We're off on the road to...Barbados

Nice to read on the club site today that the boys are now in the Caribbean for some quality bonding and pre-season practice.

No doubt news will percolate through in due course about their performances, but it should be stressed from the outset that results are not especially important on this tour. Winning is a good habit, but time in the middle for batsmen and bowlers is the key at the start of the season.

There was interesting news on the DET site today, in that Wayne Madsen, Garry Park and Greg Smith will all have a shot at skippering the side in the days ahead. A few eyebrows may have been raised that Graham Wagg is not one of the acting skips, but Morris has an idea of his abilities in the area. Not being provy to the dressing room, it may be that Waggy doesn't want the job, but the reality is that we will need a new skipper for 2011, assuming that Chris Rogers does not get back into the Aussie reckoning. Buck will doubtless want to end his time at Derby on a high with a big summer, but the search for a successor should rightly start within. Both Madsen and Park have overseas captaincy experience under their belts and may be contenders, but that's a decision for some way down the track.

It could, of course, be a useful contractual bargaining tool at some point...

Kent are the latest side to lose an overseas player, with Stuart Clark now not fit enough to play for them. The overseas slots are becoming a nightmare across the country and it is understandable. Why would, for example, an average player like Kieron Pollard opt for a season of county grind that could make him a better player when he can pick up not far shy of a million for a month's stint in the IPL? I can see a scenario in the near future where the only players opting to come are those trying to build a reputation or who have fallen from favour.

I've had a couple of e mails about the T20 specialist, one suggesting that we should go for Yusuf Pathan. Clean a hitter as he is, I don't think he's good enough, as his first ball slog and out after his 37 ball century highlighted. He reminds me of Shahid Afridi, though the Pakistani is a far better bowler.

So tonight marks the return of the poll (cue cheering!) What would you most like to see at Derbyshire in that crucial role for 2010? A bowler who might be able to slog a few quick runs, or a batsman who might bowl an over or two? OK, we'd all love an all rounder, but there's a lot of teams out there in the same boat.

I look forward to the results of this one immensely...