Not too much required

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that Derbyshire don’t need much more this winter to complete the side.


For one thing, as I wrote the other day, if other counties are having to cut their playing budget, it stands to reason that we may well have to do the same.

But what else do we need? Consider the following team:

Madsen
Overseas player
Hughes
Durston
Park
Smith
Sutton
Jones
Groenewald
Turner
Footitt

Most fans would probably accept that this is close to our first choice side, based on last season’s form and the likelihood that new signings will get a run in the side. Yet the side omits Paul Borrington, Dan Redfern, Matt Lineker, Jonathan Clare, Jake Needham and Atif Sheikh. It also leaves Ian Hunter, who should be fit for 2011, on the sidelines. It is, in short, a good side, ten of them brought to the county by John Morris.

In the current economic climate I cannot see Derbyshire signing many more players, unless they are sufficiently talented and young to make it worthwhile from a cost/benefit perspective. That, of course, begs the question as to why they would be released in the first place…

With the exception of an overseas star, the only thing that the existing squad lacks is a spinner who turns the ball away from the bat. Like most of you, I’ve looked closely at lists of players released and the pick of the domestic players in this category is still leg-spinner Michael Munday, formerly of Somerset. How good he is I don’t honestly know as I’ve not seen him, but his record is decent and I’d reckon that with Steffan Jones and Wes Durston on the staff, who have both played with him, the club should have a fair idea of his ability.

Other than that, I haven’t a clue. David Wainwright would have been an asset but is staying with Yorkshire, while Lancashire are retaining all three of their left-arm spinners. The cupboard isn’t yet bare around the country, but the Tesco home delivery van appears to have broken down en route…

I’ll not be commenting on available players from now on for the above reason. Do the records of Shafayat, Wood, Kadeer Ali or Thornely, to give examples, suggest them to be better than we have? I don’t think so, and when we have nine/ten batsmen already on the staff I’m less than convinced that we need any of them. Usman Afzaal is a better player, but I understand we couldn’t match his demands when he left Northamptonshire. In difficult times, it wouldn’t make sense to have players like Durston or Park, who he would presumably replace, in the Seconds. Both are fine players, eminently capable of being major scorers in the Championship next season after disappointments in the four-day game in 2010.

If the side performs to potential, 2011 will see a competitive outfit. It will be down to the coaching staff to motivate a bunch of talented players and the right overseas player could be the catalyst for that. Players like Tony Borrington, Harry Cartwright, Ashley Harvey-Walker, Phil Russell and Colin Tunnicliffe became good, reliable county cricketers under Eddie Barlow. I’d suggest that the team named above contains better players than Barlow had, but someone – whether captain or coach – now needs to get them playing to their potential on a regular basis. I know that Barlow also had Geoff Miller and Mike Hendrick, but he played a key role in their development and John Morris has to find someone this winter who can do a similar job. He effectively only has New Zealand and South Africa to choose from too, given the congested international schedule. Easy job, huh?

Other than that, I feel only the ‘John Sadler’ role with the Seconds needs to be addressed. Whether someone comes in to fill that role, or whether the current coaching structure is overhauled I don’t know, but we need to somehow accelerate the development of our young players with the right setup. Having represented their country at age group cricket, they all have the talent.

By the way, I’m not claiming inside knowledge in suggesting an overseas opening batsman in the above team. For balance, a spin bowling all-rounder would be perfect, but there will be few out there who could emulate Robin Peterson and score nearly 500 runs and take fifty wickets, let alone exceed that tally and be available for the whole season.

Much will depend on availability. Given the financial issues around the country, we would need someone equally adept at all forms of the game, as I can’t see us affording a second player for the T20, in common with most other sides. Maybe a young gun from South Africa with a reputation to build would be ideal, but there’s also the captaincy issue to consider. A more established player may find the ‘carrot’ of captaincy irresistible. Greg Smith will still be in the frame, but John Morris could dangle that offer in front of the right man.

Of course, we’d love to see Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy or AB de Villiers at Derbyshire. Ross Taylor or Daniel Vettori would do nicely too, but that would be some coup, as they say up here on sight of a bovine critter…

The likelihood is that it will be someone from perhaps the next tier down, reputation-wise, who wants to build on that reputation and either wants a challenge or to further their experience.

I was interested to read in the Wisden Cricketer that Malinga Bandara ‘was the best we could afford’ according to Kent’s Paul Farbrace, but eighteen wickets at 40-plus was hardly justification for the signing, even for paying what was ‘a second team player’s salary.’

If we can’t do better than that I’d sooner we didn’t bother, but I’m confident that at some point between now and April we will hear some exciting news. Just don’t expect wholesale changes, as I don’t think we’ll have the money. With the right overseas player coming in, however, I think there’s enough talent already in place to hold our own.

And if there’s another Eddie Barlow out there, could you give John Morris a ring and let him know you’re up for it?