Safely returned to the bosom of my family near Glasgow today, I have a little time to offer my thoughts on the new contracts for Anuj Dal, Matt McKiernan and Luis Reece and the departure of Will Davis.
Departures are always sad and especially when it is a player who at one point looked to be something quite special. Will Davis burst on to the scene, bowled some spells of serious pace and looked to be a bowler with a big future. To be fair, so did Tom Taylor, Ben Cotton and Greg Cork in their time and questions need to be asked as to why our academy bowlers are not kicking on such as, for example, the ones at Worcestershire or Leicestershire. Whatever Dave Houghton does when he comes into post, he needs to get a handle on why academy progression is really an oxymoron.
For some young players, premature departure from clubs is down to some combination of attitude, indiscipline, poor fitness, limited skill set or lack of opportunity. No one can deny that Will Davis has a bucket load of talent, but now, after becoming the latest Derbyshire player to end up on the conveyor belt to Leicester, he needs to find his own answers to why it didn't work out at Derbyshire.
The bottom line is that he didn't play enough cricket. There are similarities with Alan Ward, also slight in physique and who also headed down to Leicester with less success than he had at his home county. Last winter Davis had his own personalised fitness programme, apparently looked really good in the nets, but probably played less cricket than in previous summers, when to be fair he didn't play a lot either.
He is unlucky, because at 22 he is nowhere near developed physically, but perhaps the mental side of fast bowling needs addressed too. Ask any quick bowler worth his salt and they will tell you they are rarely pain-free, but you have to learn to handle it until, perhaps in your mid-twenties, your body is better able to cope. Both Wahab Riaz and Lockie Ferguson said as much before a T20 game this summer and it is just a shame that our finances do not allow more time for youthful prodigies. If Davis can overcome his physical frailties, he could still be a very good bowler. By the same token, I don't blame Derbyshire for releasing him, because there is an expectation, after several summers on the staff, that a player should be better able to play cricket.
Will Davis wasn't and while it is a shame to see him go, I don't blame the club for releasing him to better use the money elsewhere. I wish him well at Leicestershire and will follow his progress with interest.
A direct beneficiary of his departure is likely to be Matt McKiernan, as well as Anuj Dal, I would be surprised - and very impressed - if our financial situation as it stands allows for major recruitment this winter, but both of these players did well in limited opportunities. Both are all rounders, though Dal hardly bowled in his first team opportunities this year. I could have understood the decision whichever way it had gone, because he didn't make the most of his opportunities in weight of runs. But enough has been seen in his fast hands and feet to think that Dave Houghton may polish up a gem over the winter.
Dal can defend and attack well. What he needs to do now is build on composed twenties and thirties and turn them into big scores. Was there, or will there be consideration of Chesney Hughes, who scored a lot more runs in the second team than him? Maybe his boat has sailed, but Anuj is young enough to develop still further. By the same token, perhaps at 27 Chesney is coming to his peak...
McKiernan is a good cricketer and as a leg-spinning all rounder will give us another option on turning tracks next year. Earlier in the summer I watched a Glamorgan player clump him into the vegetation at Belper, before perishing two balls later, trying to repeat the shot from a similar, but more flighted delivery. He bowls a good length and turns his googly impressively, while his batting ability will do him no harm. Maybe he is also a plan B, just in case Matt Critchley is tempted elsewhere, but I hope Critch realises that his game can come on much more playing regular cricket at Derbyshire than being a more peripheral figure at a 'bigger' county.
As for Luis Reece, a new deal was a no brainer. He is a class act and was sorely missed for the majority of the summer. In adding him to those on extended deals, the club has secured one of the country's best all-rounders.
I expect to see him cement that title in the coming years and thoroughly enjoy watching him, whether batting or bowling. He makes things happen and, crucially, goes about his game with a smile on his face.
The lot of a professional cricketer is one that many aspire to, but few have the skills to achieve. Reece has those skills in spades and looks like he enjoys every single minute.
There's something for others around the country to aspire to, right there.
Hadn't seen the announcement re McKiernan. My only view of him was in a T20 at Old Trafford and he acquitted himself very well. Surprising that he wasn't given other opportunities.
