Normal service resumed

Good to see Chris Rogers able to bat for Victoria against New South Wales today.

Normal service was resumed too, with Buck crafting an unbeaten 80 from just 100 balls as he steered his side to an all out total of 418.

It is good to see the Derbyshire-man-that-nearly-was Damian Wright back in fine form. Wright is a good cricketer and could have earned representative selection but for a range of back problems. He had a good year for Northamptonshire as overseas professional, completing the mini double, and is taking a lot of wickets for Victoria, having moved there from Tasmania.

Someone who is struggling at present is JP Duminy, who seems to be having major problems with spin and was out lbw for a duck to Harbajhan Singh today in the remarkable South African collapse at Kolkata. 218-1 to 265-9 is extraordinary at any level (we used to do that a lot!) and Duminy seems to have lost form this winter.

Indeed, when I wrote a week or so back that Alviro Petersen may be a possibility for our T20 campaign I didn't expect him to make a Test debut and score a brilliant century, as he did at the start of the South African innings. Given that he has replaced Mark Boucher, who will return for the next Test, a batsman must make way and on current form Duminy should be the one.

So maybe he would be available for our T20 after all...

Finding a quality all rounder to replace Jacques Kallis is South Africa's next quest. Kallis is reducing his bowling these days, Duminy is more a batsman who bowls useful off spin and Parnell is a bowler who bats and has not yet made the runs at first class level that seemed likely when he was the star of Under 19 cricket.

If their very good side has a weakness, it is that they have a long tail. Dale Steyn can hold a bat, but with him at 8 it says little about nine, ten, jack. That is where Robin Peterson was useful to them, as a spinner probably as good as Harris but a far better batsman, as a first class and Test average of double that of Harris' suggests. With a similar bowling record in terms of average and strike rate, logically a side would go for the better batsman, but the Proteas loss is set to be Derbyshire's gain and I look forward to seeing Peterson this summer.

See you soon.