Just a number...

That have been a number of comments in recent days regarding what some people are referring to as Derbyshire's recruitment of experienced players 'seeking one last payday'.

Quite a few disagree and I am one of them.

It would be easy to go back to the period before World War Two and find any number of very experienced cricketers over the age of 40 in the first class game. Derbyshire signed Garnet Lee from Nottinghamshire and because of qualification requirements he did not make his debut until he was 38. Yet he played until he was 46 and probably produced the best form of his career in doing so, playing a major role in helping to develop the players who made up the 1936 championship-winning side.

After the war, counties filled their sides with players probably too old, because younger options were not there. So the Derbyshire ranks in 1946 included Albert Alderman, Denis Smith, George Pope and Bill Copson, all of them in their late 30s, while Tommy Mitchell would have played at the age of 44, had they been able to make it worth his while.

Moving on, the excellent Derbyshire side of the late 70s and early 80s was so good because of the recruitment of time-served professionals who aided in the development of younger tyros. Barry Wood and David Steele made their county debuts at 38, John Hampshire at 41. All were still very good cricketers and few were better than Eddie Barlow, 36 when he first played for the club. Ron Headley was very good in one-day matches at 35, Phil Sharpe was steady for two summers at 39, as well as being still the best slip fielder in the country.

Moving forward again, the England side that won the T20 World Cup final in 2022 had an average age of just over 33. The Australian side that recently won the World Cup averaged just under 32 years per player, with no player under the age of 29.

Next year's Derbyshire? 

Here's a notional first choice T20 side (at present) of:

Reece, Came, Madsen, Donald, Lloyd, Whiteley, Patel, Guest, Chappell, Brown, Amir

Ignore the batting order, but the average age is again 33. The oldest players would be Madsen (40) Patel (38) and Whiteley (35). Could you name a younger player who would be a better option? All will be key to our chances and neither Madsen or Whiteley need hidden in the field, as once we had to hide the likes of Fred Trueman and Fred Rumsey, or more recently Ravi Rampaul or Imran Tahir.

As for Patel, his recurring T20 contracts around the globe suggest plenty of good judges feel he has plenty to offer. He might not be an athlete - he never has been - but there are few better limited over spinners in the game, he still hits a long ball and he has a safe pair of hands.

I firmly believe that Derbyshire's emerging young players will benefit from the input of such experience, while someone like Alex Thomson can tap into the expertise of Patel. Yusaf Bin Naeem will surely learn from working with the likes of Wayne Madsen and as for Harry Moore, might he not pick up a few things from Mohammad Amir? 

I would like to think so.

Interesting afternoon news...

While claiming no inside knowledge, this afternoon's announcement by Imad Wasim of his retirement from international cricket made me sit up and think. Especially when Mickey Arthur later congratulated him on his career and said 'onwards and upwards'.

My understanding has always been that Derbyshire are seeking another seam bowler for the second overseas role. That's fine, but with Amir, Conners, Chappell, Aitchison, Brown and Potts on the staff - and with Dal, Reece, Lloyd and Whiteley to offer alternatives - I am not convinced it is the area of greater need. 

Samit Patel will remain a force in one-day cricket, but apart from Mitch Wagstaff's leggies, there is otherwise only Alex Thomson's off spin on the staff. Wasim is a very fine cricketer, one with a career highest of 207 and several centuries to his name, as well as a number of five wicket hauls. In T20 he goes for under seven an over and scores quickly with the bat, averaging over 20 with the bat.

At 35 he is experienced, knows his game and would be an asset to any side. He will know Samit Patel well from his stints with Nottinghamshire, while apparently being good friends with Mohammad Amir.

I wonder...

He will not lack offers from around the world, but I would take him at Derbyshire in a heartbeat.

The fixtures are out!

One of the most frequently asked questions on social media, as the launch of the following seasons cricket fixtures draws near, is 'which game are you most looking forward to?'

