Derbyshire 195-7 (Durston 47, Hughes (C) 46, Poynton 37 not)
Northamptonshire 196-7 (Levi 58, Carter 3-32, Critchley 2-19)
Northamptonshire won by three wickets with two balls to spare
There was no disgrace in losing this excellent game of cricket.
In doing so, however, the players and coaching staff will doubtless look back at a spell in our innings when we lost our way after a blistering start.
At 140-3 halfway through the fourteenth, Wayne and Chesney going like trains and 14 off the first three balls of the over, we were looking at 200-plus. Yet by the end of the over, both had gone and in eleven balls we were 151-7 and rebuilding.
That we got to an imposing score that normally wins you matches was down to a fine effort by Tom Poynton, who hit his highest T20 score in making an unbeaten 37 from just 21 deliveries. At the halfway stage we definitely had a chance. Wes Durston's early onslaught was matched by an impressive knock by Ches, the only error being neither of them going on to a match-defining score.
The home side went off like trains, as they were always going to do. Levi has hammered international attacks and on his night hits the ball a long way, as does Josh Cobb, who always seems to save his best for us. I mentioned them last night and they took their side to 108 at the halfway stage, well up with the clock.
Yet both went in successive overs from Matt Critchley who again did wonderfully well. At this point you question the captaincy a little, because the lad's three overs went for only nineteen runs and those two wickets, while Wes bowled two for 22. Alex Hughes only went for eight an over and Andy Carter bowled very well at the death to take three wickets and the game into the final over.
All in all it was a very good effort by our lads, who can hold their heads high. Not such a good night for the Kiwis though. They starred at Old Trafford but had a collective bad night tonight. Twenty runs from the three of them and four overs for 47 from Jimmy Neesham made it a less memorable day at the office.
There however, you have cricket in a nutshell. One day you are on top of the world, the next it turns round and bites you on the bottom. We've all been there, and for those still playing the game, you almost certainly will be there again.
Disappointing to lose then, but plenty of positives. Things to build on, and to work at, but we've played two good games of cricket so far and can win more in this competition.
Safe travel tonight guys. Whoever scheduled these fixtures must have a warped sense of humour...
Should be able to defend 195 though Peakfan as we'll probably never make that total again. Yet again the bowling is a major cause for concern.
ReplyDeleteI think there's runs in the team Mark. Sometimes you have to give credit to the other team as well as picking out flaws in your own.
ReplyDeleteThey have some good batsmen and on the night, they edged it. A belting track and not a huge boundary. That mid-innings wobble probably cost us 15-20 runs that would have made all the difference, psychologically as much as anything.
Big difference between chasing ten an over and 'over ten an over'.
We'd have taken 2 points from the opening 2 games but it's a bit galling to lose with only 2 balls to go and the best bowler on the day didn't bowl his full allocation. When sides use analysis and statistics to ensure for example, the best fielders are in the most important positions at key times in t20, it staggers me how we can let this happen. Despite the collapse 195 should have been enough, and credit to Tom Poynton for digging us out of a hole and seeing us to the total.
ReplyDeleteCritchley looked good, Bristol aside, in the 50 over competition last year, and has done well again with a white ball so far. I hope he's taken out of the four day game and left to concentrate on the one dayers for the moment. I have no problem with carrying the odd limited overs specialist in the squad, and trying to convert Tom Knight to a 4 day bowler clearly hasn't helped anyone has it? I do think we have a good squad now in t20, that should get somewhere near the quarter finals, and the sooner Neesham finds his bowling form the better.
Yeah to be fair to Jimmy he hasnt bowled much for a year and is not often a death bowler. Ideally Ben Cotton should be in the side as a very good death bowler.
ReplyDeleteBut who do you drop?
Optimism evaporated. I'm afraid that performance exposed our middle/lower order lack of big hitters. Early days but I expect this weakness will manifest itself as in previous years. Think we really needed to win this one along with next weeks game.
ReplyDeleteWell there is always the 50 over game to look forward to
It was a really good game but Derby should be kicking themselves. At 140/3 they looked capable of reaching 220 but then suffered a collapse. It was down to an excellent innings from Poynton that they reached 195.
ReplyDeleteWhere it really went wrong was in the bowling which was very ordinary with the exception of Chrichley. Why he only bowled three overs is a mystery but I would say it was very poor captaincycy
The Northampton pitches this year have been a graveyard for medium pacers and so it proved tonight. Northants showed how to do it by entrusting 10 overs to spinners but Derby only 6. That and captaincycling were the differences between the teams
As you say, no disgrace in losing to a team that has been around the final stages for several years, and will probably be there this year again. What is a concern is that we gave away a winning position in exactly the same way that we did in several games last year - batting order with all of the experience packed into the top 5, fast starts. mid-innings collapse, and the less experienced players being left to pick up the pieces. Nothing ever seems to be learned, and the same mistakes carry on being made. Let's just hope that Neesham's performance tonight doesn't indicate that we've got ourselves another Rimmington.
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