The bottom line response is fear ye not. Arthur will be back in Derby before the game against Yorkshire at Scarborough, while Shahzad is already back after his duties in Nottingham ended. I understand that Bell's involvement with New Zealand was expected and factored into his role at Derbyshire. Meanwhile Smit has assistance from Gareth Marshall and Ben Hutchinson, besides Alex Hughes and Chris Highton being with the second eleven.
After a few days off, the players will be working hard ahead of that Yorkshire game, when we are likely to welcome back Wayne Madsen, Leus du Plooy and Zak Chappell.
There are plenty of suggestions flying around regarding potential Derbyshire targets, after Mickey Arthur said he ideally wanted two players for every position. That prompted Dean to contact me and suggest Michael Burgess as a possibility as back up keeper. While not really an advocate of a 'spare' keeper when your first choice is as good as Brooke Guest, Burgess is a good enough player to play as a specialist bat, averaging 35 in first class cricket and scoring quickly in the T20. Aneurin Donald could be an option too, after his stint with us at the start of the Vitality Blast, but he is contracted at Hampshire to the end of next season.
Burgess is out of contract at Warwickshire, as are Andy Umeed and Lewis Goldsworthy at Somerset. They seem to have a glut of talented players, as they showed in the One Day Cup game this week. Neither of them has played much this season, which rather seems a waste of considerable talents. Certainly someone who can play the sort of innings Umeed did should be gracing the first class game on a more regular basis.
Next year's squad will be substantially different to the one that started this summer. Missing will be Billy Godleman, Leus du Plooy, George Scrimshaw, Suranga Lakmal, Haider Ali and Mark Watt.
Meanwhile there are question marks over Tom Wood, Mattie McKiernan, Alex Thomson, Archie Harrison and Mitch Wagstaff, all of them at the end of their current deals.
Hand on heart, my guess is that Thomson may be retained, as I think he has been the most consistent of the slow bowlers this summer and offers an all round game. With Watt away for chunks of any summer and McKiernan seen as a T20 specialist, the fact that there are few better spinners around is in his favour.
I couldn't call the decisions on Wood and McKiernan, but would be surprised if the latter was retained after minimal opportunity this year.
As for Wagstaff and Harrison, I am not sure how you make that call, when there have been few second eleven games and they haven't had senior opportunity. It can only be made on performance in the nets and an informed assessment of their potential at this stage.
Since I haven't seen them, I will not comment further. But if released, it seems tough to be good enough at 18 but not at 19.
It wouldn't be the first time, however, nor will it likely be the last. Yet money can only go so far and to get Derbyshire moving and afford the players he wants, sacrifices will need to be made by Mickey Arthur.
Having already signed Lamb and Chappell, the three new recruits, plus the established group of Madsen, Reece, Guest, Came, Dal, Conners and Aitchison gives the Head of Cricket a strong-looking squad for 2024. It will be HIS squad and HIS responsibility to get the best from it.
The other overseas recruits, like Mohammad Amir, will be crucial. With the T20 World Cup on during our Vitality Blast, the very best players in the world will be unavailable for such roles.
In which case, it should be to Derbyshire's advantage to have a Head of Cricket who will know who is outside of a talented Pakistan squad earlier than anyone...
Please don't regard this as a personal attack but if it was left to me, there would be no Mickey Arthur at Derbyshire next season. I don't feel he has progressed the side nor handled the position of Head of Cricket in an acceptable manner. As I say, its just my opinion and I'm beyond disappointed at expressing it.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't sound personal at all to me, Sam. For me the jury's still out on whether the side is progressing overall under him--but I agree that his behaviour hasn't been acceptable. I think it's been arrogant, rather disloyal and not especially honest.
DeleteQuite simply, if you contract yourself to take a major role in an organisation--especially if you make a big thing about not being a fly-by-night operator who'll disappear as soon as someone offers you something better--you shouldn't take on another role which takes up enough of your time, energy, focus or loyalty to cause problems to the first organisation. Given that this season has been so much worse than last, I can't help asking myself whether that is because Arthur's commitment or his energy is no longer really there to the degree it needs to be...or because that dual focus is creating knock-on effects such as disharmony in the dressing room.
It also gives rise to suspicions, which may or may not be well-founded, about other issues: Is the lack of honest information about Haider Ali's departure, for example, linked to Arthur's divided loyalties? Is it, for example, that the PCB would rather we didn't know it? I absolutely don't know--but that's the whole problem with such murky communication and lack of clarity about roles.
