I wrote in my last piece that the injury sustained by Luis Reece offered opportunity to someone else at Northampton today.
According to reports, that looks like being Callum Brodrick, who will likely slot in to the line up as a direct replacement on the batting front. Whether he takes the position at number three we will wait to see, but he is a talented batsman, a terrific fielder and a potential, but unlikely bowling option at this stage of his career.
Otherwise I see no change to the side that lost narrowly to Yorkshire. Our remaining games are, after today against Lancashire and Nottinghamshire and two wins would see us into the quarter-finals. All three sides are below us in the table, but there is little between these teams and should any of them slip from the requisite standard, they all know they can be punished.
Our hosts are a fine one-day side, but they will be saying the same about us. They have dangerous batsmen, with Richard Levi always dangerous, and while Richard Gleeson is injured they have a keen seam attack in Sanderson, Kleinveldt and Buck.
Their squad:
Cobb, Levi, Newton, Duckett, Wakely, Keogh, Vasconcelos, Kleinveldt, White, Buck, Sanderson, Procter, Hutton, Zaib.
This is a tough one to call, but I am hoping that Derbyshire get back to winning ways here. They won't want to go into the Nottinghamshire game needing to win it, but both today's opponents and Lancashire are capable, like most sides, of inconsistency.
With batsmen in form and bowlers slowly coming to the boil, I will stick my neck out and go for a Derbyshire win.
I think they’ll score too many, too quickly. Hope I’m wrong.
ReplyDeleteExcellent performance today,well done Derbyshire. No Viljoen in the side and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteOn the face of it now it's pick 3 from 5.
ReplyDeleteScenario is that all the five going for the three places (due to Lancs staggered last game v Yorks) are likely if they go on (according to likely bookies' odds) to win their penultimate game.
Which will leave (assuming not much change in NRR)
1. Warks 10
2. Derbys 10
3. Worcs 10
4. Yorks 9
5. Notts 9
Which will basically mean a West Mids shoot out between Warks and Worcs, and an East Mids shoot out down the road.
Unless Yorkshire foul up v Northants.
Which isn't a great scenario- fancy not qualifying with 5 wins and 3 losses.