Midweek musings

I can't say that I'm surprised to see that Essex are considering withdrawing permission for their big name players to participate in this year's IPL.

Why would they be happy to lose Bopara, Shah and ten Doeschate for the formative stage of the season? Take three players of that stature out of any side in the country and they would struggle, or at best would not be as competitive. Nottinghamshire blocked the participation of Michael Lumb, Samit Patel and Alex Hales and they have every right to do so. That old adage "he who pays the piper calls the tune" has never seemed more apposite.

If players want the security that a county contract offers, that's fine. If instead they wish to become nomads, traveling the globe for the next handy pay cheque while reneging on that county deal, it doesn't get my vote. Out of season, if it is cleared with the county club, fair enough, but not when it impacts on their success on and off the pitch.

I think it is high time that a stand was made against the IPL. There are some aspects that I like and enjoy, but when it affects the game around the globe and increasingly calls the shots I find it hard to buy into it. The massive money in the IPL is an obvious lure and perhaps the time will come when players make a choice. Yet players come and go, contracts disappear and good players, a number of who would enrich the county game, sit on a bench watching, rather than participating in the action.

It's mad. Good for Nottimghamshire, good for Essex says Peakfan.

Case in point? Shivnarine Chanderpaul is currently in Bangladesh and a member of the Sylhet Royals squad, though yet to play a game. Why would you not play someone of his quality, even in a format that is his weaker suit? I don't see Derbyshire doing that in mid-season...

Mind you, they are top of the league, which either speaks volumes for them or the standard of opposition.

If you didn't see it, there's a good interview with  Chanderpaul in today's Derby Telegraph, where he makes all the noises that we would hope for from an overseas star. It is still hard to believe that we will be watching the maestro in Derbyshire colours for the next couple of summers, but we have another 69 days to get used to the idea.

Finally tonight, a couple of items of news from Australia, where David Hussey is announced as Nottinghamshire's job-share overseas star for the eighth summer. He has been a wonderful servant to our neighbours and will doubtless contribute his share of runs this summer.

And good luck to Usman Khawaja, who has been called up to the Australian one-day squad for the next two one-day games, after Dave Warner broke his thumb. There's a certain irony in Khawaja, a fine long format player, coming into a shorter form of the game, albeit one in which he has a decent domestic record.

I am sure that all Derbyshire fans wish him well.