Weekend Warmer

We are nearly at the end of January and you know what that means? 

Later this week we will be able to say that the county cricket season starts next month! Only just, with the start of the three-day friendly against Leeds MCCU on the last day of March, but we are looking at small wins here. Hopefully a prelude to some big ones when the action starts..

England gained a quite remarkable win in the Test match, thanks to an extraordinary innings by Ollie Pope and a second innings seven-wicket haul by Tom Hartley. I have to admit that nothing I had seen of the Lancashire spinner suggested he was going to win a Test match anytime soon, but fair play to the lad, he came back from a first innings mauling to be the hero of the hour.

Forty-two wickets in his previous twenty first-class matches didn't suggest he was the new Hedley Verity, but he showed remarkable mental fortitude in rising to the occasion and outbowling established counterparts in the Indian side.

But what do we expect of spinners? If there is a pitch in this country that shows a degree of turn before the last day, pitch inspectors head in. Most get marginally more opportunity than I do and we have selected three for the tour who don't yet have one hundred first class wickets between them. The days of the specialist spinner are long gone and they generally need to be decent batters to get a game at most counties 

You don't generally become fully-skilled at the spinning art in your youth. No greater authority than Edwin Smith told me that he didn't regard himself as the finished article until he reached 30, by which time most modern equivalents have been consigned to the scrapheap, or are only playing a few first-class games at the end of the summer. 

I suspect that there are plenty more twists and turns in the series but India will not have expected Messrs Ashwin and Jadeja to be outbowled by a young lad from Ormskirk...

Moving on, my post about my FAVOURITE Derbyshire eleven produced a bumper mail bag and plenty of comments. I must stress again that it wasn't my greatest Derbyshire eleven, which would be really difficult to do.

How do you compare someone like Arnold Hamer and, say, Peter Bowler? The averages suggest the latter a far superior player, but the former played on uncovered wickets, where batting was a lottery if it rained. Contemporaries said he was a brilliant player against all bowling and often  didn't have a lot of support. 

Similarly, how do you compare Les Townsend and Geoff Miller? Many of us saw Geoff, loved and rightly respected him, but none of us saw Les and his batting and bowling averages were better. Geoff scored 2 hundreds and 72 fifties, to go with 888 wickets at 28, while  Les scored 22 centuries and 102 fifties, as well as over a thousand wickets at 21 each. 

Was Mike Hendrick, as an example, better than William Mycroft? The latter took 863 wickets at just 12 runs each! Granted at a time when the game was vastly different to today, but he dominated in his era and none can do more than that. George Davidson must have been another terrific cricketer, with the figures he produced, yet how does he compare with George Pope, Derek Morgan or Dominic Cork as an all rounder? How do you compare the runs made by batters against the plethora of quick bowlers in the 70s and 80s against those made today? Kim Barnett and Wayne Madsen are probably the two finest batters in our history, yet the conditions in which they made their runs - and the bowlers they faced - are very different.

I don't pay too much attention to social media 'greatest' elevens, because they are heavily weighted in favour of those, understandably, who have been seen. If you follow football, you would think the game didn't matter before the advent of the Premier League. Yet if I chose my favourite eleven most people in it would pre-date that. Was Steve Bloomer better than Kevin Hector, or Bobby Davison? In his era he was a giant of the game and his legend lives on, but most voters in such a poll would likely vote for Chris Martin...

If everyone who reads this submitted a 'greatest' Derbyshire eleven, I would reckon no two would be the same. 

Especially when the format would need to be clarified! 

My favourite eleven

At the end of last season, I was asked if over the winter I could turn my thoughts to an eleven, over the time I have spent watching Derbyshire, who I really enjoyed watching. Not necessarily the best players, but personal favourites. 

It has taken me a while, for reasons you know and if I thought about it for too long I would probably change that eleven on a regular basis! But my favourite side (and choosing only two overseas players was a challenge!) is as follows:

1 Kim Barnett

Needs no explanation. Simply the greatest bat the club has ever had, as well as being one of the most entertaining. Skippered the best side I have seen in our colours and always a joy to watch. Handy bowler too and fine fielder.

2 Alan Hill

I have always enjoyed a batter who grafts solidly away at 30-40 a session, presenting a bat as wide as a door. 'Bud' was a definitive example of this. He had the shots, mind, but batted for the team.

3 John Morris

Classy, stylish, powerful and eminently watchable. Didn't stay long enough but he was such a fine bat. If he was in for an hour it was one of the best hours you could wish for.

