Well that's been a cracker of a day! At work a number of my colleagues were looking down in the mouth at the sad news emanating from Ibrox about Glasgow Rangers. A £45 million tax bill, potentially £70 million, is a shocker and indicative of shambolic management; a lot are wondering what it means for the future of their club.
"Never mind lads" I told them at lunchtime, "Derbyshire have signed Rana Naved, you can support a good team now..."
It was a joke of course, but highlights the feel good factor of this signing. I've only seen one negative comment (sigh...) from a "fan" who reckoned it was "not the world class player we'd been promised". Honestly, the occasional individual makes me think that if Chris Grant had bought the Back to the Future De Lorean and recruited Sobers 1966 and Barlow 1970 they'd still grumble. If seventy-plus one-dayers, Test caps and lengthy stints as a professional in England and Australia don't qualify you as world class, the entrance exam standard must have gone up when I wasn't looking.
Anyone who saw those statistics I produced at the weekend and watched the video clips I posted this morning has to appreciate that Rana is a very fine cricketer. I like his enthusiasm, which will be important for a young team and the fact that we're looking for him to impart some of his experience on those tyros. For me, Naved is Langeveldt with the added bonus of being a very handy batsman. He might well make a difference to our T20 fortunes, but only if the rest of the team do their stuff around him. One star will win nothing on his own, but leven players working together with the inclusion of a star name might just surprise a few peoplealong the way.
I just hope we use Rana better than Hobart did. For me, he's a shoo-in for two Powerplay overs and two at the end of the innings, but I'd like to see him bat at six. Hobart batted him at eight or nine, which was a criminal waste and cost them their semi-final. If he gets runs, he does so quickly and can take an average score out of reach. If he doesn't, then we have people below him who can see out the overs in less frenetic style.
For what its worth, I'd be inclined to go with a T20 side along these lines:
Khawaja
Durston
Whiteley
Hughes
Madsen
Rana Naved
Park
Clare/Groenewald
Poynton
Wainwright
Knight/Seamer
With no disrespects to the very talented Usman Khawaja, Martin Guptill at the top of that order might even make me head down to the bookies for a bet on a quarter-final place, but Khawaja will have the opportunity to show people that he can come to terms with the demands of T20 and be the player that the rest bat around. I'd also bat Whiteley at three, where his ability to hit is offered the longest opportunity in which to do so. There's little merit in opening with Hughes, as more teams open with spin now, then switch to seam in the middle overs. The skipper can play any game and Rana at six could be spectacular. Park's bowling and brilliance in the field gets him my nod at seven, with other seamers and Knight being played on rotation and when available. Poynton and Wainwright are very good players to have so low, but would be handy insurance if things went pear-shaped on occasion. There's also eight bowlers, which will be handy on occasion.
Yes, I like this signing and I respect the vast amount of time and effort that went into making it happen. I'm especially pleased by the suggestion in today's Derby Telegraph that the club would like it to be a longer-term association. At 33, Rana Naved has three or four good years left in him and could be a vital component of experience in a young, developing side.
One final point - I hope the club check the fine print of their insurance policy. If Rana gets his range at the County Ground, his normal arc is roughly around where the pavilion and marquee sit. There could be a nice sponsorship opportunity there for a local glazier....
Showing posts with label Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan. Show all posts
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Derbyshire sign Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan!
Anyone see that one coming?
Me neither. I'm sure I read recently that Sussex had engaged their powerhouse all-rounder Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan for this year's T20. They, along with others, sought the signature of an inspirational cricketer who is a genuine name in the game. This time Derbyshire won out, securing the services of a real star in world T20 to the County Ground, in a move that should ensure healthy crowds for this season's fixtures, as well as improved prospects. It also amply illustrates that contacts in the wider game of cricket are alive and well at the County Ground.
