Overseas thoughts

Although it has not been formally announced, I think it unlikely that Derbyshire will re-engage Caleb Jewell for 2027. 

He did well in 2025, but after a difficult winter in Australia, he wasn't the same player in 2026. The footwork was more hesitant, there was less panache in the strokes, less confidence at the crease. He dropped down the order in red ball cricket but there were only two half centuries and an average of 22 wasn't good enough for that crucial overseas role. 

He also dropped out of the side in T20, though as much due to the imbalance of the eleven and a shortage of bowlers, that meant both overseas options had to play. He offered a sound pair of hands in the field and fitted into the dressing room well, but like all players was eventually judged on the runs scored or wickets taken.

So where next for Derbyshire? In this ever more congested fixture calendar they need to find a batter who can close to guarantee a thousand red ball runs, as well as more in the white ball game. That isn't easy, because they need to find the right man, who wants to play in England for six months, is available AND affordable. 

Above that, for me, we need a competitor, a warrior. Someone who is prepared to roll his sleeves up and battle in tough conditions, a player who will get you over the line when the opposition are coming hard. A player who, with force of personality, will drag his team mates along with him. A leader, in short, if not necessarily captain.

Of course, that is easy to say, less easy to find. There have been a few references this summer to the Derbyshire squad being too 'nice' and the ideal signing for 2027 is someone who carries that X factor. Is there another Dean Jones out there, another Eddie Barlow? (plot spoiler, I doubt it...)

Jones led by example, though his abrasive style was always likely to produce dressing room challenges in the medium to long term. Barlow set the example too, but was a better man manager and got the best out of everyone. He was captain AND coach.. try putting that in a job description today..

But that is a challenge to occupy minds in the coming weeks. It isn't easy and it is not an exact science. Dean Elgar only averages 32 for Essex, Beau Webster little more for Warwickshire, though Joe Weatherall averaged 60 for Leicestershire. Cameron Bancroft averages only 30 for Gloucestershire, with no century, Marcus Harris less than 40 for Lancashire. All good names, good players, but delivering what you want from an overseas? I am not so sure.

But Northamptonshire have done well with Nathan McSweeney (average 47 and four centuries), so too Durham with the peerless David Bedingham. So the players are out there, it is a case of finding the right one, with the right mentality and then providing an environment in which they can flourish.

I have to admit to a soft spot for Australians and South Africans. Who wouldn't have, with the rich history of talent from those shores in our colours over the years? Di Venuto, Jones, Rogers, Katich, North - or Barlow, Kirsten, Wilkins, Langeveldt, Kuiper? You would gladly welcome back any of them, in their prime. You could count on these fellas and their averages were testimony to their mental toughness.

Plenty would also welcome a return for Shan Masood, assuming he was interested. Given the volatility of cricket in that part of the world, he might no longer be involved with the Pakistan side by next year. Then again, he could be chairman of selectors, who knows? 

But he might not want another year in England either. I am not sure he is a dominating international player and a Test average of 30 suggests that, but he is a proven run scorer at county level who would likely not lack suitors, were he available.

Other ideas? You have as many as me, probably. We must hope for better returns next year from Mohammad Abbas, assuming he returns for his second year and isn't wrapped in cotton wool by Pakistan. I would welcome hearing them, but so many players base their careers around franchise cricket now, that it is difficult to gauge the feasibility of many names. 

I thought about someone like Matt Renshaw, a good left-hander of sound temperament, but he is back in the Australian fold for their One-Day series against South Africa. Mind you, so too is Billy Stanlake, perhaps less fondly remembered for an ultra-short stint over here.

An all rounder for T20 is essential, to go with a top-drawer batter for all formats. Both Akif Javed and Sufyan Moqim had their moments, but the side needed better balance. Watching a player like Shadab Khan for Lancashire, as he took three wickets and scored a bucolic fifty against us at Derby, highlighted the role we needed fulfilled. Had Wanindu Hasaranga, Mickey Arthur's first choice, been available this summer it would have made a difference, but such players will always be in high demand and command top salaries. That's why someone like Jimmy Neesham has had such a long and rewarding career, so too Mitchell Santner. They are players capable of winning a game with bat and ball, the same as Kieron Pollard, not one of the all-time West Indian greats but a star player for years in the short form of the game.

Much will depend on the international fixture list. I would welcome a player like Cooper Connolly with open arms, but again, the agents of such players know their worth and it would take a lot of work to get such a player to Derbyshire.

Unless anyone knows one with a granny in Codnor, of course. Ideally working on a book on the Peak District in their spare time...

As always, I appreciate your comments and your suggestions.