That have been a number of comments in recent days regarding what some people are referring to as Derbyshire's recruitment of experienced players 'seeking one last payday'.
Quite a few disagree and I am one of them.
It would be easy to go back to the period before World War Two and find any number of very experienced cricketers over the age of 40 in the first class game. Derbyshire signed Garnet Lee from Nottinghamshire and because of qualification requirements he did not make his debut until he was 38. Yet he played until he was 46 and probably produced the best form of his career in doing so, playing a major role in helping to develop the players who made up the 1936 championship-winning side.
After the war, counties filled their sides with players probably too old, because younger options were not there. So the Derbyshire ranks in 1946 included Albert Alderman, Denis Smith, George Pope and Bill Copson, all of them in their late 30s, while Tommy Mitchell would have played at the age of 44, had they been able to make it worth his while.
Moving on, the excellent Derbyshire side of the late 70s and early 80s was so good because of the recruitment of time-served professionals who aided in the development of younger tyros. Barry Wood and David Steele made their county debuts at 38, John Hampshire at 41. All were still very good cricketers and few were better than Eddie Barlow, 36 when he first played for the club. Ron Headley was very good in one-day matches at 35, Phil Sharpe was steady for two summers at 39, as well as being still the best slip fielder in the country.
Moving forward again, the England side that won the T20 World Cup final in 2022 had an average age of just over 33. The Australian side that recently won the World Cup averaged just under 32 years per player, with no player under the age of 29.
Next year's Derbyshire?
Here's a notional first choice T20 side (at present) of:
Reece, Came, Madsen, Donald, Lloyd, Whiteley, Patel, Guest, Chappell, Brown, Amir
Ignore the batting order, but the average age is again 33. The oldest players would be Madsen (40) Patel (38) and Whiteley (35). Could you name a younger player who would be a better option? All will be key to our chances and neither Madsen or Whiteley need hidden in the field, as once we had to hide the likes of Fred Trueman and Fred Rumsey, or more recently Ravi Rampaul or Imran Tahir.
As for Patel, his recurring T20 contracts around the globe suggest plenty of good judges feel he has plenty to offer. He might not be an athlete - he never has been - but there are few better limited over spinners in the game, he still hits a long ball and he has a safe pair of hands.
I firmly believe that Derbyshire's emerging young players will benefit from the input of such experience, while someone like Alex Thomson can tap into the expertise of Patel. Yusaf Bin Naeem will surely learn from working with the likes of Wayne Madsen and as for Harry Moore, might he not pick up a few things from Mohammad Amir?
I would like to think so.
I'd tend to agree though I think balance is needed and we can't afford to rely on the older players completely.
ReplyDeleteBrown and Donald are both in their peak years which is positive but we need to make sure the younger players get gametime as well and are ready to step in when the older players decline or retire which could happen anytime.
Wagstaff, Bin Naeem, Moore and others need opportunities.
It was absolutely criminal last season that Wagstaff wasn't given the last couple of games after having scored his maiden (and impressive 50) in the previous game when nothing was riding on those games he was then dropped for. Very poor selection in my opinion.
I beleive one of those games was against Gloucestershire who in contrast had 9 academy lads in their side including the brothers Price who both had excellent seasons. That's what we should be looking to emulate over the jext decade.
Seeing Leicestershire take other counties released young players and last season benefit hugely from the contributions of Patel (released by Essex), Kimber (picked up from minor counties) and Scriven (released by Hampshire) makes me think we need to look for more Harry Came's also as they're out there.
Not to mention Harry Elliott, who played four matches in 1947 and took several catches and a stumping at the age of 56! He was still umpiring Derbyshire Friars games over twenty years later.
ReplyDeleteSurely what matters is to create a team that wins matches consistently and is in contention for trophies, preferably playing attractive cricket? It isn't easy, but it's not quite as impossible as Derbyshire have made it look since the great days of the early 90s. Where the players come from, and how old they are isn't in itself so important, although I agree with Hamez that generally the best way to build a winning team is to aim for balance, certainly in terms of playing skills. Reading this blog and the comments on it over the past fifteen years is fascinating and a stark reminder that, by and large, placing faith in a team largely composed of youngish, locally produced players is an appealing idea that, unfortunately, has always had a touch of fantasy about it. The truth is that over the past twenty years plus, even the better local products (such as Taylor, Slater, and Hosein) have been quite a bit short of international class. We need match-winning overseas players and others with good experience of first class cricket - like Lloyd and Donald. Young players are most likely to flourish in a team that has plenty of experienced mentors and a winning mentality. And that's one of the reasons why they haven't tended to flourish at Derbyshire for a very long time. Mickey Arthur's recruitment reflects a rejection of the approach of the past. Time will tell if the individuals he has brought in can do the necessary. But it's certainly the case that the approaches of the past (the different philosophies of Houghton - twice, Welch, Barnett etc) have failed repeatedly and it's worth trying something different as long as it's logical and as long as the players are supported by quality coaching and good cricket wickets.
ReplyDeleteMy concern really is that this is Arthur's last year contract wise.
ReplyDeleteIs the recruitment of these older players a last roll of the dice aimed at a Blast finals day? Look at the age profile (start of the Blast) of a potential t20 XI:
Reece - 33
Lloyd - 31
Madsen - 40
Donald - 27
Whitely - 35
Wasim? - 35
Guest - 26
Patel - 39
Chappell - 27
Brown - 25
Amir - 32
Average age a smidge under 32. Appreciate Wasim is a guess but doesn't really change the theme and whomever the second overseas is likely to be older.
If it works and we win the Blast then who cares! But if it's another disastrous season then Arthur disappears and leaves us with a huge rebuild job with a significantly aging squad.
Dal, Came, Conners and Aitchison are all a good age but I'll be annoyed if the pessimistic scenario above plays out AND the likes of Moore and Wagstaff haven't gained good levels of experience.
Mickey is contracted to the end of 2025. He was originally on a 2 year plus optional extra deal, then signed a 2 year extension
Deletehttps://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/countycricket/mickey_arthur_derbyshire_contract_extension.html
Opportunities for those you name will be there, also for Lamb. But the T20 side won't be far from what you name.
Moore will still be at school so will be limited anyway, like Bin Naeem.
Wagstaff should get opportunities but will also learn from the experience brought in
Ah thanks mate I'd somehow missed the extension. That's a bit more reassuring then!
DeleteAt the moment an under 30s side would look like:
Came
Wagstaff
Guest
Lamb
Donald
Dal
Chappell
Conners
Aitchison
Brown
Potts
This is everyone fully contracted I think so it shows we'll need to think about our succession planning in the batting but it's a strong group I think with Reece and Lloyd still having plenty of time on their side.
I wouldn't describe it as a last roll of the dice, but there is a definite emphasis on T20, in my opinion. I would expect us to at least be strong contenders for a top 4 finish in the North group
DeleteSuccess breeds confidence, so improvements in the other competitions may then follow...
After the build up to the 2023 season, the feeling we were heading somewhere, then the niggling doubts about MA's dual roles, then that absolute dogs dinner of a season - I don't care if they are all Patel's age if it brings some success.
ReplyDeleteI totally get the comments on youth, but kids follow success. If we are in the mix on the pitch and in the media (social or traditional) young players will naturally progress to the club.
Do we really want to blood new kids in another season like 2023?
No Dave. We don't. Not by a long chalk.
DeleteThe signings do suggest that Mickey's priority is to win the T20. I'd settle for that. More broadly, we need a team that can win a trophy next season, but we also need to make sure we are laying the foundations for the future. As someone said, it's a balancing act.
ReplyDelete