It was good to read more news of our boys in India on the club site, with Daniel Redfern (94) and Paul Borrington (76) steering us to a six-wicket win. With Peter Burgoyne taking three wickets and Tom Poynton four stumpings, it could be said with conviction that they did very well indeed. Such experience can only be of benefit with the season approaching and Paul Borrington looks like he is staking an early claim on an opening berth, making good runs in the two matches so far.
Having grown up together through the Derbyshire ranks, Redfern and Borrington could prove a useful mutual support unit in the batting ranks and I confidently expect both players to make a breakthrough this year. Redfern hinted at it last season, enjoying one real purple patch, while Borrington, now free from studies and hopefully fully recovered from last year's ankle injury that set him back a little, should get a chance to cement a role in the side as opening batsman.
Elsewhere, Sussex have confirmed the signing of journeyman Scott Styris for the T20, which for me is solid if unspectacular. More interestingly, Yorkshire hope to secure the services of Phil Jaques as a "local" player.
I've got mixed feelings about this one, though I'd doubtless be more convinced by it if I were a Yorkshireman. On the one hand, the player has a British passport through his parents, which is fair enough, but is that substantially different to the recently retired Iain O'Brien, who married an English girl and was told he still couldn't play, despite having been resident for some time?
We have Michael di Venuto able to play with freedom on an Italian passport and Rikki Wessels able to play because he "runs a company" that makes a contribution to the economy and employs the requisite number of staff. There appear to be anomalies between what is fine for the visa people and what is acceptable to the ECB and surely we could get something that was workable and logical between the two?
My biggest concern is that Jaques has used his passport as one of convenience. First he is English and plays accordingly for Northamptonshire; then he is an overseas player for Yorkshire and Worcestershire, as well as an Australian international in eleven Tests. Now he wants to be English again. I've nothing against the player and he has been a very good cricketer, but if we're serious about doing the right thing by English cricket, aren't we just allowing another loophole to be exploited here?
For me the regulations should be clearcut. If you have played international cricket for another country, you are an overseas player. End of story. In addition, counties should be allowed to bring in any player from another country, irrespective of their international experience, as overseas star - but not in any other capacity, either Kolpak or passport of convenience. You could go back to two overseas players per side, but that is realistically not going to happen.
I'm thinking of some seriously talented players, especially in South Africa, who will never be seen in this country because of the sheer depth of talent there. People like Stephen Cook, son of Jimmy, who has a top score of 390 and a mid-40s average. The there's Richard Levi, Dean Elgar and Justin Ontong to name just three. All of them would be of greater interest to cricket fans here than some bloke who has played five one-dayers as a bits 'n' pieces man for New Zealand and the one who bats in the middle order for Zimbabwe and bowls a bit. I made them up, to prove a point, but you will all think of recent examples who appeared in the county game who didn't bring too much ability with their cricket bag.
I'm also thinking of my fellow fans. I would sooner go and see a quality cricketer who, simply because of the strength of his country's sport, cannot get an international opportunity, rather than someone who can, primarily because he's an average player in a poor side, but has got the requisite number of international matches under his belt.
I'm sure most of you would too. Why not let me know?
With regard to the forthcoming season I would like to see us at least consolidate or hopefully improve our position/I thought if we hadnt had such a sick list in 2009. I feel we are heading in the right direction rapidly. Donny Scorpion
ReplyDeleteYep, definitely bright prospects Donny, though we'll know more once the serious stuff starts.
ReplyDeletei thought yorks were pleading poverty, in which case one would assume they will be signing jaques instead of an o/s player, but why then go down the route of the english passport. i sudpect they will have an 'official' o/s player lined up too, in which case they should walk div 2 even though jaques is not as good as he once was. A dissapointiong move for yorks rivals.
ReplyDeleteInteresting what you say about the SA players who will never be seen on these shores, some may be very good, however when looking at SA domestic averages,some consideration must be taken for the standard when you remember that Lopsy Tsotbe averages about 20with the ball in FC cricket there, yet as derby fans can vindicate from his woeful performance at derby last year, he is not much of a bowler, yet is in and around the international squads and has a good domestic record, even though whenever i have seen him internationally or domestically he has always been distinctly average at best.