Pitches to play a part

I was in total agreement with Simon Barnes in yesterday’s Times when he said that were he in charge of cricket he would ban Colombo from hosting a Test match for five years. The snore draw between Sri Lanka and India did the cause of Test cricket no good whatsoever, with only seventeen wickets falling in five days.

Cricket should be a battle between bat and ball, as shown at Trent Bridge. While the bean-counters will be unhappy at the loss of revenue, the ground developments at Nottingham have created an environment where the ball swings, but a good batsman can still score runs. Thankfully the county game has improved after banning the heavy roller, with more results than in recent years. Whenever I’ve talked about cricket to non-fans, the thing that they usually have struggled to get their head around is the fact that you can have a draw after three, four or five days of playing. I can empathise, though some draws can be pulsating affairs with the last pair staving off defeat and fielders around the bat.

This was always going to be a difficult year for the Derbyshire groundstaff, having turned the square around over the winter. The four-day wickets have generally produced results, though not going in our direction often enough for pleasure. Only the track for the last game against Worcestershire reverted to type and got slower as the game went on. Once a batsman gets in on such a wicket, only a mistake can get him out and we have lacked that something extra that can make a difference, like a really quick bowler or mystery spinner. Of course, everyone else is in the same boat, as such players are in short supply in the world game. That means that the tracks for 2011 need to offer bowlers encouragement as others have done around the country.

Since its return to the fold, Chesterfield has consistently produced good wickets, with enough movement to keep bowlers interested and a consistent bounce to enable a batsman to play his shots. Any wicket that produces 200-300 scores will get no complaint from me and should, by extension, produce a result in a four-day game that is uninterrupted.

The type of wickets will be a factor in attracting new players to the club, of course. If a bowler thinks he has a sporting chance of turning in good figures he is more likely to throw in his lot with us, but batsmen might think twice if their record could suffer. I have been amused this season in watching the struggles of Warwickshire’s batsmen. Last year they all returned nigh-Bradmanesque averages on a featherbed track, yet this year have struggled when faced with more demanding conditions and better bowlers.

In comparison to some counties, Derbyshire’s batsmen have fared OK. The ever-reliable Rogers averages above sixty, while Madsen had his struggles early on but is over forty in his second season, with four centuries in that tally. Hughes has exceeded all expectations for a novice and Smith, for all his variation in form, still averages top thirties. Peterson too has chipped in, albeit without big, match-changing innings.

What we’ve missed this year has been a consistent number three and runs from the wicket- keeper. Over the last couple of seasons we’ve enjoyed regular counter-attacks from Messrs Pipe, Wagg and Clare, none of who have featured for differing reasons this year. Steffan Jones has done really well , but a greater contribution at seven and eight would be welcome. Meanwhile, Garry Park has had a difficult Championship season, but has showed in limited overs matches that he has the talent to return to last year’s aggregate in 2011.

With six weeks to go, there are opportunities for players to boost their records and in some cases their chances for another deal. There is pressure on some, but that is the name of the game.

When we have eleven players at Derbyshire who thrive on pressure we’ll be watching a very good side.