It has all been very quiet on the Derbyshire cricket front. So quiet that I found myself watching New Zealand with the level of support this week that I usually reserve for my favourite county.
And why not? After all there were five former county players in their ranks. Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Jimmy Neesham Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson all acquitted themselves well.
Indeed, Neesham made a strong case for being the star turn. He has always been a powerful hitter of a cricket ball and can bowl some very useful medium pace, as well as being a brilliant fielder in any position. I have little doubt that his return to form will see him very much in demand for this year's T20 in England. There is a lot to like about him and I don't think that we utilised him to best effect in his stint a couple of years back.
He is not really a death bowler but was used as such in the absence of viable alternatives. He didn't do badly however and a return to a county where he has a lot of friends would not be the worst move.
Having said that, even more interesting was the news that Mitchell Santner is returning to the Kiwi national side. If he is fully fit and recovered from major knee surgery, he would prove a huge asset to Derbyshire in the T20, offering not just a spinner of quality but also a punishing batsman and outstanding fielder.
Unless we decide to get Wahab Riaz to return, I fully expect our other overseas player for the T20 to come from New Zealand, especially with John Wright as our overseas scout.
And with the season less than eleven weeks away, that has got to be exciting!
As an aside, this is the first blog piece that I have written with the help of voice recognition software. It seems to have done a decent job, my accent notwithstanding.
Perhaps something to persist with in the coming weeks.
I know it won't happen Peakfan, but i've been watching the Big Bash. The Aussie veteran George Bailey is just the sort of player we need, if we are looking for a batsman/captain.
ReplyDeleteHe just oozes class. Nothing seems to faze him. He is definitely a calming influence to all around him.
If he isn't going to anybody else and we could afford him, I think he would be a great signing.
Thanks Peakfan. What software did you use?
ReplyDeleteSpeech notes mate. There may be better on the market, but it is free and only needed short term, hopefully!
ReplyDeleteBailey is a fine player and has been, David. Never really cut it over here though, despite a number of county stints. I think we will go for another bowling all rounder though and for me it is our greater need.
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