I had a look at the ICC list of future tours last night, which made fascinating - or scary, if you're in charge of cricket clubs - reading. You can see it at:
http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/DOWNLOAD/0000/0045/ftp_2011_2020.pdf
If you scroll down the list you will see the various countries involved in international cricket during the next cricket season and it highlights how difficult it will be for counties to find an overseas player for the summer.
This year Derbyshire have had mixed fortunes with their selections. Usman Khawaja got a good few starts but played only two real innings of substance, while Martin Guptill had a good T20 and CB40 campaign but has not yet translated that into four day cricket. Both, of course, were new to these shores and it cannot have been totally unexpected, but neither have made a concrete-strong case for retention.
On the basis of his short form campaign, there might be a reason for retaining Guptill for the T20 next year, but New Zealand's tour to the West Indies in July may dictate he is required for a pre-tour training camp at that time. Similarly Khawaja didn't make Australia's recent tour squad, but that could change over the winter and the club may wish to go in a different direction. Certainly neither would be a landmark signing.
Of course, I highlighted the problems with that signing earlier in the week. Looking at the schedule it may be that a county could persuade an Australian to come over for the T20 ahead of the ODIs in June/July, but you'd then miss them for the business end of the tournament. South Africans are also free until mid-July, but then are touring here until September.
Derbyshire will go with the youth policy and as fans we need to accept that there will be a mixture of performances given the youth of the side. I don't see many (any?) signings from elsewhere this winter unless a real gem is to be had at the right price. Assuming that Greg Smith is going - and another county emerges to express interest - our basic side next year looks like being along these lines:
Borrington/Lineker
Madsen
Hughes
Durston
Redfern
Whiteley
Poynton/Sutton
Clare
Groenewald
Palladino
Knight
Others like Burgoyne, Footitt, Turner and Slater may challenge and Jake Needham may re-emerge, but this will be a team in transition. Yes, it would benefit from another experienced head in the middle order, a Darren Stevens-type player perhaps, but such players are going to fade out as county cricket becomes a young man's game.
Why? Because county cricket essentially now exists purely and simply as a means of generating players for the England team. The level of ECB subsidy to the counties is set to increase next season for those playing age-group players and with most counties up to their eyes in debt, the ECB effectively own all of them. Without the subsidy, counties will go bust and Kolpak or non-qualified players, through the stringent penalties, become a very expensive luxury that few can afford.
Whoever signs Greg Smith will have to accept that he will cost them £20,000 next year before they pay him, given his non-qualified status and assuming he plays for them as often as he has for us. Wherever he ends up, his status will see him as one of the last of his kind, as counties have, through the benefits and penalties system, been forced into a corner.
Play young English players or go bust. That is the ultimatum and the straight choice. That Derbyshire side above might look light on experience, but I'd sooner watch it compete next year and in the future than simply remember the days when we had a county side.
With the right overseas player added to it we should play good cricket, but that is a task that could take Chris Grant, Karl Krikken and Luke Sutton a fair amount of time this winter.
Have a good weekend.
This may well be the reality of the situation - current squad plus the 'landmark' signing, but why throw all the available funds at a Collingwood type target? Complete and utter folly in my view.
ReplyDeleteI would rather see two good, less star-like signings enrolled to ease the squad through this transitional period, rather than the tendency there appears to be percolating in the club to make the headlines with a 'star' announcement.
The line up you have listed looks like the probable 1st XI minus the LS and, overall, looks alright with promise amongst the ranks. However, in my opinion there will almost certainly be insufficient runs in the batting unit to seriously press consistently at a competitive level, unless there is a major uplift in almost all individual performances. Where are your 1000 run a season men, normally associated with successful sides?
Smith was considered short in that respect, which is fair enough, but who is reliably achieving this at Derbyshire?
The great store you place on Borrington to come through also remains a very debatable issue to me. I hope you are right because a solid pairing at the top of the order is essential and happens to be where one of our biggest weaknesses currently lies.
Okay, transition we are in, but my argument is purely this; we could use our scarce funds more wisely.
There will be a big difference in terms of the strength of the team if there is a Landmark signing and an overseas player compared to a Landmark signing who is the overseas player. The club will probably prefer the former. Will they get it? I'm unsure?
ReplyDeleteNatwest 81
i am sure Mr Grant with his Landmark signing all will be fine,
ReplyDeleteThat team you have mentioned may well be low on experience, but it's high on potential.
ReplyDeleteBorrington/Lineker is possibly the weak point - (an opening bat overseas player possibly??) but the middle order, particularly with the undoubted ability of Chesney, Dan and Ross, looks good to me, and with an older head like Durston in there too.
In fact, I'd probably bat Redfern at 4, with Wes at 5, spreading that experience throughout the order a bit.
