Thoughts as the season approaches

Tomorrow is the first day of March, a day when we can finally say that cricket starts this month.

There are just 25 days until Derbyshire set foot on the County Ground once again, for a 3-day game against Oxford UCCE, closely followed by a similar fixture against the South Asian Cricket Academy. I doubt it will be tropical, but we will all be tuning into the stream or going down for an early 'fix' for our cricketing needs dressed like Nanook of the North..

It was nice to see photographs of the players outdoors yesterday, slowly dusting off those winter cobwebs. Especially so to see Ben Aitchison in the slip cordon, where his presence will undoubtedly improve on the standard last season. With Caleb Jewell also likely to be in there alongside Wayne Madsen, we should do better than last year, when far too many were being dropped for comfort.

I don't think Ben will be in the side at the start of the season, but understand it won't be long before he is back in contention and probably aiming for red ball involvement around May.

There are three things that have me pondering at this stage. One is the perennial likely line up for the first game, another is the red ball captaincy and the third is who we are likely to target for the T20 leg spinner role that has been mentioned.

It is a sign of a competitive squad when it is hard to get a handle on the best eleven. I will be interested to see people's thoughts on this but my first choice side to start the season - obviously with no indication as to the pitch - would be along these lines: 

Came

Jewell

Reece

Madsen

Guest

Lloyd

Dal

Andersson

Chappell

Tickner

Brown

Would we need a spinner, in which case Jack Morley for Brown, perhaps. Remember Harry Moore is unlikely to be available until June, because he has school. I like the idea of a left/right combination in the batting, so Luis Reece and Brooke Guest could be three, depending on whose wicket fell first. There is no place in that eleven for Nye Donald, based purely on last season and his greater aptitude for the shorter forms. I would love to get him in there, but realistically he is competing for a middle order place with David Lloyd. 

Which brings us neatly to the second thing.. will Lloyd want to remain as captain? It was a big ask last year, moving to a new county, opening the batting and trying to make a big impression. It didn't work out for him, not least because he had a few injuries, but the problem is who takes it on if he doesn't. 

Wayne Madsen would be an obvious choice, but I am unsure if he would want to return to the role, even though he is the go to for captains when we are in the field. Brooke Guest would be another, but perhaps he has enough on his plate with keeping wicket and potentially batting at three. I think he could do it, but we don't really want to burn him out and that would be my only concern. 

I don't think Luis Reece or Anuj Dal would fancy it, perhaps preferring to focus on their own games, which leaves - possibly - Zak Chappell. I wouldn't be averse to him taking on the role, because he is a very good cricketer and has a keen, competitive edge to his game. But it is telling that there is not yet an announcement on the red ball captaincy and it is something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

David Lloyd looked totally drained at the end of last year, something that was totally understandable. Perhaps a winter of rest has done him good, but a change might be beneficial all around. Thoughts, everyone? 

Finally, if the club manages to put together the money for a leg-spinner for Vitality Blast, who might it be? Of course it will depend on the budget, but plenty of players out there will see an opportunity in The Blast as opening doors for the Hundred, later in the summer.

Samit Patel worked well with Ish Sodhi at Nottinghamshire, while Mickey Arthur's admiration for Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka was clear when he arrived in Derby. There's also Maheesh Theekshana of the same country, ostensibly an off spinner, but regular bowler of carrom balls and wrong 'uns to great effect. All would be likely to be pricey, but perhaps their agents might see a bigger picture if they completed a successful English stint.

Of course, we wouldn't say no to Adam Zampa, but I suspect he would be out of our league, as would Tabraiz Shamsi of South Africa.

Abrar Ahmed of Pakistan may also be on a wish list, but that country will have several bowlers who might prove effective and be less well known. It is why I always enjoy watching the PSL, because it unearths a few players who are largely unheard of here. 

And more affordable of course...

There's always Imran Tahir, still turning his arm over at 44 in the SA20 and likely to feature in the PSL once more in the near future...but that one is very much tongue on cheek. 

I'm not sure who does his running in the field and that isn't the forte of our white ball skipper either..

Jewell strikes form and counties set for Hundred 'windfall'

Early this morning, rising early as I tend to do after a lifetime of doing so for work, I went out into the garden. 

It was a little less chilly than of late and the realisation dawned that it was now just 36 days until Derbyshire stepped out on to to a cricket field again, for a pre-season friendly. It will be my 58th supporting the county and I still feel the excitement building as the season approaches. Sometimes the sense of anticipation is justified and a fine season ensues, but either way we will all soon be watching OUR team in action once more. 

With timing that I hope is replicated throughout a long and run-filled summer, Caleb Jewell made a delightful unbeaten century for Tasmania last week. It came against a Victoria side that had Australian opening bowlers Scott Boland and Peter Siddle in their ranks, as well as new Yorkshire overseas signing Will Sutherland.

Like many of you I saw and enjoyed the highlights reel, which told more of the player so highly regarded in that country than anything he did in the recent Big Bash. It contained proper cricket shots and a plethora of stylish strokes through the offside. I didn't see too many of those in the T20 competition and it highlighted why many good judges in that country still rate him as an Australian possible. 

