Pre-season tour begins - and the end for Fantasy Cricket

Derbyshire's players fly out to Zimbabwe tomorrow on a three-week tour.

At the invitation of Zimbabwe Cricket, they will play two three-day matches, two 50-over matches and two T20s on the tour, which runs until March 29.

It will be ideal preparation for a summer in which only the foolhardy will discount the talent in the squad. I know that I have been optimistic in seasons past, but there are now real grounds for optimism among supporters, with a strong and relatively young squad that covers most of the playing bases. As long as we have the same level of commitment - and I suspect that is a given, with who we have at the club - we should be challenging this summer.

I am especially interested to see how our attack goes, with more options than previous summers. If two or three of them fire, then the batting should enable us to win games in all formats.

I look forward to following and reporting on the tour matches.

Also eagerly awaited will be the return of the county's excellent streaming service, this year enhanced as they have sorted the issues that previously saw the radio commentary out of synchronisation. I only occasionally listen to cricket commentary on TV or radio, but plenty do and this will improve the experience for them.

One thing that won't be around this summer is the Fantasy Cricket League. The Telegraph announced this week that they won't be doing it, for the first time in a quarter of a century. It is sad, especially when they cite a lack of interest in county cricket as the reason, but there's not much that we can do about it. Apologies to those whose enjoyment of the summer was enhanced by the challenge, but it is very much out of my control.

You will see my thoughts and comments on the club, its cricketers and events as usual and I hope that many of you pitch in with comments as the season progresses.

They are always appreciated!