I suspect--sadly--you're right in saying that Derbys need to get rid of Arthur now. However good a coach he is, they need a coach who's focused, committed and not distracted--and how likely is that during next year's Blast when his "bit on the side" is competing for an ICC trophy?! They'd be better off with a less "good" coach whose mind was fully on the job. If they are to keep him, it seems imperative that the club has some assertive, direct conversations with him making the sort of points we've made here.
Dave
Do we know what format the season will be next season. Have the ECB bothered to announce it yet as it would help Counties when building squads for next year ?
ReplyDeleteI also see that in the 2nds starting today there is no Tom Wood or Matty McKiernan which does give a few clues for next season.
It might give a few clues, David. Then again, they may be ill or have an injury. I wouldn't wish to preempt anything and we must await any announcement from the club, of course!.
DeleteIt's the trouble when we have quiet spells without games we try to second guess what is going on especially as we have had hinted about more changes in Mickeys last interview. It may be that both are offered white ball contracts.
DeleteHow does the loan player system work. Find it very unfair on players in the second team that could be picked and try and proove them worthy of a regular 1st team place.
ReplyDeleteI think many people are being over critical
ReplyDeleteof Mickey Arthur for me next season is
the crunch one. Where I'm critical is the
Billy Godleman issue 86 70 10 0 0
then it's Derbyshire career over finished
just like that.! We haven't had a satisfactory explanation
It might come as a surprise to some but, just because someone plays pro' sport it does not mean their lives and careers have to be made public knowledge. It might be a personal issue and no 'satisfactory explanation' is due. BG owes you nothing.
ReplyDeleteAndy
I agree Andy. I have heard of several things over the years that remain private for good reason. And private they shall remain..
DeleteThat's not how I read the previous commenter's post, Andy. I agree that there's no reason for Godleman to be giving people any kind of detailed personal information if he doesn't want to--but no-one, including the previous poster I think, is asking him to.
DeleteThe issue is rather that a player who only last September was considered to be good enough to be both a first-choice pick and captain had by two months into this season apparently left the club entirely and permanently, without any explanation or even an announcement. Given that the club has members and supporters, I don't think that's acceptable communication by the club.
I can't see why there's any reason at all to suggest that it's a personal issue--all the rumours I've seen seem to suggest that it isn't--but if it is then all that's needed is a statement along the lines of "Billy Godleman and the club have mutually agreed to terminate his contract. This is for personal reasons and therefore neither he nor we will be commenting any further". (Of course, the only thing then is that it had better be true!--Durham put out a similar statement last year about Chris Rushworth and there have been a lot of suggestions this season that that wasn't really what was happening).
The other thing is that it's potentially part of the Mickey Arthur murk. Maybe he left for personal reaons, maybe for reasons connected to form, ability or captaincy. But one possibility is that he was very critical of Arthur taking the Pakistan job--as he had a right to as a senior player--and was sidelined because of that. I don't know at all if that's true--but as I said above, that's one of the things with this kind of smoke and mirrors communication.
So no, Billy Godleman owes no-one any information at all and the club don't owe anyone personal details--but they do owe people an explanation of some sort.
Fair comment but please remember a name in future, Anon
DeleteGood post from anon. I agree entirely with his views. We are a members club and are entitled to some form of communication on this issue. I realise we are not entitled to the full details but as anon says a simple statement would cover it off. Otherwise we get all the speculation about he says she says and fans form their own views anyway.
DeleteSadly despite taking steps forward recently off the pitch the clubs communication continues to be abysmal with the Godleman situation added to others like Wood, Palladino and a general lack of information re players that fall out of first team contention without explanation re either injury or form.
I realise there may be legal reasons for the lack of information but if do tell us !!
The forums feel “ staged” with the burning issues swept away without discussion. We hear little from MA and even less from RD. Maybe adopt the pre game football press conference or similar to keep fans in the loop? Something has to change as there is a lot of discontent with communication
Paul
Sorry! Dave
DeleteAnd so they should Steve. Over entitlement and demand is a real issue in the modern age.
ReplyDeleteHope things are as well as possible with you all
Andy
Andy
'Maybe' is doing a huge amount of lifting in the response 'Anon'. T
ReplyDelete'Maybe' is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that response, and the penultimate paragraph is nothing but pure conjecture. All you can do is support those who go out on the field to represent the club. I wish BG well. A grand servant to the club in his time. We move on, as he appears to have.
ReplyDeleteAndy
Thanks folks. No more comments on the Godleman issue. The club will doubtless make an announcement when it is fit and proper to do so.
ReplyDelete