Honestly, it doesn't bother me. Perhaps the very first one, the clearest indicator that we have got through the winter (if not yet cold days!) and there is a long and balmy summer to look forward to. That is always the expectation, but so often it comes to naught.

I am most looking forward to seeing how the wickets are at the Incora County Ground. We will know by the end of the opening fixture, against Gloucestershire, whether a new-look side has a chance of 4-day promotion. It seems likely that our second overseas recruit will also be a seam bowler from Pakistan, so I would like to think both he and Mohammad Amir will have some early encouragement to bend their backs. 

My favourite fixture, the away game against Durham, has gone for this season after the latter's promotion to division one of the county championship. Aside from its geographical convenience, I'm not sure why I eagerly awaited it anyway, as we often played pretty poorly at the Riverside. I might see if I can get a day off for the 50-over game there, later in the season, but it would depend on how each squad has been ravaged by the other competition, which holds no interest for me.

Other than that I will need to wait and see. This will be my final cricket season of working, my retirement likely to come four days after the season ends. Trips down here were easier with Mum and Dad around, but with Dad gone and Mum currently in hospital after surgery on a fractured femur, I will need to see if that option, with free accommodation, is still there. 

I have spent the last week on the county border and will head north again at the weekend, with appointments and commitments to honour up there, 

Pleasant thoughts, hopefully realised, of the county cricket season will keep me going on the way home.

Only 128 days to go...

Blast Off returns and Arthur loses role

So Blast Off is back to launch the 2024 Vitality Blast and Derbyshire will face Leicestershire in their tournament opener at Edgbaston on June 1

Hopefully it is a good, positive start for Mickey Arthur's boys and their appearance will be followed by that of Nottinghamshire against Birmingham Bears. It is all downhill, once the Falcons have appeared...

While acknowledging that it is one less 'home' game for supporters, it is a good value cricket occasion and not all that far to travel, especially with the club likely to lay on travel. Financially it is better for them, I understand, than even a sell out home game, with television coverage guaranteed. It makes a lot of sense and it is good to see Derbyshire at the heart of innovation in the game.

Speaking of Mickey Arthur, as I was, he has been relieved of his duties as director of cricket in Pakistan in favour of Mohammed Hafeez. It was almost inevitable after a World Cup in which they failed to make the semi-finals. Realistically, many in that country prefer a Pakistan national in charge of cricketing affairs. I am not quite sure of the logic in appointing a former player with limited, as far as I am aware, coaching experience to a senior role, but that is their decision.

Arthur and Grant Bradburn become part of a coaching 'pool' at the national cricket academy and they may or may not be part of the coaching setup for the Pakistan tour of Australia and New Zealand.

I am not sure how to see Arthur's reaction to this. 

On the one hand, it is a demotion and I can see him pretty disheartened by it. Yet it is equally difficult to see him walk away from the job and simply return to Derbyshire without compensation. 

As far as I can tell, the contract that he signed will expire at the end of the West Indies tour of Pakistan in February and March of next year, so he may well be prepared to sit it out, then return to Derbyshire in the early Spring. 

No doubt things will be clarified soon.

Finally, the fixtures for 2024 will be released at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday of next week, 23 November.

Hotels up and down the country can prepare for a raft of bookings from cricket fans and in some way it makes the season that little bit closer.

Which works very well for me! 

Madsen signs extended deal

In a winter that has been as encouraging from a recruitment perspective as any in recent memory, there are plenty of people out there who will claim that today's news is perhaps the best of all.

Wayne Madsen will be a Derbyshire player for at least another two seasons. That is news to gladden any cricket lover's heart and brighten the greyest of days.

His new contract runs until the end of the 2025 season, which will also mark the end of Mickey Arthur's contract. The Head of Cricket has thus secured the services of the county's finest bat of the generation until then, but it needn't necessarily mark the end of his career at that point.

