When Ross Whiteley swept the six that saw Derbyshire promoted as Division Two champions at the end of 2012, it seemed the club had developed an all-rounder who would serve them well for a decade or more.

But although Whiteley's raw talent has never been questioned - he can hit the ball miles, fields athletically and bowls his left-arm seam with, at times, surprising pace - it has not always been easy to translate it into consistent performances.

After graduating through the Derbyshire youth system, Whitley was given a first team opportunity in 2008. He had to wait another couple of years for another first-class opportunity but seemed to have broken through in 2011 - he averaged just over 40 and scored a couple of centuries - and then played a valuable role in the club's promotion challenge the following season.

But after representing England in the Hong Kong Sixes that winter, he fell out with the Derbyshire management midway through the 2013 season (he lost his place in the side and they differed on his plans for the winter) and moved to Worcestershire on a three-year deal. Despite some eye-catching demonstrations of his ability - he thrashed 84 in 38 balls with nine sixes against his old side to help Worcestershire into the T20 quarter-finals - as of the end of 2014, his talent was still largely untapped.

But after an eye-catching T20 season in 2015 - only Chris Gayle had a higher strike-rate of batsmen to make 300 runs - Whiteley was included in the England Performance Squad for the winter of 2015-16 and named in the Lions squad for a T20 series against Pakistan A.
George Dobell