4 Eddie Barlow

One of my overseas. Also my skipper. Oh, and first change bowler too, as well as opener if we needed one through injury. Magnificent man and cricketer. As a kid I wanted to be him, still idolise the bloke

5 Wayne Madsen

Second best bat I have seen, after Barnett. But it is the way he makes his runs, as well as the sheer volume. Brilliant catcher, one of the nicest guys you could wish to meet and one I will miss considerably, when he eventually calls time on playing

6 Anuj Dal

Love watching him bat and bowl, while he is brilliant in the field. But he always seems to enjoy himself and just edges out Luis Reece in this team. Busy cricketer and another lovely bloke.

7 Fred Swarbrook

Solid, in every sense of the word. Dependable and gritty with the bat, a terrific spinner until he got the 'yips'.  Good pair of hands too. Geoff Miller was a better player, but I loved watching Fred and his commitment to the cause.

8 Michael Holding

Underrated bat, wonderfully quick bowler with all the skills. A safe counsel for Barnett and Eddie Barlow would love such a weapon in his attack. A genuine great of the game

9 Bob Taylor

Worth the admission money, just to watch him take the ball. I feel sorry for very good keepers since, because the standard he set, day in, day out, was astonishing. Another lovely man, but what a player!

10 Alan Ward

When he was on song, was fit and full of confidence, he was a joy to behold. That long back, high action and follow through. There were a few didn't fancy getting in line against him and he was an awesome sight in full flow.

11 Mike Hendrick

Not especially quick, but wonderfully accurate. On his day he could be unplayable and I saw him tie Geoff Boycott in knots at Chesterfield before dismissing him, one evening. Not many could do that. Excellent fielder too, when not all seamers were..

Others bubble under. I liked Bruce Roberts, Ashley Harvey-Walker, Matt Critchley, Chris Wilkins, Mohammad Azharuddin, Dean Jones, Ian Bishop, Tony Borrington... There are many more, but that eleven above gave me great pleasure over the years.

I would give good money to see them walk on a pitch and play together!

And if anyone else fancies a go, by all means let me know...

Big news day!

So today is one of two momentous pieces of news.

The first is that it has now been confirmed that Mickey Arthur has left his role in Pakistan and will from now on be focusing all of his attention on Derbyshire. I think that we can all be grateful for that and I am hopeful that the season ahead of us will be where his work thus far comes to fruition, certainly in terms of sustained levels of performance.

According to The Cricketer, his contract with Derbyshire is for another 3 years, whereas  I (and Dean who sent me the link, thanks mate!) thought it was for two. I can only assume there is an optional extra year and that will be very much dependent on results in the intervening period.

What impact it has on any plans for our second overseas role I don't know. I guess the obvious one is that he will not know so quickly who is excluded from their World Cup plans, but I am certain he will have several irons in the fire and one of them will come through in due course.

The second piece of news? Probably more personal, but I will be retiring on June 19. I have brought it forward from the end of September, but I have worked long enough and I have to admit retiring with a summer ahead of me holds considerable appeal.

Especially when that retirement allows me to fulfil a long standing desire to attend the Chesterfield Cricket Festival - or at least the Yorkshire four-day game part of it.

So at the same time as completing the paperwork for work, my hotel is booked and all I need now is for the weather to be kind and, of course, Derbyshire to produce a good performance!

Hopefully I will see plenty of old and new friends on that trip. I'm not sure how many times I will be able to do that now, but this is something I have wanted to do for some time. Since I like Chesterfield as a town, there will be plenty to keep me occupied even if the weather is less favourable!

Looks like I will be keeping my fingers crossed for some time...

Weekend warmer

I watched a little of the South African T20 this week and was astonished to see that Wayne Madsen had been omitted from the opening game for the Johannesburg Super Kings. An oxymoron if there ever was.. 

Now it may be that I missed news of him picking up an injury, but their fielding against MI Cape Town was almost as bad as the bowling. Chances of regulation standard at that level were missed (although Faf du Plessis held a blinder) while the ground fielding was very inconsistent. For that alone Wayne should have been in the side, as he has always been very reliable. Their opponents rattled up a not inconsiderable 243-5, with Ryan Rickelton and Robbie Van Der Dussen added 200 for the first wicket, against bowling that strived for line and length and managed neither. Only Lizaad Williams emerged with any bowling credit in a poor display.

Leus du Plooy made a breezy 48 from 24 balls, but Joburg were hammered out of sight on a small ground where the ball flew to all parts.

Speaking of Leus, I wonder if he has had any second thoughts about his move to Middlesex? This week came news that they cannot afford an overseas player this summer, so the high profile signings of du Plooy and Henry Brookes are it. While last year's signings were poor, they could do with some additional input to offset the loss of John Simpson and Tim Murtagh and it is hard to see anything other than a summer of toil ahead.