Much will depend on his retaining form and fitness in the intervening period, but nothing so far suggests that he is losing the eye, touch and timing that has served him so well over the past fourteen seasons. Nor has his fitness level dropped, highlighted by a couple of matches last year where he was fielding at point, while also being a choice for key positions in the deep during the Vitality Blast.

We may have seen the last of his slow bowling, as he barely turned his arm last year, but his slip fielding remains as reliable as anyone, while his  batting is often on a different level.

I am now of an age where I can cast my mind back to heroes of my youth and say to younger supporters 'you should have seen X, he was really special'.

For X you can insert the name of Wayne Madsen for your dotage. If we are fortunate enough to see a better player in Derbyshire colours, we will be truly blessed. Even if we do, the likelihood of that player giving sixteen years to the club - which he will have done by the end of this contract - is just about as likely as my beating prime time Usain Bolt over a hundred metres.

There may well be suggestions that Wayne might replace Mickey Arthur at the helm in two years time. It is a natural assumption to make, but I have no idea if that is where he sees his future. It may be that he joins his wife in their sports coaching business, or he could feasibly be a revered batting coach, perhaps combining that with playing responsibilities. Maybe Head of Cricket is too senior a role for his first, but that is a discussion for another day.

I don't know. All I do know is that I shall continue to enjoy every minute that he is at the crease and commit those drives, reverse sweeps, ramps and scoops further to memory for my dotage.

Once again I commend Mickey Arthur for his work in securing the extended services of our best talent, as well as engaging players who should give us a better summer next year.

I would love to see Wayne's loyalty rewarded with another piece of silverware before he retires.

It is nothing more than he deserves.

Weekend warmer

Being one of life's 'glass half full' brigade, I don't subscribe to suggestions made that Derbyshire have signed players who are looking for one last pay day.

Certainly, in the cases of Messrs Lloyd, Brown, Donald and Amir they have signed cricketers who are either at or yet to approach their peak.

So the 'accusations' are levelled at Ross Whiteley (35) and Samit Patel (38) and in neither case do I think the argument stacks up. Wayne Madsen will be 40 when next season starts and it is still hard to imagine a Derbyshire side taking the field without him. His level of fitness is exemplary and no one would omit him from a first choice side. Darren Stevens went on to his mid-40s and a niche was found for him in the Kent side that worked. 

Patel has never looked an athlete. Maybe his best batting days are gone, a suggestion that he is more vulnerable than he was against pace probably valid for him and for most of his age. But he hasn't been signed for that, so much as his wily spin variations, where his skills are undiminished in limited over cricket. Any runs will be a bonus, but he will doubtless contribute his share. He still gets picked for global franchises, which suggests a lot of people know what he brings to the party.

Whiteley has suffered by being the 'last few overs' player in a strong Hampshire side. You don't average in the 20s by having to go in and clear the ropes from the start. I would suggest that if he went in at five in the Derbyshire side, he would score a lot more runs in T20, able to take a look before blasting, than he would do at seven. Yet the chances of him going in that high in a strong batting order are perhaps slim. Nonetheless, he affords an ability to rescue losing causes and turn games on their head. 

Comparisons with Tom Wood are not really valid, accordingly. I liked him, a lot, but you can't compare the average of a player in the top four with that of someone lower. I wouldn't argue that Tom could have had greater opportunity than offered him and he played two of the best one-day innings in recent memory, but his day has gone, at least at Derbyshire and we must move on.

But here's a question for you...who is the fastest run scorer on the current Derbyshire staff in T20 cricket?  No cheating, but the averages and scoring rates of the main batters in next year's squad are as follows:

Reece 22.8 at 130.6

Came 23.9 at 134.5

Madsen 31.4 at 138.2

Donald 18.6 at 133.6

Lloyd 23.4 at 132.6

Whiteley 23.2 at 136.5

Patel 24.9 at 124.7

Guest 29.5 at 137.7

Some valid comparators: Tom Wood 38.3 at 140.6, Haider Ali 22.7 at 133.8, Shan Masood 27 at 127.5

The quality of Madsen and Guest, both in average and run rate is clear. There is an argument for Guest to bat higher, especially given his speed between the wickets.  But all of these are good run rates and if they can be maintained, Derbyshire should set some challenging totals. 