What will we see? First, a player who gives 100% in any game he plays. Rana has given great service to Sussex and his time at Yorkshire was hindered only by a bad shoulder injury. He is a folk hero down in Tasmania, where they call him "The People's Mullet", reference to his flowing locks. His aeroplane celebration of wickets is enjoyed and his unerring ability to drop yorkers of varying pace into the blockhole have made him a player in demand. He doesn't have searing pace, but he has a quick ball, coupled with control and the ability, like most seam bowlers from Pakistan, to bowl a devastating yorker and mix it up while maintaining accuracy. Sixteen wickets at 15 for Sussex last year and a batting average of 24; fifteen wickets at 17 for Hobart, where he only batted three times. This is a player at the top of his game, a genuine go-to bowler, as you can see in these clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goVKwAZgjJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Zc1HyiFKQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxjIYryprxo
I like that run out. 32 needed from 2 balls and he's still aiming to keep the runs down. That's my kind of player...
His Test record was steady, rather than spectacular, though over a hundred wickets in one-day internationals highlights his forte. 626 first-class wickets at 24 is impressive, but 100 wickets at 19 in T20 pinpoints his strength. Those statistics I produced the other day seem all the more pertinent now.
He has been the overseas star for the past three winters in Hobart. This year he took them to the Big Bash semi-finals with fifteen wickets and but for some odd captaincy may well have taken them all the way. Rana didn't get in until over 40 were required with less than four overs to go, yet they got within seven of a shock thanks to some mighty hitting. His unbeaten 30 from just 14 balls was far quicker than anyone else managed in the match on a slow pitch.
His batting has no frills, like his compatriots Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq. If its there, he hits it a long way, often over the ropes, yet five first-class centuries highlight him as more than just a slogger. If he is required to cover for Usman Khawaja in July when Australia A tour we will enjoy the services of a very good cricketer who can add valuable late order runs as well as taking wickets.
One story highlights why I rate him highly. I saw him at Denby in 2008, playing for Yorkshire 2nds on his way back from serious injury (a dislocated shoulder) and Derbyshire, thanks to a fine spell from Ross Whiteley, were in control of the game. When Rana came in, the game changed. His forty-odd from around 20 balls took us apart. So too did his three wickets later, when Freddie Klokker's century had put us in a strong position. You could have excused a player of his reputation not trying too hard in such circumstances, but his efforts won the game.
In short, Rana is a game-changer, exactly what Karl Krikken and Chris Grant set out to sign. I'm delighted that we have got him at Derbyshire for that very reason, but also for something else. We saw off the interests of other counties in acquiring his services and that hasn't happened too many times in my experience.It might be a start of the turning of the tide, where Derbyshire are seen from a totally new perspective by agents, fans and the media.
Last week I wrote that we could do with signing "someone like" Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan. We've now got the real thing. Start growing your hair folks, the Mullet will soon be in town.
And beware of low flying aircraft....
Me neither. I'm sure I read recently that Sussex had engaged their powerhouse all-rounder Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan for this year's T20. They, along with others, sought the signature of an inspirational cricketer who is a genuine name in the game. This time Derbyshire won out, securing the services of a real star in world T20 to the County Ground, in a move that should ensure healthy crowds for this season's fixtures, as well as improved prospects. It also amply illustrates that contacts in the wider game of cricket are alive and well at the County Ground.What will we see? First, a player who gives 100% in any game he plays. Rana has given great service to Sussex and his time at Yorkshire was hindered only by a bad shoulder injury. He is a folk hero down in Tasmania, where they call him "The People's Mullet", reference to his flowing locks. His aeroplane celebration of wickets is enjoyed and his unerring ability to drop yorkers of varying pace into the blockhole have made him a player in demand. He doesn't have searing pace, but he has a quick ball, coupled with control and the ability, like most seam bowlers from Pakistan, to bowl a devastating yorker and mix it up while maintaining accuracy. Sixteen wickets at 15 for Sussex last year and a batting average of 24; fifteen wickets at 17 for Hobart, where he only batted three times. This is a player at the top of his game, a genuine go-to bowler, as you can see in these clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goVKwAZgjJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Zc1HyiFKQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxjIYryprxo
I like that run out. 32 needed from 2 balls and he's still aiming to keep the runs down. That's my kind of player...
His Test record was steady, rather than spectacular, though over a hundred wickets in one-day internationals highlights his forte. 626 first-class wickets at 24 is impressive, but 100 wickets at 19 in T20 pinpoints his strength. Those statistics I produced the other day seem all the more pertinent now.
