As I fully expected to be the case, Derbyshire have ended their interest in Marlon Samuels, after the article that appeared on Cricinfo yesterday and was referred to by me last night.
How genuine that interest was is a moot point, but the player blew the deal out of the water by going public and, in my opinion, overstating its value.
I'm pleased, to be honest, as your comments and messages suggest you are. He is a decent player, but a largely unfulfilled talent who has made nowhere near the runs in his career that he should have done. He is a big occasion player, for sure, but whether a damp and overcast county cricket ground would have held the same appeal is something we won't know, at least in Derbyshire colours. Certainly his words yesterday didn't suggest a player with a burning desire to succeed and prove a point; rather they suggested he was doing us a favour and he may or may not sign.
I don't think the deal was worth the £130K he claimed, as I don't think he is that level of player. I suspect we could get a better Kolpak for less and more than likely one who won't offer such a risk of disruption. Talented as he is, Samuels comes with baggage and a reputation that would be hard to shake off. In some ways he has had a bad press over the years, but, as he showed yesterday, he has been his own worst enemy at times.
So where now for Derbyshire? According to the club website, we have 'a number of routes available' and if nothing else, yesterday's story showed the calibre of player on the radar. Unless Darren Bravo is one of those routes, I suspect the rest will be in South Africa, where there will still be several talented cricketers keen to gain security for the next three summers, rather than hope for an occasional match at international level.
With that enticing thought, I bid you adieu tonight.
I'm interested in your reason for editing my comment on last night's piece on Marlon Samuels to remove the reference to his two year ban by the ICC in 2008 for involvement in match fixing. I understand your sensitivity to anything in your blog that might lead to actions against you, but this is documented, proven and widely published. The fact or possibility that Derbyshire has entertained employing someone with such a history troubles me greatly, and shouldn't be glossed over by any of us regardless of our support otherwise for the club.
ReplyDeleteNot something that I have cause to do often, Notoveryet, but I did so for three reasons. One, that plenty of people felt him unfairly treated and that his case would not have stood up in a court of law. Two, that some of the words that you used jarred accordingly and then there's three.
ReplyDeleteThat's the most important. You retain anonymity behind pen name. My name is on the blog for all to see and, should anyone take exception to anything, it is me who they come running to.
I don't want to get involved in 'word tennis' here. Just be sensitive to such things, as you normally are.
If you wish to email me about this, please feel free to do so, but remember that plenty of teams around the globe have employed Marlon Samuels...