Not content with adding one new seam bowler to the squad for tomorrow's opening RLODC match against Warwickshire, local cricketer Dan Wheeldon has been added to the fourteen for the game.
Wheeldon is well known to local cricket, having been a key all rounder for Sandiacre for the best part of a decade. He bowls fast medium, hitting the deck hard, as well as being a clean hitter of a ball. He showed this in his second tea appearance recently, smashing five sixes in a cameo innings that brought his side a glimmer of hope. He had earlier bowled well, taking wickets and bowling economically.
Why not give him a chance? He has played for The Unicorns and might just surprise a few people if he gets the opportunity to play. That might not be tomorrow, but I guess he is in the squad because of a niggle elsewhere.
Safyaan Sharif will play, so there is an opportunity to see him for the first time on the Warwickshire feed, if you can't get there yourself. Both new players can handle a bat, so there is the potential for late order runs at some point, should they appear together.
The Derbyshire squad:
Billy Godlemen, Callum Brodrick, Matt Critchley, Alex Hughes, Wayne Madsen, Duanne Olivier, Ravi Rampaul, Luis Reece, Safyaan Sharif, Ben Slater, Daryn Smit, Hardus Viljoen, Dan Wheeldon, Gary Wilson
My guess is that Brodrick, Wheeldon and one of the keepers will miss out, unless, as I say, there is a niggle among the regulars.
Warwickshire will take some beating and have added Hannon-Dalby and Stone to their sixteen-man squad that also includes two spinners.
Their squad:
Jeetan Patel (c), Tim Ambrose (wk), Keith Barker, Ian Bell, Henry Brookes, Sam Hain, Adam Hose, Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Ed Pollock, Josh Poysden, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone, Aaron Thomason, Alex Thomson, Jonathan Trott.
I'm not sufficiently convinced by our batting unit to predict a win here. Certain players are doing well, but not enough at the same time. Likewise the bowling, as I have documented, can take wickets but the lack of control is an ongoing source of concern. If we concede thirty extras, you are effectively letting the opposition bat an extra man.
When we can sort that, I will be more confident, but I struggle to see a win in this one.
Still...who knows?
This is the competition that I expect us to perform worst in. Without replacing Thakor I have no real sense of why we should do better than last year. Sure some games were close losses, but they were still losses. To get into the top 3 I reckon that you can only afford 2 or 3 games with dropped points. Really looking forward to the games at the County ground next week, just hoping that we get 1 away result before then.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really expecting too much from this competition, although it would be good to see some progress from last year. With Notts, Warwicks, lancs and Yorks in the group, it would be very optimistic to think we'll even qualify from the group anyway. Although the collective loss of radar by are quick bowlers in recent games has been a worry, I think the bowling is still much stronger than last year, with Sharif an interesting if slightly left-field choice. It's an attack capable of taking wickets at every stage, and as we've seen, taking wickets in 50 over cricket is the gold standard rather than simple economy rates.
ReplyDeleteMy concern is the batting, and I'm not as convinced as others that it's as strong as last year. Apart from Slater, who has been in prime form until he inevitably gives his wicket away, no-one else is really in consistently good touch. Of course, that can change with the switch to white balls, and Godleman and Reece might recover the fluency that has eluded them in the championship so far, while no-one would bet against Madsen and Critchley. I'd expect to see Wilson and Smit both playing, with the latter keeping wicket, although Wilson might be a doubt after his injury during the test match. The one to miss out for me would be Alex Hughes, who has been in desperate touch, and against Durham, was dropped, gave two other half-chances and survived a couple of decent lbw appeals in the space of 20 minutes. With two dropped catches as well, he looks like a player totally devoid of confidence and form. I know that in these parts suggesting Hughes might be dropped is a bit like suggesting that Bambi should be shot, but he badly needs a spell out of the first team to rebuild some confidence.
Speaking of which, I note that a very inexperienced second team were hammered yesterday by a Yorkshire team loaded with first-team players. I've been surprised a few times that out-of-form players rarely play in our second XI, and with several of our batsmen struggling or at least out of prime form, I was very surprised that none of them took the opportunity of this match to get themselves going again, Hughes above all.
Alex is a canny lad, notoveryet and he hasnt looked himself. Yet he had a fine RLODC last year and for me his forte is one day cricket. If he doesnt get that mojo back he will be under pressure. Like any of them!
DeleteI too have concerns about the batting and bowling. We are not firing on all cylinders as a unit. There have been some good individual performances but the team as a whole does not convince. I initially thought the bowling would be our strength this season but that has not been the case so far. The overseas contingent have, yet again, been disappointing with their lack of control and this has had an alarming impact on the level of extras. The recent figures equate to the winning margin in many limited overs matches.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Mark B that Thakor has not been replaced, no easy task though but as a consequence we are left with a longer tail.
Hope l am proved wrong but not sure we will get anything out of this game.
Stuart, York
Our seconds were well and truly hammered yesterday by an excellent exhibition of pace bowling on an excellent pitch. Ducks were the common denominator in the 67 final score. This low score was quickly seen off by two Yorkshire 1st team batsmen despite two excellent catches at start of innings raising a hope of a decent reply. A 50 over'game' was concluded in just 2.5 hours (the only comfort was relief from a bitterly cold wind). A team supplemented by more of our unselected firsts would have been a better balanced challenge for the opposition.
ReplyDeleteWhat a result! Well done lads, really happy with that. I have to admit I was getting a bit worried about Barker's innings.
ReplyDeleteLeave Hughes where he is. He has the character to come back well in matches. Rampaul is a problem - wayward and too short. have not been impressed with Ravi at all. Sharif is an excellent addition.
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