I hope that you all enjoyed your Christmas and are looking forward to the festivities around the new year in a couple of days time.
We had a lovely time, thanks for asking and I am sure that someone who will enjoy a very happy new year is Neil Broom.
His decision to give up on the second year of his Derbyshire contract must have needed a little thought, but he was vindicated last night, when he scored an unbeaten century for New Zealand in their win against Bangladesh.
Good luck to Neil, who didn't quite make that landmark for Derbyshire but now has the opportunity to re-establish himself in the international game.
Meanwhile, over in Australia, some of the cricket in the Big Bash has been pretty average. Between dropped catches going for six and some poor ground fielding, the expectation hasn't been matched for me. Today saw Nathan Rimmington, formerly of this parish, bowl a fairly awful four-over spell that cost 45 runs and featured six full tosses and four long hops. He's a decent bowler, but today was pretty poor.
Finally, with Ashley Giles returning to Edgbaston and Glenn Chapple taking over, in an acting capacity at Lancashire, there's been a lot of things happening on the coaching merry go round. Chapple will have his work cut out and Lancashire will have to up their game considerably to be in the mix for trophies as things stand.
I'll be back - briefly - before the bells ring in 2017.
The year of the Falcons fightback, if you didn't know...
I too watched Rimmo this morning and I think you are being very kind describing his spell as fairly awful......I thought it was woeful, he bowled one of the widest balls I've ever seen to take a wicket, cracking 6 off the last ball to win though. Do you think that there are any realistic players we could pinch for our T20 campaign? I've been telling the Mrs I've got to watch it because I'm on a scouting mission ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think we have proved in signing Tahir, Viljoen, Amla, Dilshan and Shiv that ANYONE is possible.
ReplyDeleteThere have been few standouts to be honest, but any side would want Glenn Maxwell. He can blow hot and cold but he is a wonderful one day player.
Theres probably 18 counties think the same but he will doubtless make another fortune in the IPL.
Think the West Indians flatter to deceive at times and their best player at present is perhaps Badree
Not that we need another leggie...
Are we assuming we need a batsmen for t20? Or would people suggest an all rounder maybe. Or another bowler?
ReplyDeletePersonally I am hoping for a gun bat type to open with perhaps someone who can captain. Guptill was my initial thoughts
A batsman for me Mark. Someone like Guptill, Gayle, Warner, Finch, Maxwell who can set the pace at the top.
DeleteThat style of player can win you the game in the Powerplay, so far off kilter can it knock the opposition.
Thing is, everyone knows that and is chasing such players!
Spot on Peakfan. I agree. Maxwell type would be great as well as useful with the ball.
ReplyDeletePlenty of good batsmen who can bowl out there Mark. One would do me fine!
ReplyDeletePlenty of good batsmen who can bowl out there Mark. One would do me fine!
ReplyDeleteBroom's innings was worth watching and deserving the highest praise, especially after the early dismissals of Guptill and Kane Williamson. A pity that he couldn't reproduce some of that class here - not that he was alone in that respect, given the performances of Dilshan, Amla
ReplyDeleteand others.
Let's hope your hopes for Derbyshire in 2017 come to fruition, Peakfan. The signs are certainly hopeful.
Cricket, though, has a habit of confounding our predictions. Only six weeks or so ago the England team was being compared very favourably with Australia's. Since then four Tests have been lost in India, admittedly against some superb spin bowling but with some lamentably bad batting at times and a lack of penetration in the bowling à la Derbyshire of 2016.
Australia meanwhile dropped four players - including Adam Voges with a Test average of over sixty - then selected some very young batsmen and have subsequently won three straight Tests and three one-day internationals. Their attacking cricket yesterday (the fifth day of a rain-affected match seemingly meandering towards a draw) was superb, turning a 20 run lead overnight into 181 before lunch and then dismissing a bewildered Pakistan cheaply. I'd like to think that a Joe Root-led England could match that type of positive cricket.