Overseas mediocrity

If this offends anyone then that's too bad, but on the surface of it there's a reasonable level of mediocrity around the counties where overseas imports are concerned this year.

We all know that the big names don't need the grind of our season and are discouraged from participation by their ruling bodies by the increasingly packed international schedule and the use of central contracts. Except when they're Aussies and they want fringe or inexperienced players fit for the Ashes.

Look around the counties and see what I mean. This morning comes news that Warwickshire have signed Jeetan Patel of New Zealand. His career record of 150 wickets at FORTY doesn't suggest the world has a new mystery spinner. I know that spinners are hard to find these days and they've lost Ian Salisbury, but...

With the exception of Herschelle Gibbs for part of the season at Glamorgan, Laxman likewise at Lancashire and the perennial Justin Langer at Somerset there are few on the circuit that you would expect to put crowds on the gate. I'm not decrying the likes of Ian O'Brien (who is well known locally after playing with Matlock),Grant Elliott or Adam Voges, but they're more the journeyman pro than the exciting overseas import of yore.

It makes me all the more pleased we have Chris Rogers at Derby, a man who will almost certainly lead from the front and add to the stack of runs he has made on the circuit. Interestingly, there are perhaps bigger names among the Kolpaks around the counties than the overseas players. We have Wavell and Charl, Andre Nel is at Surrey, Diva is at Durham with Dale Benkenstein, Craig Spearman and Hamish Marshall at Gloucestershire, Nicky Boje at Northants, Martin Van Jaarsveld at Kent and Boeta Dippenaar and HD Ackerman at Leicester

Good cricketers all and the performances of these players will, as it almost always does, dictate where the silverware ends up this season.