Pace appears to be key

It looks like opening batsmen will need to be on their toes this summer, with the news yesterday that several counties have secured the services of quick bowlers for part of the summer.

Kemar Roach will be playing at the start of the summer for Surrey, while Lockie Ferguson, erstwhile of this parish, will be playing for Yorkshire in the T20 Blast.

With Mohammad Abbas signing for Hampshire, where he will make a lively partner for Kyle Abbott, the quicks of the world game are securing gainful employment. While neither Roach nor Abbas are outright fast, both are very skilled operators. 

As for Derbyshire, I understand that Sean Abbott will not be playing this summer and attention has turned to another bowler 'with a bit of pace about him'. News of the signing should be announced in the next week or two and will be welcome after a quiet period.

I wouldn't have said no to Riley Meredith, who has broken into the Australian T20 side and took a lot of wickets in the Big Bash this year. He also secured a deal for the IPL and, playing alongside Ben McDermott for Tasmania, would have been a good signing. I suspect he doesn't yet qualify for the county game, but is certainly one to watch for the future.

Meanwhile the county has announced pre-season matches against Yorkshire and Cardiff MCCU at the Incora County Ground, with another against Lancashire at Old Trafford. With the county season opening in just over a month, preparations will be cranking up nicely.

An exciting summer is in prospect!