Jewell's contribution wasn't massive in the final, but his knock in the semi-final was a major factor in them getting there.
His team mate Mitchell Owen completed a century and tournament to remember with an astonishing knock that equalled the fastest in the competition history and featured 11 sixes. He is in the form of his life and of course should capitalise on that with numerous offers from around the globe. I suspect his feats will put him out of Derbyshire's range financially, but also I would expect a Vitality Blast deal from somewhere. It makes sense for him, given that it also puts him in the shop window for that other pesky competition, later in the summer..
It was good today to see Tom Poynton speaking honestly on the club site about 2024 and the expectations for this summer. I was especially interested in hearing of our plans to use more hybrid pitches at Derby, which makes considerable sense considering the makeup of our attack. It will then be down to the batters to do their thing and offer something for the bowlers to work with.
Also interesting was his reference to big name players - and I paraphrase - setting the standard and justifying their contracts. It is important that they do so and win matches.
T20 is a world apart from red ball cricket and it is important to remember that a quick twenty from ten balls can make you a hero and match-winner. So too a tight spell of bowling, but Poynton made it clear that contracts for 2026 are there to be earned and will need a greater standard of consistency than last year.
I still feel that the squad has the talent to be competitive in all forms and Tom referred to the collapses that were far too common last summer. We need to see a different Derbyshire this summer, one that gives more to remember than impressive but fleeting individual performances.
As an example - and there are many, one could choose - Nye Donald has to become a match winner in T20, not someone who slaps a quick fifty in the Powerplay, then gets out. A little greater nous would see him bat the innings and put the total out of sight after such a start. How many times have we all seen a blistering opening reined in by the fielding side, as tumbling wickets see the new men having to 'get in?' We all know Nye can hit the ball a country mile, but choosing the right ball to do so makes a big difference, in any format.
Anyway, only 66 days to go to the County Championship, 56 until the first pre-season game. While it didn't seem so when Storm Eowyn was rattling windows and felling fences last week, we're getting there!
The elephant in the room is that the Mickey Arthur contract is up at the end of the year, as far as we've been told anyway. Presumably the club have plans in place if things don't work out in the opening couple of months or a new contract if they do.
ReplyDeleteI must admit my expectations are low. The main reason to renew my membership is to see Wayne in action again together with the development of Harry Moore and Mitch Wagstaff (if he can get a game).
A fairly candid interview with Tom Poynton. Of course, he wasn't openly critical of Mickey, but reading between the lines, I sensed a disappointment with his tenure. One of our biggest problems is dealing with collapsititis, which has plagued us in so many games.
ReplyDeleteIn G7 of the Big Bash, Owen made a stunning hundred. A team could have jumped in and snapped him up on the cheap there and then. If we'd waited until the Big Bash was in progress, we could have pounced and got a bargain.
ReplyDeleteWe really need to be more proactive and flexible sometimes, especially when money is tight.
IMO There was no need to sign Jewell so early. It's not like there would have been a slew of teams fighting over his signature that early on.
The 'Derbyshire trophy wins revisited' is a fascinating series and, while needing to adapt lessons to the current environment and personnel (e.g. Barnett arguably our greatest player and captain but his stint in charge following retirement showed he had been too long removed from the game to be effective beyond board level), lots to learn for future success. And we should never have gotten rid of Krikk! Watch them here: https://www.youtube.com/user/derbyshiretv
ReplyDeleteInsight from the ever excellent David Griffin, as is his brief comment today on D Day for the counties: https://x.com/dgriffinpix/status/1884912991977513190
I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s announced early next season that the management board were in negotiations with Mickey Arthur to extend his contract because in their opinion he’s been doing a fantastic job over the last four years
DeletePatel says: "We're targeting an overseas leg-spinner who can help us take wickets outside of the powerplay.
ReplyDelete"Because last season I had to bowl wide of off stump to the long boundary and be defensive at times. Hopefully, I can be a bit more attacking this year. I think I can be a little more aggressive if I have a more aggressive bowler to dovetail with.
"Then I can be a bit choosier about when I bowl. Maybe I can bowl in the powerplay and at the death a bit. I couldn't bowl in the powerplay last year because I had to bowl in the middle overs. If the opposition doesn't know for sure when I’m bowling that gives us an advantage."
https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/county-cricket-premium/samit_patel_still_ambitious_veteran_allrounder_enters_fifth_decade.html