at Sedbergh, outwith the county boundaries in Cumbria. Even less so when it usually rains there on the day of the game..

Maybe the Chesterfield game will be a great success, but I do think administrators need to take greater cognisance of the views, real or anticipated, of supporters. Sometimes the wiser choice is to go with what you know will work and will be the path of least resistance. Surely they could have played a second game at Welbeck? Equally there has to be a second club ground within their own county borders that would have been suitable. What about Lady Bay, where they play a lot of second team cricket? 

I have got to a certain stage in life where I realise problems will come and find you, without necessarily having to look too far. I just think these examples are classic ones of shooting oneself in the foot.

I hope that Derbyshire are never sufficiently naive to think supporters would accept such actions. 

I certainly wouldn't. While I understood the rationale of moving a T20 game to Edgbaston for a couple of years for the so-called 'Blast Off' (which it wasn't, last year) I would certainly struggle to accept playing a home game outside of my county in the normal run of things.

What do you think? 

Fixtures are out!

The fixtures are out, in full. All is well in the world..

I have had a quick look at them and the Blast looks fun. 

We are in group A, with Durham, Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, Notts Outlaws and Yorkshire. We play each of them home and away, and in addition, we play Essex at Chelmsford and Somerset at home, which will be a fine game! 

I don't see myself making any of these in person, purely because of the distance involved. Yet there are other good options in the 50 over and 4-day fixtures, released today.

I especially fancied in the 50-over competition the Yorkshire game, to be played at Scarborough. Then I realised it was on the date of my wife and I's fortieth wedding anniversary. Unless she fancies a trip to the seaside, I had probably best not head off to that one...

The two 50 over games at Derby on 31 July and 2 August might work for me, so too the four-day games at Durham and Lancashire. A trip to Derby in September will be nice, maybe earlier if things work out.

Of course I fancy the Chesterfield Festival for a few days (who doesn't?) but at this stage I need to hold fire, as my wife may or may not need double hip surgery. It would be just the thing to book up and then get those dates through...

Anyway, which ones are you looking forward to? Repton should prove popular, I think...

Donald signs two-year extension

I have no doubt that after his heroics in last year's Blast, a few teams showed an interest in the services of Nye Donald. I am surprised that more winter franchise offers haven't come his way, because players who can hit as cleanly as he are not common. 

Yet a Derbyshire player he remains, for which we all give thanks, until the end of 2028. That top five of Donald, Jewell, Montgomery, Madsen and Basra looks mighty dangerous for the Blast, with plenty of talent to follow.

I suspect that in due course he will be announced as captain for that competition. The responsibility could be the making of him and see him turn some of these glittering fifties into match-defining knocks, with greater frequency. He is an intelligent, articulate lad and my only concern would be if opening the batting, keeping wicket and skippering the side might not be too much. You don't know until you give it a try and I would be more surprised if he was NOT the captain in 2026. 

Derbyshire's winter business has been conducted professionally and efficiently. At this stage we look to have a good, strong squad for next summer, regardless of the format. 

Things are moving in the right direction. If we can nail those two key overseas places - and get the new bowling coach in - I fancy a very enjoyable summer for my 60th as a county supporter.

Great work, by everyone involved.

Weekend thoughts

A couple of weeks back I was asked why I am less interested in the England national side than I used to be. 

The last couple of days have given an eloquent answer. They were ahead in the first Test, yet squandered a strong position by inept batting. I'm sorry, but if you choose to try and win five-day cricket by playing T20 style, or hope to win 50- over cricket by not having your best players involved domestically, you reap as you sow. 

Only three English innings in the match exceeded 42 balls. In a Test match...

Time was when tea on the second day often saw a declaration, the opposition put in for a tricky session before the close. You might get away with playing Bazball against lesser lights, but there has to be an understanding that a gung-ho approach has to be tempered with a modicum of common sense. Not to mention a lot less arrogance...real or perceived.

I mentioned that I felt the England side was a gentleman's club, an 'elite' group that was harder to drop from than should be the case.  Zak Crawley, for example - is an average just north of 30 acceptable for a bloke who has played (checks notes) 59 Tests? Harry Brook is a great talent, but you can't play as he does against all opposition. It is disrespectful to opponents - not to mention supporters - to just think you can smack everything out of sight. No one is that good. None of this England team is in the same league as Barry and Viv Richards, the two best I have seen, yet even they didn't attempt to hit everything.

Unless there is a restraining order placed on the batting lineup, I suspect the loss today will not be the last of this tour. I feel for those who have spent a lot of money to go and support their team. You would hope for more than two days play in a scheduled five and to watch their team being bowled out in 33 then 34 overs is a disgrace. At least in that they are consistent...

Moving on, I was asked if I saw Derbyshire making a move for Dawid Malan, who has been released from his Yorkshire contract to take up an opportunity elsewhere. 

My short answer is no. I doubt we could match what he was earning there and he seems to have wanted only to play T20 in recent summers. I am not a fan of single format cricketers and while he is a fine player and theoretically could have been a short term replacement for Wayne Madsen, the timing is wrong. 

Logically he will be moving to the franchise circuit and earning himself a few last hefty pay days, because that's where the money lies, whether we like it or not.

Anyway, the Derbyshire squad for 2026 has been shaped quite nicely and I am happy with the look of it, as it stands.

Just need those overseas roles confirmed...