Bowling attack looks good - I'm a big fan of Jon Clare, Palladino's been a good signing, and Timmy G is... Timmy G. Great news him signing up again. Tom Knight has been a shining light this year, and with the hopeful re-emergence of Jake Needham, I think the Derbyshire garden isn't as bare as some people think.
Away from cricket I'm a season ticket holder at Crewe Alex FC, where we have to put our faith in youngsters every year... and trust me, from experience I'd much rather it be that than overpay some ageing pro. It's the same with the Falcons to me. Give these lads a chance - the talent IS there.
Good comments guys, appreciated. Cheshire Falcon there's also Peter Burgoyne who I understand will not be going on to Uni and could get opportunities as an off spinning all rounder if he progresses over the winter.
ReplyDeleteMaster Villain - nice to see you back! I just think Borrington has a really sound technique and when he realises himself that he can do it that the runs will come. I feel that a player with technique can open up, whereas a flair player with dodgy defensive skills might always struggle against the best. I'm minded of Glenn Turner, who was strokeless for Worcester for a couple of years then became an outstanding batsman. Certainly Bozza is way too young to write off and should have a chance next year. Its then up to him!
Seems like you have written Garry Park off then?
ReplyDeleteNo mate - please stick a name on - but I think Park will take on a different role. I think he has a lot to offer in a coaching role with the 2s and as a fielding coach, while being able to play in one day games as and when required.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn,t write Park off as a four day player. He had a very good first season,lost his confidence last year,thanks to Morris batting him all over the place. This year opportunities have been too few. Get Smith out and give him a chance again at number 3. If he doesn,t take it then so be it.
ReplyDeleteAs for an overseas player,you,re right peakfan,it won,t be easy. I still think we could do alot worse than either Katich or North. Whilst it might not be essential,it would certainly be preferable to have someone here for a full season. Neither could be classed as landmark,a word i would be reluctant to use anyway,but both have a good pedigree and would give us much needed experience.
Yep, good call Marc - Katich and North are proven players of good reputation, though I'd sooner someone different for T20 to be honest...need a batsman and bowler, as I wrote last week.
ReplyDeleteMarc,
ReplyDeleteYou can blame Morris for Park not getting a game! Krikken is picking the team and Park still can't get a game in the Championship!
Ben
Peakfan, if in your selection for next season you have put Poynton/ Sutton. Are you suggesting we need a new captain? Surely if Sutton is not good enough to play in all forms of the game then we need a new captain?
ReplyDeleteBen
I think Sutton will ease out of the gloves over the season and Poynton should take over in the one-dayers. Skipper could be the man who comes in, though Madsen could stake a claim.
ReplyDeleteMaster Villain, interestingly we have 5 of the top 24 aggregate batsmen in division 2. They may or may not make a thousand, but it suggests that we have collectively batted better this year with less reliance on the skills of the overseas batsman.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to Ben,my point was Park batted at 3 in his first season and did well. During last season (under Morris) he hardly ever batted there. The result was loss of form and a subsequent loss of place,which on the face of it is fair enough. All im saying is i think he deserves another chance batting where he is obviously best suited and lets see what happens. Why Morris decided to move him is a mystery,except to accomodate others,which may or may not have worked for them,but proved a disaster for Park. He,s hardly an old player and i think to write a player off,who has previously proved his worth, is a bit premature.
ReplyDeleteI,ve called for Guptill and Madsen to be left out of the four day team for a while. Both are good players,but out of form. In Guptill,s case,a move down the order may work for him. I always remember back to Chris Wilkins who came as an opener from South Africa. He hardly scored a run batting up top,but once at number four,he never looked back.
I think we need to a few signings in for next season. We need to get in a bowler to replace Jones and we also need to get a batsmen in to replace Smith. I also think we need 2 overseas signing for the 20/20 next year. What worries me is the depth of youth for our fast bowling because we don't really have anyone coming through other than Atif Sheikh but then you compare that with our batting and we have depth in youngsters with Redfern, Whitely, Borrington, Slater and Siddique.
ReplyDeleteJohn
I have heard a rumour from.someone with a few connections in the club that we are looking seriously at Ricky Ponting as our 'landmark signing' for next season. I know he wanted to play in England at the start of this season so could be some truth in it
ReplyDeletePeakfan, I get a very 'circa 1974' feeling about your team - shorn of experience and with a load of unproven inexperience. I don't think many of these young players on your list will still be around in 3 or 5 years time. We need some quality urgently as well as the promise. Smith should be kept. How much longer do we have to wait for eg Borrington to not even come good, but just to be pickable? He's 23 for goodness' sake, how long can he go on being 'one for the future'? Of course after 1974 some of those young players did eventually come good (Hill, Miller) but most didn't (A Morris, J Ward, Glenn, etc), and in the end it took the Barlows et al to come in to pull it into shape. Just relying on youth products will not make us competitive. By the way I would get rid of Sutton. It was a joke bringing him back and even worse then letting him force out Morris. But what else can we expect of our club?
ReplyDeleteAndy