Two postbag questions..

To answer here the same question that I have been asked several times in recent days, I do think that Rory Haydon, Amrit Basra and Joe Hawkins will get deals for 2026. Indeed, the likelihood is that these will be announced in one press release in the not too distant future.

All offer something that the club needs and they are the right age, with a collective desire to succeed. On what we have seen so far, there is no real gamble in the offers.

If Derbyshire overlook the very obvious claims that these fellas have staked, I would be pretty concerned, to be honest.

But for the most frequent question in my postbag in the last seven to ten days - where is Mickey Arthur? 

Back in January, on the club website, it was announced that he had been appointed Director of Cricket by the Northern Superchargers.

In the article, on the tenth of that month, it said:

Arthur, who will remain with Derbyshire during the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, will undertake the largely hands-off role alongside his duties with the club, as the Superchargers prepare for the fifth edition of The Hundred this August.

It went on:

Arthur said: “Derbyshire remains my primary focus and I’m committed to achieving our goals of bringing success to the Club. 

Fast forward seven months and, with no announcement by the club that I have seen, it appears that Derbyshire has become the 'hands off' role. There has been no sign of him at the Metro Bank matches, according to my sources, and I find that extraordinary.

You can dress it up any way that you like. There can be protestations that the other coaches are being given opportunity to lead, but the fact remains that someone who is being paid a lot of money to oversee the cricketing fortunes of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, appears to be doing so at a distance and in a part-time capacity. Presumably for full-time wages. Could you imagine a football manager being told that they didn't need to turn up on match day?

Maybe the club is getting something for this 'other job'. Possibly that role offers contact with players who *might* come to the club. Some will maintain that it is good for the club's name to be taken into a different environment. Maybe he is at our matches, but if so is either keeping an unusually low profile or is cunningly disguised. 

If he isn't, I think it is disrespectful. 

To the players and supporters of Derbyshire, to the club itself. It smacks of our being an afterthought and all parties deserve better. 

Imagine you are Amrit Basra or Rory Haydon, bursting to impress on what is effectively a trial at a first class county. Only the person who is ultimately responsible for your getting a long-term contract isn't there. Yes, he can watch a stream, but don't these young players need feedback at the end of a day, or a game? Don't you need to see how they prepare? Offer a few, sage words of wisdom?  Of course he has his coaches, but it hardly seems sensible for someone to be controlling the destiny of others from afar. 

How can you tell your players to give total commitment to their jobs when you are clearly not doing it yourself? Derbyshire might be 'the primary focus' but it is clearly NOT all of the time.

Perhaps the club is fine by this, but I doubt that members or supporters are. At the very least, a press statement should have been put out to say that he was going to be elsewhere during this competition. As it is, the assumption is that they hoped no one would notice.

The club could nip these rumours in the bud by having him front up after the game at Leicester on Wednesday, from the ground. The suggestion that he should always do a media piece after games is a valid one. This is potentially the last game of real significance this summer and Arthur should be talking about it, win or lose.

I don't think it appropriate for someone who is Head of Cricket at our club to take on another role that prevents him from doing the job he is paid for. I don't care that much if he takes on a position in the early winter, when the players are doing fitness work. But I strongly feel that he should be at the club and with the players during the season.

I'd be surprised if anyone disagreed with me. And I am happy to apologise if he has been at recent matches.

But based on the quantity of trusted people telling me otherwise, I don't think that will be necessary.