Leicestershire 149-5 (Cosgrove 65, Riaz 2-26, Rampaul 2-32)
Derbyshire 150-4 (Godleman 57 not, Viljoen 32, Dal 25, Wilson 21 not)
Derbyshire won by six wickets
Consummate professionalism.
That's what Derbyshire produced in their display this evening, as they went along to neighbours Leicestershire and came home with the win points.
It was professional, and that is the greatest tribute I can pay to any side. They bowled with great discipline and batted with common sense, a fluid batting order reaping dividends as first Anuj Dal and then Hardus Viljoen gave the innings the necessary injection of pace after the loss of Calum MacLeod without facing a ball and then Wayne Madsen.
I was quite pleased when I saw the home side opting to bat, because it meant we could then pace our run chase. Having said that, I didn't expect the target to be as low as 150. After Wayne's early wicket, the seam bowling quartet bowled splendidly. Riaz and Rampaul did a fine job in the powerplays, while Lockie Ferguson just bowled superbly, as he has all season so far. His command of line and length is such that there were FOURTEEN dot balls in his four overs for just twenty-one runs. Riaz bowled twelve too, and their professionalism was well backed up by the others.
Once again Alex Hughes bowled important and tidy overs and is a key component of the side in this format of the game, yet the player who perhaps made the biggest overall contribution was Hardus Viljoen.
Regulars will know that I have been critical of Hardus this summer. By normal standards he has done OK, but we have not paid him for 'normal' and he has too often failed to deliver. Tonight was different, his three overs going for just 22 runs and then, elevated in the order to number five, he hammered 32 from 20 balls to effectively win the game for his side. I will be quick to praise as well as criticise whenever it is justified and Viljoen did very well tonight.
So too did Anuj Dal. I have seen him a few times and been impressed by the wristiness of his strokes and the speed of his running between the wickets. He is a huge asset in the field too and his 25 runs combined shots of class and inventiveness.
Yet in closing, there has to be a collective doffing of caps to Billy Godleman. He got off the mark first ball with a four again, then hesitation saw MacLeod run out without facing. Yet afterwards he played what you can describe affectionately as a Godleman innings, which the situation was ripe for. He took few risks and quickly realised that as long as he batted through the innings and let others blaze away at the other end, the victory would be ours. There is nowt flashy about Billy and I have previously expressed concerns about his aptitude for the format. Yet for the second game running he played a good hand for the side and is proving me wrong.
When Viljoen was dismissed, after some towering blows, Gary Wilson came in and produced some lusty shots around the wicket, strokes that ensured that the victory would be ours. Yet it was fitting that an unassuming nudge off the hip for one by a most unassuming man in Billy took us to the win with seven balls to spare.
57 not out from 46 balls isn't the most T20 of innings, especially when Martin Guptill scored a century from 35 balls tonight. But in the context of this game it was perfect. Mark Cosgrove played a similar knock for the home side, but lacked the important injection of pace at the other end that Billy enjoyed tonight.
Yorkshire await tomorrow, and they scored 226 in twenty overs tonight. It will be a good battle between their high power batting and our seamers, at a small ground where there will be little margin for error.
But Queens Park will be full and we go into it after three straight wins.
The Falcons are flying - and it is good to see.
Postscript - there has been another issue with Google which has seen some comments posted 'lost' in the ether, according to an email I received today.
If yours hasn't made it to publication, that's why. I'm sorry, but it is out of my control. I'm assured that all is well now, so let your praise be effusive tonight...
Very pleased with that. It seems we've learned from earlier mistakes which is no mean feat given the schedule. It's a shame we've done so without Ben Slater but, being harsh, he hadn't done enough to own his place.
ReplyDeleteToday's a real test. Fingers crossed we show up.
Management and coaching well done. After giving away the first few games with a whimper we now seem to have a plan. Dal back in and batting higher. Viljoen up the order when we needed an impetuous. Fantastic bowling performance. Once we restricted them a loss would have been a very poor show. We had to chase that otherwise we may as well give up. I want to see Dal signed and replace Hughes in the 4 day team next season myself. I think he’s got something. Well done last night lads. Impressive.
ReplyDeleteCracking win Peakfan.
ReplyDeleteA good performace with bat and ball.
If we can turn over the Yorkies today, it might be time to start believing again.
DCCC on a roll. Come on you Falcons.
Excellent all round performance last eve, well done.
ReplyDeleteNow for today, firstly let's hope the weather holds up & secondly let's have another positive strong team performance.
Just hope Yorkshire don't bat like they did against Birmingham!!
Crash helmets & body armour ready!!
Enjoy the game!
MH
I might add, even though we won and it worked I don't think it is a good idea for HV to bat above recognised batsman very often.
ReplyDeleteExcellent win and more importantly taking momentum into the Yorkshire game
ReplyDeleteOur bowling will be critical if we can knock over the top 3 ... game on
Professional was very much the word for this, but unfortunately it contributed to a pretty dull spectacle. It's one of the abiding weaknesses of T20 that once a side has established the kind of dominance Derbyshire did in the first 10 overs of the match, it's rare to see it turned around. Add in the usual loutish behaviour of a handful of Leics supporters and their idiotic vuvuzela - why don't they get a proper hunting horn if they want to make a noise - and the flat atmosphere and it felt like another waste of an evening apart from the obvious satisfaction at such a clinical Derbyshire performance.
ReplyDeleteI'll take my share (with others) of the credit for consistently arguing for Godleman in this format. We saw both sides of his game here - the powerful risk-taking game at the start when he was going at 2 a ball, and then the low-risk nudging and pushing ones and twos after Madsen was out and it was clear that he had to play through. Even the early run-out (which unlike some others I thought was Macleod's fault as he hesitated momentarily on what looked like a fairly simple single) didn't really shake my confidence, and my only moment of concern was when Wilson came in at 5 and started scratchily. This has meant stagnation of the scoring rate in previous games but he was quickly into gear, and is looking like the player we expected and saw in the first half of last season.
The promotion of Viljoen was a master-stroke, not just for the runs he scored but for the way it disrupted Leics' bowling plans. Everyone is now aware of how destructive he can be against spin and medium pace, and as soon as he arrived, they abandoned Parkinson, Nabi and Dexter for a couple of crucial overs when they had started to restrict Derbyshire. This also suited Godleman, who always looks more comfortable against pace, and meant that we didn't have 8 overs of Parkinson and Nabi to contend with. It's a simple enough tactic, but was the kind of trick that Derbyshire were missing in the first few games. I wonder how much of this has to do with such a new squad assembling only a few days before the first game. I made the comment after the second game, I think, that Derbyshire looked like a bunch of lads who had only just met in the pub before the match. Last night, it was grooved, slick and professional.
The challenge now is to show we can do it at home, where our record is as poor as Leics (and several others in the group) at home. It won't be a surprise to see a much curtailed match with heavy showers forecast, not will it be a surprise to see a powerful (for now) Yorkshire side win. Regardless of result, what we all want to see is the kind of vibrant, disciplined and professional performance that we haven't had at home yet. Perhaps the psychological approach that's needed is to see this as an away match, with a big Yorkshire support in attendance and Yorkshire players that have probably played more one day cricket at Chesterfield than we have. At least, it will be interesting to see which spectator's lap Gary Wilson sits in to keep to Ferguson.