Hey Jade: You’ll Do?

Jaded: Dernbach can still have a future with England.

Much has been documented lately of the travails of Jade Dernbach. Some say he’s a liability. Others say he’s not good enough. But very few have been backing the Surrey man’s corner.

And it is not hard to see why. It has by now been plentifully written that Dernbach has the highest economy of any bowler with over 1,000 ODI deliveries, at 6.35. This means he concedes at least a run off every single ball he bowls, on average.

And speaking of average, Dernbach’s is uninspiring. 24 ODI’s have brought him 31 wickets –  a decent return – but his leakage of runs mean he takes these scalps at 42.19 apiece. He concedes almost 55 runs per ODI he plays.

Those are the facts. They are not, however, the story. And this is where much criticism of Dernbach fails to acknowledge. Dernbach is still a young, learning bowler, at 27, with limited experience of international cricket behind him. Despite his inexperience, he has from the very start of his international career been asked to bowl the hardest overs in ODI cricket, during both the batting Powerplay and the closing overs of an innings.

This is not an easy thing to do, and Dernbach was recognised for England in the first place because of his trickery and mystery in the closing stages. Dernbach is – and this is by no means meant as derogatory – a novelty bowler, unique for his wide array of different slower balls mixed with his quicker pace that can often top 90mph.

You cannot be a bad bowler at international level. Yes, there are stacks and stacks of bowlers who have played for their countries that were not good enough to do so. But that does not make them bad bowlers. Dernbach has a gift, a skill, that is unique to him. His back-of-the-hand slower balls emerge with the seam totally upright, which would seem to the batsman to be a standard delivery.

But Dernbach is learning. His major fault has not been a lack of ability, but a lack of nous and of when to use his tricks. He has become predictable, and is now being dictated by the batsmen rather than vice versa. He needs to return to Surrey for a year, and use his slower balls sparingly and as a genuine surprise ball, rather than an inevitable stock ball. He must go away and work hard, and then hopefully return in 2014 a much better bowler.

In addition to the upright seam, Dernbach’s slower balls are increasingly effective because of his natural speed. He is not an 80-85mph bowler throwing in a 75mph slower ball. He is a genuinely quick bowler, capable of 90mph pace, throwing in deliveries that can even register in the 60’s mph. This can be a lethal weapon if not over-used. Dernbach is over-using.

England should not discard him. Yes, he should be sent back to the Oval for a year or maybe two away from the national side, but his dismissal should not be a finality. Dernbach has the solutions, he just does not know the formula to mix them. He needs time to figure out his death-bowling game, and work constantly on it. If the blueprint for his development is carefully mapped out and adhered to, he could yet be a key weapon for England come the 2015 World Cup.

Dernbach is a wicket-taker, and this is a huge asset when he is considered for selection. He takes more than one wicket per ODI, with 31 from 24. He strikes every six-and-a-half overs – basically every spell – and in domestic one-day cricket his strike rate is even better, at one breakthrough every four-and-a-half overs.

Once he uses his natural rapid pace more often and figures out how to use his slower balls as genuine surprises, the runs will come down, and he could be potentially producing average match figures of 2-35. It is a mouthwatering prospect for England, but it is a long way off at the moment and Dernbach needs to have his confidence sustained rather than knocked by the management. He needs protection.

Andy Flower and Ashley Giles are very, very intelligent cricketing men and they will know all of this. Dernbach will not, should not, escape their thoughts long-term and they must work with Surrey to help him unlock his potential for one-day cricket. He can be a weapon for England, once he figures out how to be.

So, Jade, don’t be afraid. You were made to go out and get them.

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