Something for the weekend

There was a classic case of "every dog has his day" in Australia today, as New South Wales wicket-keeper Daniel Smith, a teammate of Usman Khawaja, made his first century at the age of 29.

And what a century! 185 not out from 123 balls as his team chased down 323 to win in 50 overs and won with ten overs to spare. It was a remarkable effort and I mention it merely because it appealed to my love of the underdog. Smith only plays when Brad Haddin is unavailable and I love to see such people flourish when opportunities arise.

I got a delightful e mail the other day from a Derbyshire fan in Romania and was interested to see that he started to support the club for a similar reason, the club being seen as perennial underdogs. I think that is starting to change and is perhaps the greatest benchmark of progress at the club. For a long time we have been seen as minnows, but I firmly believe that we are moving forward, confirmation of that hopefully coming next season.

Following on from my last article, I would just like to confirm that I have the greatest respect for Martin Guptill and Usman Khawaja and would be delighted if we confirmed them in overseas roles for 2012. I think they both did OK last year and would expect greater returns if we confirmed them for next year in the light of their experiences.

What I do feel is that a modification to the qualification rules for overseas players might be of benefit across the counties. With virtually the entire top tier of international talent removed through IPL and the international calendar, maybe the cricket authorities need to work with immigration and return to the days when counties could bring in an overseas player of their choice, irrespective of international experience. Chris Wilkins would never have played for Derbyshire under such regulations and what an entertainer we would have missed. Keith Boyce could likewise never have entertained Essex fans, while most counties have similar success stories over the years.

Looking at some of those names in the previous piece, I feel quite strongly that there are counties who would enjoy greater benefit from an overseas player keen to make a name, than from a fair to middling overseas player who gets an opportunity by dint of playing in a weak side.

Examples? At 29, Stephen Cook, (pictured) son of former South African batsman Jimmy, has been a run machine in South Africa for years. A top score of 390 and 22 centuries in 111 innings suggests a very fine player, yet one out of the international reckoning because of the strength of their domestic cricket. Compatriot Rilee Rossouw is another fine player, as is Dean Elgar and I'd venture that all of them would score heavily in England - certainly more than a few of the "have passport, will travel" brigade I have mentioned. There might be greater appeal for fans too, seeing a few unknown entities for the first time. Similarly, Australian Michael Klinger is a good player who would have scored good runs in England had the opportunity been there for him. These are but a few examples and there are others.

Such players would, like many before them, offer something new to the county game and wouldn't cost the earth. The opportunity to showcase their skills to their national selectors would be a massive incentive to them and there would be considerable benefit to clubs and fans alike.

Surely more than there currently is when having to choose from players who qualify, but only by dint of being, in some cases, an average player in a mediocre side, one that has enabled them, through that mediocrity to make the requisite qualifying international appearances?

As always I welcome your comments...