Monday musings

There's not a great deal to report in the world of county cricket over the weekend.

The best news from a Derbyshire perspective was an encouraging debut 88 for Usman Khawaja, playing for Queensland against South Australia. While his Derbyshire stint was perhaps not as prolific as he or we might have hoped, the further exposure to English conditions must have helped his game. His two innings in that final match at Derbyshire clearly illustrated what a fine player he is and a strong winter back in Australia could yet see him make the England tour party next summer.

It was good to see the Rams beat our local neighbours on Sunday and it set me wondering about whether we will see something similar next summer when we play Nottinghamshire in the county championship.

I have to say that I feel some fans are perhaps guilty of building next summer into something more than it is. I know it will be difficult and my "goal" for Derbyshire is to finish third bottom, but I don't look at the fixture list in trepidation. OK, Warwickshire will be tough and on the evidence of two CB40 games this summer they would slaughter us, but I still maintain we're a better four-day side than over the shorter form of the game.

To be fair, Warwickshire hammered better sides than us this summer, while both Somerset and Nottinghamshire will be tough matches. Yet it would be a fool who overlooked the merits of the Derbyshire side, or more accurately the Derbyshire TEAM. There were comparisons made with Worcestershire on Sky during the Hampshire game, and I suppose that is inevitable, but I think that we're a better team. I see Middlesex as beatable and Surrey as a side in need of a major influx of talent over the winter months to compete. They have lost a lot of batting talent and will need to replace it to avoid a relegation battle themselves.

Sussex have a decent side but their peak was with Mushtaq as a bowling spearhead and Murray Goodwin as a batting lynchpin. Both are now gone and they look more vulnerable as a result. Steve Magoffin had an extraordinarily good summer and was a contender for overseas player of the year in my book, but whether he can replicate that without the novelty value is a moot point. Joyce and Nash are a good opening pair but none of their batsmen averaged 40 this summer, which tells its own story. Yorkshire have strengthened their weaker suit, bowling, with the addition of Jack Brooks and the likely one of Liam Plunkett, but I don't see them as title contenders.

Next summer will be a challenge, beyond doubt, but not an insurmountable one. Much will depend on the strengthening of respective sides between times, but if Derbyshire can show the resolve that they did for much of 2012, grit that was replicated by Derby County on Sunday, then we will be far from disgraced.

That's all I have to say at this stage.