Shame we won't see Cheteshwar Pujara at Derbyshire this year

Cheteshwar Pujara

As if to highlight the perennially difficult issue of recruiting overseas players, the last few days have proved problematic around the circuit. Lancashire thought they had recruited a potential match-winner in Australian Peter Siddle, while Middlesex were set to benefit from his fellow countryman Adam Voges. Then both, somewhat surprisingly in some eyes, were selected for the Ashes tour, leaving those two counties to look elsewhere for overseas recruits.

Then, Younis Khan pulled out of his contract with Yorkshire to instead make himself available for the Pakistan national side's tour of Bangladesh. He has been replaced by Cheteshwar Pujara, who had previously been linked with a return to our colours.

It is all somewhat confusing, not to mention frustrating for supporters of those sides. I'm not sure why Pujara has ended up at the white rose county, when fairly recent reports suggested a return to us, but we've now nailed our mid-season colours to an Australian or New Zealand mast and time will tell who fills that position.

It is a shame that we won't see Pujara at Derbyshire this year, but few will complain when the alternatives are two of the world's best batsmen in Martin Guptill and Tillakaratne Dilshan. If they play to their potential, we will get runs and entertainment a-plenty.

Incorrect county squads listed

All these changes seem to be a little too much for Cricinfo, which two weeks before the season seems to be struggling with the current make up of county squads. A cursory glance at them reveals Wayne White still to be on Lancashire's staff, while ours still contains Paul Borrington, Peter Burgoyne, Chris Durham and Johny Marsden. White is also playing for us, so the casual fan checking the state of county staffs may find it all a little too much at present.

In closing tonight, I again plan to run a Fantasy Cricket League this summer and I hope that we get enough entries to qualify for medals at the end of it all. I will be posting on this in the next week, so please check in regularly for further details.

Who knows. Perhaps the winners might be getting medals at the same time as Derbyshire players.