ReplyDeleteThink Matt Mckiernan is a quality cricketer but an odd fit for Derbyshire. He can bat as well (bats 3 in club cricket) and is ultimately very similar to Matt Critchley (both also Lancs raised)
ReplyDeleteLuke
I think Davis’ departure is as much his choice as ours, indicated by Nixon's comment that he "burst on to the county scene with a number of quality performances but had his chances limited due to Derbyshire’s experienced pace attack." I’m not convinced that injury was a big factor in his absence this year, as he played consistently for the seconds in May and June after bowling as well as anyone at Leicester in the “beany hat” match in April. For the following match against Warwickshire, Footitt was brought in on loan, while Davis was fit enough to play in the seconds. So it looks as if he was available but not being selected, and it’s no surprise if he became disillusioned and disheartened with the preference being shown to under-performing imports.
ReplyDeleteSad as the loss of one of our best prospects for years is, even worse is what it says about our attitude to supporting and developing young bowlers. He is just the latest in a long line of young pace bowlers who have failed to progress. We lavished resources on their development, and then wasted more on expensive, under-performing imports to cover the gaps left by that lack of progress. Consider that if their contracts run their course, Viljoen and Rampaul will cost the club something like £750,000, or roughly the cost of keeping 4 or more young bowlers for 5 years each. Rather than meaning that we can’t afford to give more time for talented young players to develop, our limited resources demand that we have to allow time for talented bowlers, simply because we can’t compete in the current market for good experienced bowlers, whether Kolpak or from other counties. If we are going to ditch every talented young fast bowler who suffers injury problems after three or four years, let's just accept that we're always going to be the home of second rate imports and ageing journeymen.
The reality is that over the last 6 years, 16 pace bowlers have come and gone from Derbyshire (not including overseas and loans) for a variety of reasons. We haven’t produced a single bowler from our own system who has gone on to have a full career since Tom Lungley in 2000, although some might argue Wayne White if you think he had a full career. It is a repeated and systematic failure over 20 years, and isn’t a matter of limited finance, small population, or any of the other tropes that are trotted out to explain Derbyshire failure. Leics, Worcs, Gloucs and Northants have all produced and developed good fast bowlers. It isn’t for Davis to think about why it didn’t work out for him, it’s Derbyshire that needs to think about why it doesn't work out for so many and for so long
It’s superficial to put it down to the shortcomings, perceived or real, of the individuals concerned. Coaching isn't just about technical skills, and we are failing if we aren’t helping players to cope with the emotional and psychological aspects of fast bowling. Perhaps our new bowling coach will address this, but In the meantime, if you were the parent of a young bowler, or agent for an ambitious young bowler looking for new opportunities, would you honestly advise them to come to Derbyshire?
As things stand, our pace bowling resources are very thin. Two very expensive and under-performing imports, one ageing warhorse who may not benefit from the suggested change to Kookaburra balls next season, two all-rounders (and I'm not sure that Reece can combine too much bowling without it affecting his batting or that Hughes is any more than a fill-in in 4 day cricket) and three completely inexperienced teenagers.
If he can stay fit, I think Davis is going to be an outstanding acquisition for Leics, and with the support of an outstanding bowling coach in Matt Mason, he and Tom Taylor (who I also think was prematurely released) are going to be coming back to haunt us regularly.
I think notoveryets comments are spot on re youngsters, especially the pace bowlers our system falls down, either in that we cannot coach bowlers to the level required, or we release them too quickly! We need to ensure that the current youngsters, hosein, critchley, Hughes etc. are secured, otherwise the uphoria of retaining reece, madsen etc will be tempered and this year's progress will have been lost.
ReplyDeleteThe comments made by notoveryet sum up the current situation entirely.
ReplyDeleteDerbyshire CCC showing preference to "underperforming imports" and destined to be "the home of second rate imports and ageing journeymen "
The academy success rate is seemingly as disappointing as ever and the exodus of home produced talent continues.
Is this going to be the pattern for the forseeable future...?
The club must do all they can to produce an environment where young players want to make their future with Derbyshire.