He has been the overseas star for the past three winters in Hobart. This year he took them to the Big Bash semi-finals with fifteen wickets and but for some odd captaincy may well have taken them all the way. Rana didn't get in until over 40 were required with less than four overs to go, yet they got within seven of a shock thanks to some mighty hitting. His unbeaten 30 from just 14 balls was far quicker than anyone else managed in the match on a slow pitch.His batting has no frills, like his compatriots Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq. If its there, he hits it a long way, often over the ropes, yet five first-class centuries highlight him as more than just a slogger. If he is required to cover for Usman Khawaja in July when Australia A tour we will enjoy the services of a very good cricketer who can add valuable late order runs as well as taking wickets.
One story highlights why I rate him highly. I saw him at Denby in 2008, playing for Yorkshire 2nds on his way back from serious injury (a dislocated shoulder) and Derbyshire, thanks to a fine spell from Ross Whiteley, were in control of the game. When Rana came in, the game changed. His forty-odd from around 20 balls took us apart. So too did his three wickets later, when Freddie Klokker's century had put us in a strong position. You could have excused a player of his reputation not trying too hard in such circumstances, but his efforts won the game.
Last week I wrote that we could do with signing "someone like" Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan. We've now got the real thing. Start growing your hair folks, the Mullet will soon be in town.
And beware of low flying aircraft....
Friday, 10 February 2012
Something for the weekend
I was talking cricket with a couple of pals at work today and one of them asked me who I would most like to see named as Derbyshire's T20 "game changer" for this season. Neil is a Kent fan and somewhat despairing of what is happening to his club, while Donald is a Durham fan who is quietly confident of their chances for the season. He's also happy that they have signed Herschelle Gibbs for the T20.
I've said before that we need something different. A hitter who can clear the boundaries would be good, but a quick bowler, a "go to" man in the style of Charl Langeveldt, would make a big difference. I wrote in the week that we had a good quota of batsmen and if we brought someone in we need to remember that someone else misses out. Much depends on the market and I see little sense in bringing in someone who isn't substantially better than what we already have, while signing two overseas batsmen might not make the most sense either...
I think our target, having given it thought, will be a seam bowler. For all the appeal of Duminy and du Plessis, we only have five seamers for a season's cricket at present. With a little luck that would get us through the Championship and Pro 40, but T20 is physically demanding and I think we need someone else to give them a breather.
Mind you, as I wrote the other night, available quick bowlers are in short supply, with Nannes signed by Surrey, Tait and Lee injured, Steyn and Morkel wrapped in cotton wool by South Africa. There's not many others out there, especially with Australia touring here for one-dayers in the summer and New Zealanders out of the reckoning (because otherwise we'd have had Martin Guptill).
Sadly, the type of players who would make a real difference are, to my knowledge, already signed. Abdul Razzaq is a super T20 player and made a huge contribution to Leicestershire's win last season. Tight overs at the end of the innings and some power hitting to lengthen targets made a major contribution to the team. Razzaq was also a standout for Hampshire as they won it the year before - surely no coincidence.
In a similar vein is a player I watched and admired in Australia's Big Bash. Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan has given sterling service to Sussex over recent years and for the last three winters has become a folk hero in Tasmania, taking them to the semi-finals of the competition with his potent combination of yorkers and variations of pace. His dangerous hitting would have got them all the way too, if not for an odd bit of captaincy that left his arrival at the crease until too late.
That's the sort of player we could do with, but their counties know when they are on to a good thing and will doubtless be hanging on to them both. They offer something whether their team is batting or bowling and in an ideal world Karl Krikken and Chris Grant would source someone like that.
No tall order then. A six-hitter who bowls economically at critical times in the innings. Mission Impossible? Or is there someone out there in the world game that I've missed?
Elsewhere Leicestershire have signed Ramnaresh Sarwan, a good batsman who could turn out to be an inspired signing and who should be in a first-choice West Indian side. Weight and fitness issues have hampered him in recent years, but if he is fully fit they could have picked up a gem, one with a point to prove.
