T20 - the Wright experience

John Wright was brought over to Derbyshire two years ago, to offer the benefit of his vast experience and  ideally get us to our first ever finals day. It was a deal brokered by Kim Barnett and his extensive contact book and also saw Dominic Cork return to the club in the role of bowling coach. This year Grant Bradburn came on board at Wright's invitation, following a link set up with Cricket Scotland that saw Safyaan Sharif and Calum MacLeod engaged for the competition.

The end came as something of a damp squib. The final home game was washed out before Derbyshire embarked on a run chase, while the final match, at Durham last night, didn't even get that far. It was disappointing, but perhaps one of those things, as an opportunity for a successive quarter final was blown.

The finals day never materialised, but Wright brought a greater nous to the club's cricket in the format. Nor should Cork's contribution with the bowlers be undervalued and there was greater discipline with the ball, to go with more common sense with the bat. Our cricket had previously suffered from too many dot balls when we batted together with a collective desire to hit every ball for four, usually to the detriment of results. As I wrote many times on this blog, five singles an over plus a boundary will take you around the 180-200 mark, and more games are won than lost in doing that.

The Wright philosophy was to bowl teams out or limit their score, so wins would come. It worked well, especially last year when an array of all-rounders gave us bowling options to envy and a depth in batting. There was excellent cricket and stirring wins, with games and performances that will linger long in the memory, even sometimes in defeat, such as Trent Bridge.

It fell down last season on Matt Henry being less suited to the format (though a very good cricketer as he has continued to prove) and on inflexibility to the plan. The arrangement, that worked well, for Wayne Madsen to bowl at the start of the Power play should have been changed when Hampshire opened with Shahid Afridi, a known hitter with a penchant for slow bowling. Having barely made a run all summer, Afridi, a poor starter against pace, got away and the result was never in doubt thereafter.

It raised question marks over the captaincy and for me there should have been a change over the winter. Gary Wilson is a decent player but only an adequate captain and keeper. The inclusion of both he and Daryn Smit at the start of this summer's competition left the side unbalanced and suggested, rightly or wrongly, a management team unwilling to make a tough decision. Both are good players, but a side needs only one keeper and, as I have written before, the gig should always go to the best glove man. That isn't Wilson and his captaincy this summer again seemed wracked with too many contentious decisions.

Whether it was batting orders that changed by the game for no apparent reason, or the puzzling decision to bat Matt Critchley and Alex Hughes, free hitters both, below the captain, games were lost. The early inclusion of two wicket keepers could only have been justified were one Adam Gilchrist and the other Quinton de Kock. They weren't, and it left both the batting and bowling short. But when that was sorted (incorrectly, in my view) there were contentious decisions about the team make up and a choice of bowlers at times that made no sense. We bowled spin at Dan Christian this year as willingly as we did to Afridi last year and that was poor. If supporters know the preferences of opponents, surely the players, especially the captain should do so?

We will never know what difference Mitchell Santner might have made, as a world-class spin bowling all rounder. His absence, coupled with that of Luis Reece through injury would have challenged any side in the country. Yet in adversity we brought in two bowlers who will go down as among the best we have had. Both Wahab Riaz and Lockie Ferguson bowled with fire, purpose and skill and had they played in last year's side, a finals day appearance would have been ours. The return of both, or one plus Santner would be welcomed, but that is a decision for the new Head of Cricket and more affluent clubs will have seen their performances and coveted them. Riaz took Alex Hughes under his wing and the all-rounder, though starved of batting opportunity, produced some outstanding bowling returns.

Afridi would not have hit Riaz and Ferguson with impunity and their contribution to Derbyshire will not be forgotten after stellar seasons. Ferguson was magnificent, in match after match bowling with accuracy and fire, dropping searing yorkers in almost at will and claiming wicket after wicket with them. Riaz was the antithesis of the surly, fired up player who got in the face of Shane Watson, but bowled superbly at the top and tail of the innings and produced a couple of fine knocks when given unexpected elevated opportunity.

Yet this year's batting was a ponderous, hesitant beast that could be brilliant but more often was not. Calum MacLeod proved an asset, but only he, Wayne Madsen and Billy Godleman can look back on the competition with any satisfaction. The latter only came in towards the end but fully deserves to be a first choice pick from here after innings of power and common sense.

There were too many muddied selections. The engagement of Matt McKiernan, a leg spinner of talent, yet the refusal to play him on wickets that would have suited was a puzzle. The omission of Anuj Dal, then his selection, then batting him pretty much everywhere helped no one. Seeing Riaz bat with success at three, then nowhere near it afterwards  was a puzzle, as was seeing the side's best batsman, Wayne Madsen, as low as five on occasion. It suggested teams were being selected by reputation, rather than form, while batting orders seemed at times to be the result of the drawing of straws, or first to get the gloves on.

It was far from a disaster, as there were fine performances. We continue to punch above our weight, but frustratingly follow brilliance with ineptitude too frequently for continued progress to be confidently asserted. The right Head of Cricket appointment from here is crucial.

John Wright the cricketer was outstanding. The coach was very good, but perhaps hindered by his being, at the end of it all, too nice a guy. Too many big decisions were wrong, perhaps because of an unwillingness to 'make waves'. Things that happened on the pitch shouldn't have kept happening and the buck stops with captain and coach.

Over two summers we saw brilliant cricket at times AND we reached the knock out stage for only the second time. We beat Yorkshire twice in three days, home and away, thrashing them at 'Fortress Headingley'. The talent is definitely there.

There are building blocks in place and we must hope that we retain and re-engage the requisite talent and make the necessary changes for further improvement.

Thanks to both John and Dominic.

There wasn't a finals day. But you delivered some cracking cricket at times.