It is especially difficult when the player had everything you could wish for in a cricketer, apart from a body resilient enough to handle the demands of first class cricket.
So it was with Mikey Cohen, whose release has been announced today. It came as no real surprise, as he missed a lot of 2021 with injury and barely played, for the same reason, in 2022. Given that he is from South Africa, there was additional pressure for him to perform every single time, as his name on a team sheet meant that the club lost ECB money for fielding a non-domestic player.
The frustration was that Mikey had it. Still has it, if that body will allow him to get out onto a pitch on a regular basis. Stress fractures have been the problem, the worst enemy of any fast bowler and perhaps a period of rest might enable his body to recover properly, before he perhaps tries again.
Because he is quick. Seriously quick, as he looked on his debut for Derbyshire when wicketkeeper and slips looked to be standing back a little further than we were used to. He took good wickets too, but sometimes the line wasn't quite right and his figures could suffer accordingly.
He took five wickets in an innings against Warwickshire last year and we all hoped that might be the start of something special. It was not to be, as those injuries returned.
We will miss his ready smile, his obvious enjoyment of what he did and his all action style in the field. He could handle a bat too, probably covering more distance than most in between balls as he walked away to square leg to 'recalibrate' between deliveries.
It is with the bat that most will remember him.THAT win at Trent Bridge in the Bob Willis trophy of 2020. He followed five wickets in the home side's two innings with a crucial and calm unbeaten 30, as he and Fynn Hudson-Prentice added 66 together and steered us to a winning run chase of 365.
When Mikey played the shot off his legs for two runs from the bowling of Jake Ball to win the game, he became an instant hero. When I think back over 50 years of watching the county, that will always be in my top six moments and I suspect it will be for many more too.
It would have been great to have seen more of him as he had serious potential with bat and ball, but it was not to be.
I wish him all the best in the future and like most of you, I am sure, will continue to watch his fortunes, on and off the pitch, in the future. From what I have seen on his Twitter account, he is certainly one of the best guitarists ever to play for Derbyshire.
One of the nicest guys too.
Thank you, Mikey.
It was great to see him roaring in and bowling at real pace and to see his enthusiasm for the game. I too am sorry to see him go and hope that he does well in the future. Andy Raw
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm also sorry to see Mikey go. He was certainly quick. I remember a BBC commentator saying when he ran in to bowl, he looked like someone running along a platform to catch a train. I wish him well in his career elsewhere.
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