Of course, our season will be more than just T20 cricket, but given the reputation of some of those recruits in that format, it is easy to see that as a focus next year. 

Both Matt Lamb and Mitch Wagstaff will hope to force their way into the 4 day squad and both have much to offer.

There will be competition for places, that is clear. 

Even before we announce the name of the second overseas recruit..

Ross returns to almost complete the winter recruitment

While there has been criticism of Mickey Arthur during the course of the 2023 season, there can be no arguments that he has been quick and efficient in recruiting players who should make for a better future in the final two years of his current deal.

The addition of our former all rounder and member of the 2012 trophy-winning side, Ross Whiteley today gives us another dimension in all formats, but makes the T20 side look really strong.

Ross is welcomed back with open arms to the county where he made his name, before going on to a successful career with Worcestershire and Hampshire. Like Aneurin Donald he swaps the south coast for the East Midlands and there is serious depth to the side now. With just a second overseas player to add, there is notionally this side to take the field in the Vitality Blast

Came, Reece, Madsen, Donald, Lloyd, Whiteley, Patel, Guest, Chappell, Brown, Amir

Whiteley has signed for all formats and is likely to want to play more, at this stage of his career, than he has in recent seasons. 

I remember seeing him many years back in the second team at Denby. Back then he looked to be a new Kevin Dean who could hit a clean ball. His bowling has never progressed to that standard, but he remains a useful variant for any captain.

He has earned a deserved reputation as a big hitter, a finisher if you will, but there is more to his game than being a merry slogger. He can play proper shots, but also has the power to clear the boundary at the critical stage of the innings. Add that to his useful left arm seam and his value to the squad is clear, even before his brilliant fielding is taken into consideration.

I named a notional side above which includes all of the new players, but doesn't feature the second overseas, still to be named. Nor does it feature Anuj Dal, Ben Aitchison, Sam Conners, Mitch Wagstaff,  Matt Lamb, Alex Thomson or Nick Potts. All of them will have a part to play across the formats and the challenge from Derbyshire's Head of Cricket is clear - make me want to pick you.

The batting order could go any number of ways - feel free to let me know your choice - but the talent within the squad is patently clear.

Despite the loss of Leus du Plooy in particular, it looks on paper to be the strongest Derbyshire squad in a number of years. There are competitors within the group, players who are used to winning matches and winning trophies.

Whiteley was not as prolific at Hampshire as he might have hoped, perhaps due to his role in the side. Often he came in having to hit from the outset, to the detriment of his average. But it is clear that a side that features the batters above, should they all be at their best, will be a challenge for any opposition attack.

If Mickey Arthur can get the best from the group of players that he has assembled, the next two seasons promise to be memorable for all of the right reasons.

Welcome back to Derbyshire, Ross. 

It is a pleasure to see you back in God's own county.

Whiteley Returns!

So Ross Whiteley does return to Derbyshire!

A two year deal sees the powerful left handed return home to take a place in a strong 2024 squad 

I am en route to Mum's so this must suffice for now, but there will be more from me on this later.

That T20 side especially is looking very strong for next summer...

What do you think? 

Cohen gets Kent deal

It is nice to see Mikey Cohen getting himself a deal at another county, having been announced as the recipient of a 2-year contract at Kent today.

He is a good cricketer. Like many others, he is capable of really good days and others when it doesn't go his way. When the radar is locked on and his rhythm is right, there is much to like in a left arm fast bowler.

A back injury at Derbyshire - not his first, hopefully his last - curtailed his career with us, but so to did his status as a South African. Whenever he played a young English bowler didn't and Derbyshire didn't get the ECB money that goes along with that. Which is fine and dandy if the player is taking a lot of wickets or scoring a lot of runs. 

