A wise former Derbyshire player once said to me that T20 was peculiar, because anyone can beat anyone on a given day. The length of game means that you only need someone to be in 'the zone' for half an hour or so and a result can be turned on its head from what logic otherwise suggests.
Thus we saw Leicestershire beating Nottinghamshire today, which few would have predicted. An even shorter format, of eleven overs a side, worked in their favour and crucially they made maximum use of the Powerplay. Derbyshire please take note.
Another said to me, before the weekend, that while one win from the two matches would be fine, we shouldn't be too upset if we lost them both. As it stands, Lancashire and Nottinghamshire look nailed on (even after today) for two of the top four slots, so we are scrapping with the other six counties for the last two.
We can do it, but like I said last night, we need to sort a batting order to make best use of the Powerplay. It annoys me to see Leus du Plooy come in and time it from the off, but the game gone by that stage. If we are telling a batsman to bat through, he would be my man, as the chances are he would get a hundred if he did so.
It is the same squad for Derbyshire, as it has to be. I am surprised that Logan van Beek is in it, after going off last night, but my eleven, and batting order tomorrow would be:
du Plooy
Reece
Madsen
Hudson-Prentice
Stevens
Hughes
Godleman
Critchley
Smit
Watt
Rampaul
I understand Logan has a troublesome ankle, and also hurt his shoulder last night, so the risk of aggravating that is high. Stevens comes back in as there are few real options and he is a better player than he has so far shown. The attack is limited, but we know that. If we end up chasing under 180, I would put Billy back at the top, but more than that, or batting first and I would put the big guns in from the outset.
It may still not be enough. With Aussies James Faulkner and Glenn Maxwell as overseas stars, Lancashire look a good bet for this competition. They have plenty of bowling options and the batting range to chase down most targets. Their squad:
Vilas, Bohannon, Croft, Davies, Faulkner, Gleeson, Jennings, Jones, Lamb, Livingstone, Lester, Mahmood, Maxwell, Parkinson, Parry
I'm going for an away win here, as I struggle to see how we can come out on top. Unless, of course, someone goes berserk for half an hour or so and our bowlers find the lengths and lines that have eluded them in the last two games.
I won't follow much tomorrow, I'm afraid, as I will be at Ibrox with my son to see Rangers play Derby County. Your comments will be appreciated, as always, but I am not unduly hopeful of glad tidings tomorrow evening.
Postscript... I watched fifteen minutes of the Global T20 from Canada this afternoon.
Sparse crowd, very average cricket - regardless of the stars involved - and no one really seeming that fussed, with a total lack of intensity or meaning to the play.
Welcome to The Hundred. It will be just the same, but I doubt I will even give it fifteen minutes.
Looking at the forecast, I'll be amazed if a ball is bowled tomorrow. Looking a total washout.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Notts getting some sort of game in was a decent effort though with their set up the minute it stops raining you're pretty much good to go. As far as I can work out only one single game saw a ball bowled in the County League or Premier League. Interestingly in a 20 over game Tom Wood got a hundred and then got Tom Lace out for 2....
ReplyDeleteWoods 106* came in 63 balls for Ticknall against Ockbrook in the Derbyshire premier league. 50-100 took 17 balls ��
DeleteChaddesden Jim
Whilst I would agree that any team can beat any other in this shortened format of Blast cricket, for the reasons you supply, the more usual outcome is that a good, big team always beats a good, little one.
ReplyDeleteIf we consider, the Foxes and Steelbacks to be similar outfits to ourselves, then, depending on the fixtures that have been, uh, dealt, we have to punch above our weight in at least eight or nine of the remaining fixtures to be in with a chance.
If the Falcons are to soar this year, a washout point today is the best result, frankly. This tournament format is already boring to me.
North and South ad infinitum, where the usual suspects are virtually handed semi-final places or, as you say, merely have to turn up for a couple of half-hour stints, in order to see off a mid-table team.
I realise this format will never change, as the best supported clubs get their yearly, or at worst, bi-annual day out at Edgbaston and therefore harbour no disillusionment with the format.
I yearn to see a return of a knockout format, which is where and how we won our two trophies that have given me the most joy and pride as a Derbyshire supporter.
I agree I cant see, instead of this Hundred nonsense, we have a straight knockout spread throughout the season , like the old Gillette Cup or FA Cup,including all Counties, minor counties and some Associate members , making 32 in all!
