Just a thought...Kyle Coetzer for T20 anyone?

It has been good and encouraging to read John Wright's bullish comments this week, ahead of the T20, which approaches fast.

No doubt the Derbyshire players will be working hard on their skills in the coming weeks and I think that the format may - injuries permitting - suit us this summer. An attack of Tahir, Thakor, Viljoen, Henry and one other looks promising, though the current absence of two of these from the Derbyshire attack is a concern. As we have already seen, the well is a little more dry below these, though Matt Critchley and Ben Cotton have proved their ability in this format in previous summers.

My concern - and that of a few others, I think - is the absence of a top order 'biffer'. Someone who can get us off to a flyer and make the job of those to follow a little easier. I agree with John Wright's assertion that the opposition win few games from being 30-4 after the Powerplay, but on the days when the wicket is a belter, we need someone who can set a platform in those crucial first six overs.

Looking at the current staff, perhaps the best-placed to do that might be Tom Wood, but it is asking a lot of a relatively unknown youngster to come in and be the star of the show. In an ideal world, a more experienced man alongside him might be ideal.

Just a thought, but what about Kyle Coetzer?

The former Northamptonshire and Durham man (pictured), at 33, is in the form of his life for Scotland, coming off the back of a successful stint in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz in the winter. There he partnered Tillakaratne Dilshan and often outscored him, making a 35-ball 63 in the competition final, including 7 sixes. Throughout the tournament, against international bowlers, he scored at a rate well over a hundred, often much higher. Earlier in the competition, making 87 from 57 balls against an attack containing Yasir Arafat, Dwayne Smith and Marlon Samuels, he shared a stand of 120 in ten overs with England's Chris Jordan.

This summer he scored 118 from 84 balls as Scotland beat Sri Lanka in a pre-Champions Trophy game, while in recent days he scored 112 against Namibia, then 109 against Zimbabwe, each at better than a run-a-ball. He also scored 156 off Bangladesh in the 2015 World Cup and, as I write, has an unbeaten 50 from 45 balls today, against Zimbabwe again.

A county average over 30 confirms he could handle the level and, as we did when signing Wes Durston a few years back, there is little better than picking up someone when they are in prime form.

 I'm not claiming that he is better than, say, Martin Guptill would be, but would be more affordable and might be available, depending on his Scottish commitments, where he is captain and doing very well. I accept that Zimbabwe's attack isn't the best in the international game, but you still have to make the runs and he is getting them, quickly, in large quantities.

I am more than happy to promote players from our current staff, but after years of under-achievement in this format, might an experienced, in-form player not perhaps make a difference?  I would be very surprised if a county out there didn't think Coetzer was worthy of a short-term deal.

As always, I like to create talking points here on the blog and would welcome your thoughts...