van Beek returns home

Logan van Beek ran in hard for the first game of his Derbyshire career, did the same in his last and maintained that same, one hundred per cent commitment throughout.

No one could fault his efforts for the club and despite his on field struggles he remained a genial, approachable lad. There was a ready and regular smile on his face and he bought readily into the club ethos.

Yet the bottom line was that his figures were not remotely close enough to a level required for the high pressure gig of overseas professional. In the county championship there were just nineteen wickets at 38 runs each, figures that ideally needed reversed, while a career batting average in the mid-twenties slipped to the mid-teens in Derbyshire colours, as the Dukes ball and English wickets proved challenging.

After a domestic winter in New Zealand where he had over forty wickets at fourteen each, we can only assume that whatever the quality in their national squad, there is not a lot of depth. Logan never found the right line and length consistently, and while he had a good bouncer that surprised a few with its venom, the perception from the boundary edge was that he was an 'Ooh' bowler, who beats the bat enough to impress those viewing, but bowls a length that will do that but not take wickets.

I watched a lot of him this summer, with time to do so post-surgery, and spent a lot of that time willing him to succeed. There were good spells, when he troubled batsmen, but most overs contained a 'release ball' that the batsman could get away for runs without being frustrated out. He would continue to run in hard, sometimes ending up on all fours with the effort, but it just didn't work out for him.

He never let us down in the field, where he was athletic with sure hands. His catch against Durham at Derby in early season turned the game, his subsequent spell perhaps as good as it got. Maybe, had he been playing under a European passport as a Netherlands player we may have been more understanding and he may have done better, but that overseas role is a tough gig.

He was not the first to find the going tough. Several before him came over in Kolpak and overseas roles and buckled under the strain. A player as brilliant as Lawrence Rowe couldn't cut it, nor Nantie Hayward, Hashim Amla, Dilshan, Telo, Rutherford, Broom et al. There is a world of difference between being expected to contribute to a win and being the one who does the winning.

I'd be surprised if he makes his goal as a Kiwi international, but you never know. Matt Henry struggled at Derbyshire, stood out for Kent and played a pivotal role in the World Cup this summer, as did Jimmy Neesham. None of those above were bad cricketers, some were great, but for whatever reason it never really worked out for them in Derbyshire colours.

The wording of the news in the club Twitter feed today suggested that he won't be back another year, given the benefit of the doubt on improvement. I think that is right, because to take the next step as a team we need a seam bowler who will lead the line. Rampaul has been brilliant this year, but will likely be in the new competition next year, after a stellar T20. Tony Palladino cannot go on forever and both Melton and Conners have much to do to prove themselves.

I think we may look to Australia, who have no international cricket over the next English summer and there are several players there who could do us a fine job. We would do very well, and may need to rob a bank to afford the likes of Hazlewood and Cummins, who may prefer to rest anyway, but there are others who would be very good options.

I am sure that Dave Houghton already has options and with Cameron Bancroft already signed for Durham and Travis Head for Sussex, other counties are already moving fast.

Last winter's evidence suggested that Houghton likes to move quickly on contracts, so expect news from Derbyshire in the coming weeks.