In response to questions on the Derbyshire contract situations, I have looked into it and come up with the information below.
It is always hard to give a definitive answer, as optional years are not always divulged to the media. I cannot think many of the names below will have that, but if anyone has information to the contrary, please let me know.
Ending 2021: Nils Priestley, Mattie McKiernan, Anuj Dal, Mikey Cohen, Dustin Melton, Alex Hughes, George Scrimshaw, Nick Potts, Fynn Hudson-Prentice (joining Sussex)
2022 - Billy Godleman, Wayne Madsen, Matt Critchley, Leus du Plooy, Harvey Hosein, Brooke Guest, Ben Aitchison, Sam Conners
2023 - Luis Reece, Harry Came, Alex Thomson
It would therefore appear that the close season affords opportunity for change for Derbyshire.
You know what I feel. The change should start off the field and let someone new come in with a long term strategy, fresh eyes and different contacts. There are players who have been signed yet have not developed, either through coaching, lack of opportunity or lack of motivation. We seem to have too many peripheral players, who cannot hold down a regular place and only a handful of the requisite standard or with genuine potential of becoming that.
There is a big winter in store.
Does Derbyshire CCC have a board that is prepared to be decisive and strive for better than being also-rans? Or are they just happy to have their role on a LinkedIn account for professional development and to not rock the boat?
The coming weeks will tell. But despite Dave Houghton's assertion that if we finish top two of the bottom six it represents a season of progress, I can see precious few signs of that.
Too many mistakes off the field have caused too many issues on it.
When asked the question in years to come about when I felt the least 'in love' with Derbyshire cricket, I will forget the early 70s.
2021 is a clear winner.
Derbyshire ccc, RIP. This is certainly the worst side I've ever seen Peakfan, minor counties sides would give us a good game that's how far we've sunk. I really couldn't care less who stays and who goes, we'll only replace like for like. What I do know is that the whole management need to go asap
ReplyDeleteOf those ending 2021, keep Macca and Scrimshaw. Rest can be put out to pasture as far as I'm concerned.
ReplyDeleteIt is now important that we win some games of cricket even if only 1 CC and 1 RLODC. At least we wouldn’t start next season with not won since 2020 hanging over us.
ReplyDeleteHow we wish we could turn the clock back to April 17th and declare before close of play against Worcestershire and then win on the final day. How this season could have been so different.
What we all could not have foreseen was how poorly the batting line up would perform. Most of us thought that we had one of the better top 4’s in the league. Yet in the last 6 innings we have failed to make 150. We need more than double that to win matches.
We have become too reliant on Wayne Madsen when we should be freeing him to play without having the pressure to carry the batting team.
In player recruitment we need top order batsmen although these will become harder and harder to find as young players are going to be more attracted to tuning the style for T20 and 100 and not the Red Ball game. Look how England have struggled to replace Trott and how many young Indians will want to be the next Pujara.
We also need an experienced fast bowler and relying on young bowlers is an accident waiting to happen as too much bowling for young bowlers increases the risk of injury while their bodies are developing.
Clearly we are missing the entire batting unit, which make things seem a lot worse. Don't get me wrong,things aren't great. I would be looking at keeping Cohen, Hughes and Scrimshaw. I've heard good things on Potts, but I'm not qualified to say. I think the bits and pieces all rounders have to be trimmed a bit. Kris
ReplyDelete