Last night I suggested that a good innings by Usman Khawaja would be a bonus and the Australian, who is now going to play his domestic cricket for Queensland after a move from New South Wales, scored his first one day century for Derbyshire at around a run a ball.While I said that Khawaja isn't a good T20 player, his record in List A matches of 40 or 50 overs is excellent and he averages a shade under 45 with four centuries in just 19 starts. He is a player of real class and when he plays "proper" cricket shots and doesn't go for the big hits he gives an air of impregnability at times that is quite reassuring.
There were good runs too for Chesney Hughes, who may just have played himself into the team against Yorkshire, though the rest of the Derbyshire batting imploded in dramatic and all too familiar fashion. Indeed the final score looked gettable on a small ground like Queens Park and when the Unicorns got a fast start they looked very much in the match.
Lancashire staffer Luis Reece played a good innings and there was a decent score from Tom New, who might have thought himself in with a chance of a return to the County Ground after the injury to Tom Poynton. Still, Richard Johnson acquitted himself well behind the stumps and I think Karl Krikken has done well in picking up a good, professional young keeper.
A win's a win, though we will need to build on that this week against the Yorkies.
More on that tomorrow.
Yes,a win is a win. Not a particularly convincing one but there we are. It was a decent innings from Khawaja. It should serve to raise his confidence level,similarly with Hughes who also looked quite solid at times.
ReplyDeleteTurner must hate the Unicorns,who seem to take quite a liking to him. As i,ve said before though, so long as he takes wickets I can put up with him being a little on the expensive side.
Johnson kept very tidily for the most part and looks a good keeper. On a school report,yesterdays performance would be C+.