English County Cricket: What should Derbyshire's line-up for the season's opener be?
Here, I attempt to arrive at what Derbyshire’s line-up for the season's opening game should be.
Picking sides from a distance is tough. We don't know the full staff yet, nor the type of wicket it will be (though I will hazard a guess at green, so early in the summer). Much will depend on who shows good form pre-season or in the nets, and only the coaching staff are privy to that.
The great thing about the staff now is that you have White, Clare, Thakor and Alex Hughes as seam bowling all rounders, Wes and Ches as spinning all rounders as well as David Wainwright. If a deal is eventually done for Azeem Rafiq, he would be in the equation, too. Perhaps most of all, Tom Knight's re-modelled action could see him as a serious contender. The lad knows how to bat, which is for sure. We also need to identify an early season overseas player, and his preferred batting position would affect things - hey, he might even bowl!
I'd doubt Clare would be fit for that stage after his surgery, but you could have a lengthy batting line up and cover the need for spin, if only as a change of pace, with a side similar to:
Godleman
Slater
Madsen
Overseas
Thakor
Hughes (A)
Durston
Poynton
White
Palladino
Footitt
You could mess around with the order a little to your heart's content, but I wouldn't see that as far away from the first choice side. While it is true that White and Clare would be good calls for T20 as they both bat and bowl, Graeme Welch has an embarrassment of riches, especially in seam bowling. Tom Taylor and Ben Cotton are knocking on the door, and it will ensure that those 'in possession' keep performing.
Jon Clare regaining full fitness and signing Rafiq when the tracks start to offer more for the spinners – all these will mean there will be serious decisions to be made! To be fair, though, that's a lot better than the 'Hobson's choice' selections that we have had in the not so distant past.
As I say, though, only the coaching staff can call this, and I doubt they could at this stage.
P.S. And, no, I haven't forgotten Harvey Hosein. Who could, after his efforts last year? I still think he starts as number two behind Tom Poynton, but he will push him all the way.