ReplyDeleteWe could still have the current T20 BUT drawn to see who pays who. Just a thought...………..
Still can't understand why no overseas bowler was sought after stanlake withdrew. I assume there's a reason Richardson wasn't revisited after the world cup but there must be players out there who would come play a few games and give Derbyshire a shot at restricting scores!
ReplyDeletePeakfan did a very comprehensive post on this a couple of days ago - so comprehensive that no-one commented. Large numbers of players have been taken out by the World Cup, plus the Canadian nonsense that started a few days ago and offers big money for a couple of weeks of uncompetitive cricket, plus the Caribbean League starting before the end of the Blast. Anyone who we could have got would either have been an unknown quantity and not necessarily better than we've got, or ridiculously expensive - anyone like to imagine what it might have cost Notts to get Imad Wasim at such short notice?
DeleteNotts managed to get Imad. Easy excuse to say there is nobody available. If we recruit better first time or asking and not picking players who are clearly not fully committed or injury prone might be a start.
DeleteBut how do you tell if someone is or isn't fully committed Mark?
DeleteI agree on Stanlake, who was always a huge risk for me with his track record. But Richardson was unexpectedly called up for his country. You can't expect him seriously to say 'Nah, I won't bother, thanks'
It is what every sportsman aspires to and you don't knock it back once selected
Well we could ask the question what if you get called up? Would that change things? Then if he says yes. Say what if you hardly play would you still come and bowl 40 odd overs for us over a month or so? For me it’s clear he wasn’t overly committed. Why drop out when he didn’t know if he was going to play?
DeleteNot many would say no to their country. I wouldn't.
DeleteHe made a call and whatever the rights and wrongs he must live with it. Like us
And as notoveryet said, Imad cost a lot. Post World Cup they can up their price and if someone pays it they win big time. If they don't, we'll, they have just played a World Cup and can go have a rest!
ReplyDeleteI guess it's really hard to assess without knowing the finances involved but I struggle to believe that, for instance, Marcus Stoinis right now (dropped from Australia team, 4 games already played in the tournament) would be commanding significantly more than Richardson for the full 14 games when he was on the cusp of Australia. Instead, Stevens is signed for free...
ReplyDeleteBut did he want to come?
DeleteThink this season more than previous the club have continued to roll the dice far to many times. It is very obvious the concert was a huge loss £££ and this means the cricket budget gets effected again. The signing of Van Beek was high risk stratgy as he could gem of like (Oliver prev season) or could go down as very poor. If people looked at his satistics they don't grab your attention. It's not Van Beek fault as he has given 100% but weight overseas very unfair for him. I also feel sorry for Cork as job and what tools he has changed a lot since got job. You could question why do we need 20/20 coach at present due to £££. I think his mistake cork has made was picking Godleman and not using that as opportunity to have Smit as his Capatain. I think as bowler himself he needs to work out a planned formular with the bowling. Give each bowler a role in the match. He has done with van Beek and Rampual 1- 4 overs and 16 - 20 overs but no one else. I wouldn't bowl critchley anymore think he has lost his control and I would back Watt to have 4 overs. I hope my concerns over the clubs Finacal sitution is well off mark.
ReplyDeleteLet's be honest, expectations have to be realistic. With the batting line up unable to chase towards 200 the bowling unit needs to target restricting the opposition to around 160 or 32 per bowler. Ravi can do this and I don't think Hughes is far off. This leaves van Beek and Watt as the next best options. But I agree everyone needs their plan and this is the area Cork can best help.
ReplyDeleteWorth noting that Yorkshire has decided not to replace Pooran as their T20 overseas for exactly the same reasons as we have given for not replacing Stanlake. Notts weren't planning to have a second overseas until Mullaney got injured (and perhaps they were overtaken by panic about the reaction if they fail to qualify in the t20 as well as everything else). Presumably the money that was there for Stanlake is still there (minus perhaps Hudson-Prentice's costs) but I'm surprised that so many people want to see it (in the crude vernacular that our new prime minister has now made respectable) spaffed against the wall gambling on a player that we know very little about at short notice. Far better to keep it in the pot and perhaps have more to spend on attracting good English qualified players, as I'm sure that this is the better way to go than chasing the diminishing number of qood quality short-term overseas players.
ReplyDelete