The reasons why?

It is fair to say that there has been considerable disappointment among the Derbyshire faithful, with regard to the start made to this season.

Last year was largely sunshine and light. Mickey Arthur came in and almost immediately galvanised a squad that had previously flattered to deceive. There was improvement in both 4-day and T20 cricket, with only performances in the Royal London Cup being a disappointment.

This season, it is fair to say that performances have not met with expectation.

So why is that?

My own thoughts are clear, but it is not down to just one thing.

Firstly, we need to understand that the Derbyshire squad is one of relative inexperience. There are plenty of players within it who have played far less than a season of first-class cricket in the days when it was plentiful. Even our winter recruits, Zak Chappell and Matt Lamb, two of the more shining lights this summer, have only 30 or 40 first class games under their belt, rarely as regulars in a side.

In the grand scheme of things, Ben Aitchison and Sam Conners are relative novices at this game. It is perhaps unfair to expect them to maintain a sustained level of high performance with only 25 and 36 first class games behind them, respectively. 

Last year, Ben missed half of the season through serious injury, while Sam was thrown in at the deep end in T20, having never played the format at the club. With Nick Potts even more inexperienced, the onus lay on our overseas quick bowler, Suranga Lakmal, to lead by example and impart knowledge to these youngsters. Sadly, his body has failed to handle the demands of first class cricket in England and he has rarely been on the pitch with them. This has left them exposed.

Luis Reece has tried to fill the gap and is now returning to his best bowling form, but he only returned from surgery to his knee and shoulder after a lengthy layoff last year. Anuj Dal has a side strain, which can take some time to repair, so the side hasn't had any senior input, certainly has lacked the senior professional on whom the captain can depend.

Compare that with Glamorgan and Durham. Two sides doing very well, the former with Van Der Gugten, Neser and Harris in their attack, the latter with Carse, Raine and Potts. Sussex are doing well too, their attack led by England's Ollie Robinson and Aussie Nathan McAndrew, with good support from Derbyshire alumni Fynn Hudson-Prentice. There is no comparison in the respective bowling strengths and what Mickey Arthur will need to address in the winter is finding a bowler or bowlers who can take off some of the pressure from the younger players.

The other issue, for me, is that our Head of Cricket overestimated the development potential in some of the players on the staff. Perhaps he too was swept away in the euphoria of 2022, but the reality is that some players have reached the plateau of their talent.

Of course they are good players. As I have said before, to play at first class level you have to be in the top 0.1% of cricketers in the country. But all of us, most considerably lower in talent, reach a peak past which we cannot go. I think we have too many of those on the staff and again, this needs to be addressed in the winter. They are good enough to have their occasional day in the sun, but to do it on a regular basis is the challenge. It happens in any walk of life and I have worked with plenty of people over the years who were promoted above their comfort zone and above their ability.

I would like to see the club back Mickey Arthur this winter, which I think they will. We are on a sound financial footing and with a number of players coming to the end of their current deals, there is an opportunity to overhaul the staff.

For example, this season offers an opportunity for Thomson, McKiernan or Watt to become our number one spinner, preferably in all formats. If they don't, for whatever reason, a move for Callum Parkinson of Leicestershire would make a lot of sense. He is a very good player and would be a major improvement in my book, one for all formats.

The other issue is the overseas recruits. Haider Ali averages under 20 with the bat, Suranga Lakmal 46 with the ball at this stage. While acknowledging that both can turn it around, the expectation is for a reversal of those figures for an overseas player.

It is not an easy gig, at club or first-class level and the weight of expectation is not for the faint hearted. It is one thing contributing to a side's success, something entirely different in being expected to do so on a regular basis.

A major benefit of the dual role Mickey Arthur has with the Pakistan national side should be that we can attract two excellent overseas players. He is in a situation where he can tell them 'come to England, show me what you can do, force me to pick you for the national side'. 

Ali had played only eleven first-class games in Pakistan before coming to Derbyshire, all of them on very different wickets. Conversely, perhaps Lakmal was too old, but likewise probably had never been expected to play so much cricket in such a short period of time.

It is not too late for either player to turn around the current impression of supporters. Ali could have a stellar Vitality Blast and see us shouting his name from the rooftops. Lakmal might do what Ravi Rampaul and Charl Langeveldt did in their time, offering four tight overs and putting pressure on batters to score elsewhere.

The onus is on them to do so.