I hope that he gets the opportunity down south and perhaps the pitches there might suit him better. For a seam bowler, there are certainly easier gigs than the Incora County Ground in recent summers.

I wish him well and will keep a close eye on his progress. 

Finally tonight and in response to several messages and comments, the story about Ross Whiteley returning to Derbyshire has been doing the rounds for a few weeks now, certainly since before the end of the season.

It would be a special signing, but I have heard nothing to substantiate anything but rumour. Maybe he wants to return nearer his family, or he wants to play more cricket than he currently does at Hampshire. Then again, he is contracted to the end of next season and if there was a suggestion that a proven star of T20 cricket was available, I suspect a few counties may be interested in his services.

Equally he could be perfectly happy and want to stay put. Stories sometimes take wing from agents perhaps trying to manufacture improved deals at one county over a supposed one elsewhere.

All I can say is yes, he would be a tremendous asset to our one-day side, possibly to all formats. But until the club announce it - IF there is any truth in it - then it can only be considered a fantasy signing, one of the boys of summer 2012 returning home.

Is he player number seven? I don't know, but I am expecting that player will be announced before Christmas.

Watch this space!

Weekend warmer

So England bow out - or perhaps retreat with their tails between their legs - from a tournament that they hoped to win, ending it as the worst side in the tournament, certainly by the results and table.

It is what happens in sport when outstanding teams - and there have been times when this one has been - don't integrate new blood into a successful lineup. The one sure thing in sport is that time wait for no one, everyone has a sell-by date. Sadly, that has been passed by too many of this England squad.

I will be honest, my major interest in this competition has been spotting a potential second overseas player for Derbyshire. Just to clarify, I won't have any say in that decision...

Nor do I have any knowledge of the budget, but I would have to say that if we are going for another Pakistan player, the only feasible bowler on display has been Mohammad Wasim Jr. He was a late introduction to the side, but has bowled with commendable pace, skill and accuracy since his call up. Haris Rauf  has had an awful series and surely a chance for Zaman Khan might have been more beneficial? Hassan Ali has also had a poor series and the Pakistan bowling has been largely underwhelming.

The spinners on display don't  look especially threatening, though of course you are judging them against the very best.  They appear more bits 'n' pieces players, probably good for Vitality Blast, but not likely to take wickets in large amounts in the four-day game.

So perhaps Derbyshire might split the overseas role. Were there budget to do so I would consider Abrar Ahmed, omitted from this tournament, as a match-winning leggie for the four day game. I always think they are good value in England, as batters so rarely face a decent one. 

Meanwhile, I would love to see Faqhar Zaman for the Blast at some point. Not just on the basis of yesterday's extraordinary innings against New Zealand, but because he is a proven match winner. There also seems a mutual respect between he and Mohammad Amir, who he called 'the best bowler I have faced' recently. Amir yesterday referred to Fakhar as an 'impact player' and Pakistan's tournament may have been very different had he been available throughout. In three innings he has made 219 runs and he was not remotely fazed by chasing 400 yesterday. Eleven sixes rained from his bat yesterday and the thought of him doing that over here has its appeal. 

Of course he will be in demand and the likelihood is that a bigger budget than ours will get his services.

Yet the perfect fit for our overseas role is not from Pakistan. 

Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand is an outstanding batting talent, a very fine fielder and a more than respectable purveyor of left arm spin. He looks a very special player and one who would be a very good fit for our needs.

I suspect most Heads of Cricket around the country will feel the same and I am sure that he and several other Kiwis will not lack for offers in the aftermath of this competition.

But of course, the T20 World Cup will take these players out of the equation, so the search will focus on those who don't make squads.

Finally, congratulations to Harry Came on his selection for an MCC squad touring Kenya. 

He did very well in the season just finished and looks to be a player with a very bright future.

I will certainly be keeping more of an eye on events in Kenya cricket circles than is usually the case.

Go well, Harry.