There have been a few critical comments around the blog and the Forum on the news that Leek has no cricket this year, but I'm with the club on this one. The timing of fixtures meant it was only feasible to play the Durham game there, but the traffic infrastructure of Leek with people heading there in large quantities as others were leaving would have been an issue. I wouldn't have envied Keith Loring in trying to sell it commercially either - we've not developed the County Ground for nowt, you know.
Leek will return another year - the club have seen the possibilities there - but we need to trust some very professional people at the helm to do the best they can for our club.
Finally tonight, there's also a comment or two about the strength of the squad as the season approaches. I'll accept that we've lost senior players in Sutton, Smith and Jones without replacing their experience. Yet we've got to give young talent its head and fans need to remember that the only way we could keep key players such as Madsen, Groenewald, Durston, Palladino and Clare was by giving them improved deals commensurate with their talent.
Money only goes so far, especially in a small club like ours.
I've said before that we need something different. A hitter who can clear the boundaries would be good, but a quick bowler, a "go to" man in the style of Charl Langeveldt, would make a big difference. I wrote in the week that we had a good quota of batsmen and if we brought someone in we need to remember that someone else misses out. Much depends on the market and I see little sense in bringing in someone who isn't substantially better than what we already have, while signing two overseas batsmen might not make the most sense either...
I think our target, having given it thought, will be a seam bowler. For all the appeal of Duminy and du Plessis, we only have five seamers for a season's cricket at present. With a little luck that would get us through the Championship and Pro 40, but T20 is physically demanding and I think we need someone else to give them a breather.
Mind you, as I wrote the other night, available quick bowlers are in short supply, with Nannes signed by Surrey, Tait and Lee injured, Steyn and Morkel wrapped in cotton wool by South Africa. There's not many others out there, especially with Australia touring here for one-dayers in the summer and New Zealanders out of the reckoning (because otherwise we'd have had Martin Guptill).
Sadly, the type of players who would make a real difference are, to my knowledge, already signed. Abdul Razzaq is a super T20 player and made a huge contribution to Leicestershire's win last season. Tight overs at the end of the innings and some power hitting to lengthen targets made a major contribution to the team. Razzaq was also a standout for Hampshire as they won it the year before - surely no coincidence.
In a similar vein is a player I watched and admired in Australia's Big Bash. Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan has given sterling service to Sussex over recent years and for the last three winters has become a folk hero in Tasmania, taking them to the semi-finals of the competition with his potent combination of yorkers and variations of pace. His dangerous hitting would have got them all the way too, if not for an odd bit of captaincy that left his arrival at the crease until too late.
That's the sort of player we could do with, but their counties know when they are on to a good thing and will doubtless be hanging on to them both. They offer something whether their team is batting or bowling and in an ideal world Karl Krikken and Chris Grant would source someone like that.
No tall order then. A six-hitter who bowls economically at critical times in the innings. Mission Impossible? Or is there someone out there in the world game that I've missed?
Elsewhere Leicestershire have signed Ramnaresh Sarwan, a good batsman who could turn out to be an inspired signing and who should be in a first-choice West Indian side. Weight and fitness issues have hampered him in recent years, but if he is fully fit they could have picked up a gem, one with a point to prove.
There have been a few critical comments around the blog and the Forum on the news that Leek has no cricket this year, but I'm with the club on this one. The timing of fixtures meant it was only feasible to play the Durham game there, but the traffic infrastructure of Leek with people heading there in large quantities as others were leaving would have been an issue. I wouldn't have envied Keith Loring in trying to sell it commercially either - we've not developed the County Ground for nowt, you know.
Leek will return another year - the club have seen the possibilities there - but we need to trust some very professional people at the helm to do the best they can for our club.
Finally tonight, there's also a comment or two about the strength of the squad as the season approaches. I'll accept that we've lost senior players in Sutton, Smith and Jones without replacing their experience. Yet we've got to give young talent its head and fans need to remember that the only way we could keep key players such as Madsen, Groenewald, Durston, Palladino and Clare was by giving them improved deals commensurate with their talent.
Money only goes so far, especially in a small club like ours.
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