There was, at least as far as I am concerned, no great surprise in today's announcement regarding Hardus Viljoen.
The bowler has opted to be released from the final year of his contract and so will play no more for Derbyshire.
His success in the Pakistan 10 over competition, together with his selection for this year's Indian Premier League, will have allowed him to look quite differently at his future. It may well be that he is picked up for a stint in the Caribbean Premier League and his need to bowl long spells in county cricket is no longer there.
Regular readers will know that I suspected something may be afoot when there was no comment from the County on his IPL deal. Dave Houghton will be very keen to get off to a flyer in the season, yet we faced the first critical weeks without our highly paid Kolpak signing.
Furthermore, replacing him for a short spell would have been almost impossible, as any domestic bowler will be signed up at this stage.
I think that the parting of ways makes sense for both the club and the player. His signing, two years ago, suggested that we would have the attacking spearhead that was sorely needed after the departure of Mark Footitt, yet it didn't work out.
He missed much of his first season and was really only fit when it was coming to a conclusion. There was at least that golden game at Hove, when he entered the county record books, and supporters were optimistic about his second summer.
Sadly, aside from two or three useful spells in the T20, perhaps a portent for his future, it was far from spectacular. Too often line and length deserted him and the county needed someone of greater reliability. He took wickets, but the average was too high for an overseas signing and too many runs were given away, as Messrs Smit and Hosein dived hither and thither in vain to stop the wayward exocets.
To some extent he will be missed, as a dangerous late order hitter, while if he did get it right he could bowl some very fast and awkward deliveries. It just didn't happen often enough though and the regular cost/benefit analysis of supporters too often found him wanting.
I wish him well for the future, wherever it takes him, but Dave Houghton will now seek better value from wherever he goes for a replacement.
With the season fast approaching, and this on the cards for some time, I would be surprised if there were not already irons in the fire. We are potentially able to bring in another Kolpak, or player with an English passport from overseas, hopefully better suited to our needs and to English conditions.
If we don't, we have a major gap in our seam bowling resources for the summer. Logan Van Beek may well need to bowl at one end, only coming off in September, while Tony Palladino and Ravi Rampaul will have heavier workloads than their ages really warrant. Nor would we want Luis Reece bowling 20-overs an innings, when he has to then bat in the top three. Aside from that we have the academy boys, which is asking a lot of them.
Like the rest of you, I will watch future developments with considerable interest.
Could we get Wahab across all three formats Peakfan ??
ReplyDeleteDoubt it Woolbag. He usually gets a CPL gig and I don't know if he would want a full county season.
DeleteWould be handy though...
Not shocked either but it would have been nice at the end of last season rather than 3 months to go till season starts. lets hope DH and JW have a plan up their sleeve maybe a loan
ReplyDeleteTrue but at end of last season he hadn't played the Pakistan T10. Now he has a gig in their T20, then the IPL. Don't blame him, but we need to sort a replacement and I hope the club comment soon
ReplyDeleteWhen you're bowling as badly as he was or injured all the time its not good to be posting photos of flash cars you're driving on social media, can't imagine the others players who did much much on much less were impressed with his antics and ego. An expensive failure a club of our size couldn't afford to carry. I'm glad he's gone
ReplyDeleteWhilst it is not a surprise that Viljoen has left Derbyshire, the latest Houghton article on the DCCC website is admirable about wanting to use youngsters and developing them but also depressing that it looks like we are not investing in the playing squad.
ReplyDeleteWe had an opportunity to go for one of the three promotion places and it does not look like we are going to do so.
Off the pitch, we are weaker with Simon Storey having left. On the pitch, we are weaker with Slater, Wilson, Davis and Viljoen leaving with no replacements in. The players leaving do not perform up to expectations (Slater apart) but to not replace them or strengthen seems ludicrous.
Any development of Tom Lace is likely to be for the long-term benefit of Middlesex, rather than Derbyshire.
It also looks like Rampaul (and his 13 County Championship wickets at an average 50) is back to being a key player rather than someone we should be looking to agree to terminated his contract.
Whilst the notion of blooding youngsters is admirable, we should not have to rely on them and Reece and Hughes to help Palladino and Van Beek to take 20 wickets. It could be a long season ahead.
Peakfan: How much do you think we have saved on the wages of Wilson, Slater, Viljoen and Olivier, let alone Storey? How do you feel about the situation following the latest Houghton article.
Like I said, the players leaving were overpaid and not performing up to standards but to not replace and try to strengthen a weakened squad seems like a foolish policy which doesn’t inspire fans.
Gareth
I will reply to your points tomorrow, Gareth, and give my thoughts on what Dave Houghton has said
ReplyDeleteI make it that we now only have 12 contracted players (not including Lace) on the staff who have played more than 1 first class match, and one of those is Anuj Dal who has only played four. I applaud David Houghtons comments about trying to get young players into the team, but I’d rather they were in it on merit and not just to make up the numbers because we’ve been unable to invest in recruitment for whatever reason.
ReplyDeleteIt’s not like we have much quality either, with Madsen the only player averaging more than 35, and no bowlers averaging under 29. I daren’t think what our starting eleven for the RLODC is going to be - we’ll have to play either 2 spinners (in April) or 2 keepers just to get a team out!
RLODC
ReplyDelete1. Godleman ©️
2. Lace
3. Reece
4. Madsen
5. A Hughes
6. Critchley
7. Hosein (w/k)
8. Dal
9. Van Beek
10. Palladino
11. Rampaul
Not sure if Palladino will want to play white ball but if not one of the young seamers who are contracted. Or a loan.