I also followed (but didn't watch) Pakistan against New Zealand and they have been outclassed. I don't think a muddled selection policy helps them and it appears the dressing room must have a revolving door, so frequent are the changes of personnel. With the selection of the bulky Azam Khan they are on their third wicket keeper of the winter, while I am unsure of the merit in batting one of world cricket's most destructive openers, Fakhar Zaman, at number four. It reminded me of our attempt last year to turn Haider Ali into an opener, which didn't work and rarely looked like doing so.

Thanks to Dean for forwarding me a link to the interview of Mickey Arthur in the Wisden Cricket magazine. It was interesting and gave an interesting insight to the processes in Pakistan, which don't always make sense. I am looking forward to the announcement of their T20 World Cup squad, as recent selections suggest their might be suprise omissions, which could benefit Derbyshire, of course.

Finally today I was pleased to see Grant Bradburn get an opportunity at Glamorgan, leaving Pakistan behind as Arthur himself has done. 

The Kiwi is an excellent coach and I think he will do well in Wales.

As long as it isn't against us, that's fine...

Ben Smith in as new batting coach

It is a sure sign of one's own advancing years when the newly announced batting coach for your club is remembered as a talented young bat in his own right!

So it is with Ben Smith, who was a very good county bat over a couple of decades for first Leicestershire and then Worcestershire. Forty first class centuries and a hundred half centuries confirm what was a considerable talent and he was often considered to be on the edge of international recognition, without quite getting there. 

But a first class average of just under 40 confirms that he could play alright and he has been announced as the new full time batting coach for Derbyshire, replacing Ian Bell. The latter's many commitments meant he could only do the job part time and, as Mickey Arthur has mentioned, the job needs to be done on a full-time basis.

He brings considerable experience, having held similar roles at his previous counties, as well as Worcestershire, Ireland and currently the Central Stags in New Zealand.

At 51 he has a wealth of experience and this could prove to be a very astute piece of work by Mickey Arthur.

He will take up his role at the end of February and I am sure that you will all join me in wishing him well.

Weekend warmer

It has been nice to get back to a semblance of normality in the last few days and catch up with my messages and my mail bag.

A couple of people asked if I thought that Mickey Arthur might be interested in Aamir Jamal, who has done so well for Pakistan in the series against Australia. 

While his team has struggled, Aamir followed an innings of 82 that featured some remarkable shots with 6-69 as his side took an unlikely first innings lead. More anaemic batting will probably see them whitewashed, however, although Aamir and Rizwan, the two main scorers first time around, will need to replicate their brilliance to give them any chance.

So to answer the question, yes, he will have taken note of the performance but will already be aware of what the player brings to the table. I think it is unlikely he will be in their squad for the T20 World Cup, as he is a little slower than many alternatives and goes at ten an over in his short form career so far. He could be a good asset in the four day game, lengthening the batting, zipping it around and worth an enquiry, perhaps. But there are plenty in that country and I am sure that the Head of Cricket has various irons in the fire depending on the eventual squad selection.

Mind you, Amir and Aamir would keep the proof-readers on their toes...

I still think he will split that second role and have a seamer for the four-day games and an all rounder for the Vitality Blast. 

Speaking of which, I have also been asked if I think there will be any interest in Josh Cobb, who it has finally been announced is leaving Northamptonshire. Cobb seemed to be on his way in the second half of last season, so no doubt there have been contractual niceties to conclude, before the parting of ways was confirmed.

There was a time when I would have grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He has been a long- time thorn in Derbyshire sides over the years, both with Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. 

However, after the winter of recruitment, I can't see how he would improve on what is already there. He is a powerful bat and a useful spinner, while he also has a good pair of hands in the field, even though weight fluctuations can impact on his mobility.

I'm not sure he brings anything different to the squad and in itself that is a favourable comment on how well Mickey Arthur has recruited this year. I cannot think there is money remaining in the budget anyway and our need for a second quality overseas player is greater with what budget is left.

I said a few months back that Mickey had recruited shrewdly in signing Mohammad Amir, as he knows he will be available for the start of the season through to the end of the Blast. That can't be said about too many players and it is interesting that counties have moved for those who they know they can safely recruit. Northamptonshire themselves look set to sign Sikander Raza from Zimbabwe, who won't be at the T20 World Cup, while Worcestershire have  signed Kiwi bowling all-rounder Nathan Smith to go with Usama Mir, who they must feel is far enough down the Pakistan pecking order to be a safe recruit.

There are still plenty of positions to be filled around the country and the next couple of months look likely to be busy. 

I am intrigued as to who Derbyshire will end up with and I think the signing will be crucial to our hopes of a much improved season.

I expected to do better anyway, but the right import could make it very special indeed...