He is apparently coming over here well before the season starts to acclimatise and that will stand him in good stead when the season begins. So too will his experience in league cricket here, as well as the fact that Tasmania, more than anywhere in Australia, has wickets similar to England.

With Blair Tickner having enjoyed a fine winter for Central Districts/Stags, perhaps the pieces are going to properly align this year. We can only hope so and of course get behind our team.

The advent of The Hundred has, of course, changed the cricket landscape in this country, possibly forever. As regular readers will know, I haven't watched much of the competition because it holds little appeal for me, but the recent auction of the participating teams has generated revenue for the county and recreational game, which has a direct consequence for Derbyshire and the other non-host counties.

They will benefit from significant value, which will help them to drive sustainability and purpose. They will also continue to benefit from the £1.3m annual distribution linked to The Hundred, with the potential for additional money depending on future growth. As The Hundred grows, there may be the opportunity to add more teams to the competition and for non-host professional counties to form a new team. This would bring additional benefits both to the new hosts and remaining non-hosts.

It is encouraging but it should be remembered by supporters that the money will be available on a phased basis and its use is going to be ring-fenced. While some will want to see the money go into playing budgets, the reality is that its use will be for debt repayment, the building of reserves and for income generation / capital projects.

Counties will need to apply to the ECB for the money, it won't just land in county bank accounts and where Derbyshire are at an advantage is that they don't need to use it to wipe out debt, unlike many others.

The likeliest scenario is that it is used to enhance the ground to enable revenue generation. So we may see more seats, enhanced matchday offerings, larger hospitality areas and facilities for out of season growth. These projects would generate additional income which could then impact positively on the playing budget.

I understand that a figure north of twenty million pounds each is likely to be available for Derbyshire and other counties, which on the face of it is very good news. However, the key to the success of the venture will be how this money is used. Counties with sizeable debt will have to use a considerable amount to reduce that, so it could perhaps be argued that it just keeps them ticking over, deferring the problem but not solving it. 

I am confident however, that Derbyshire have a very strong team off the pitch, who will ensure the money is put to the best possible use. 

The full impact of The Hundred will only be felt in ten years time. At that point we will look back on this period in the game's history as either its salvation, or the point at which the overseas involvement and investment ruined the game we have all loved, probably forever. 

My concern remains that venture capitalists and private equity will not be content with 49% of anything. They will have a medium to long term goal of wanting to fully control the direction of their investment. Who is to say that in a few years time, when some of those haemorrhaging money and continuing to do so need another transfusion, they might not hand over a controlling percentage in return? Then an already parasitic competition, that has high summer in which to operate, would be able to place demands that render the rest of the game untenable in its current form. 

I have read suggestions that the non-host counties should seek to run an alternative competition. That is all well and good, but when? Unless we totally ditch the fifty-over format in which we look increasingly poor as a nation, or run the season to the end of October, I struggle to see how that would work. My understanding is also that it would require twelve counties to vote it through, so the sums don't add up.

Yorkshire, riddled with debt, has already handed over 100% of the Northern Superchargers to the Sun Group, who already own Sunrisers Hyderabad. 

While that ensures that they have a tomorrow, what that tomorrow looks like is anyone's guess.

For now we celebrate. Me too, but keeping a wary eye on the involvement of those who might not want to be on the same bus as the rest of us for too long...

Donald signs extension

Apologies for the delay in blogging, but my time of late has been spent on clearing a house and getting my mother-in-law into a care home. Anyone who has had to do that will realise how time consuming it all is, so here I am again with hopefully a semblance of normality returning to our lives...

Good news today about Nye Donald signing a contract extension, which takes him to the end of 2026. That he did pretty well in the T20 last year is a given, but it is also the case that he needs to do much more across all formats. He is a wonderful striker of a cricket ball, probably among the top six that I have seen in Derbyshire colours over 57 summers. Yet there is more to the game than simply hitting a few balls a long way and then retiring to the pavilion. 

If Nye can translate quick scores into match-winning ones, our chances of success this year are considerably higher. It's all very well (and hugely enjoyable to watch) to score lightning fast 50s, but it is bigger scores that produce wins and make people sit up to notice you. 

I still have no doubt that he is capable of playing franchise cricket around the globe and earning a lot of money, but he needs to do more. Hopefully the confidence of an additional year on his contract will enable him to blossom and show us his true value over the next two years. 

The other thing that caught my eye since I last was writing was a revision to the plans for the second team cricket this year. Counties will now participate in the Second Eleven Championship Challenge, with five four-day matches per team, as well as the 20-over competition. They will be broadly allowed flexibility to arrange matches to suit their own needs, because of a perceived decline in the standards. 

That is hardly surprising. As things have been, teams have been selected at times from anyone available, with overlaps with the first class games seeing players leave to take part in those senior matches before the second team game finishes. 

There seems interest in playing some 3-day matches at that level, because it saves money in hotel bills for an extra night, as well as avoiding some challenges in getting time off work for prospective trialists. At least one county plans to play their red ball cricket in August, allowing academy players who are in education to play during summer holidays.

I think it is a positive move and anything that potentially improves the standard has got to be a step in the right direction.