So tight is the northern section of the Vitality Blast that we sit bottom tonight, just two points behind third placed Nottinghamshire, with a game in hand.
It is that close and tomorrow's eminently winnable game against Durham at the Pattonair County Ground can go some way to maintaining our place in the race for the knock outs.
We warmed up today with back to back wins against Northamptonshire's second eleven. In the first, Leus du Plooy made a blistering 82 from 46 balls, while Tom Wood gave food for thought with 39 from 25 balls. Alfie Gleadall then took a hat trick, before Alex Hughes starred in the second game with an exhilarating fifty.
It augurs well, but warm up wins count for nothing and we must be at our best against Durham tomorrow. They have a decent side, but were beaten with ease by Northamptonshire the other night, a side that we beat ourselves last weekend.
I can't really second guess tomorrow's side, but Logan van Beek came through his game today and may reappear tomorrow night. There is a positive vibe emanating from the club at present and there is no reason why we cannot make a good fist of the remaining fixtures.
My guess at the side tomorrow:
Godleman, Reece, Madsen, du Plooy, Hughes, Critchley, Hudson-Prentice, Smit, Watt, Rampaul, Rankin
Matt Critchley made 150 for the second team in the week and getting the ball in the middle of the bat will improve his confidence and likely see him retain his place. The rest of the side broadly picks itself, unless Watt is omitted for van Beek or Stevens and we go without a specialist spinner.
Durham have yet to announce their squad, but their side is unlikely to change from the other night, with Aussies Darcy Short and Peter Handscomb their overseas players and former Derbyshire player Nathan Rimmington also in the side.
The likely eleven:
Short, Steel, Clark, Handscomb, Lees, Trevaskis, Poynter, Burnham, Carse, Potts, Rimmington.
A decent, yet beatable side and they will look at ours and be wary of an increasingly impressive batting line up, together with an attack that looks a little better with the addition of Boyd Rankin.
I'm going for a home win, as long as we don't let the Aussies get away. If our own big guns fire, we can match them, for sure.
What do you think?
If we don't win tomorrow I'll be disappointed despite the fact they seem to have three overseas players. We have two Saffers who aren't and a tall chap from the UK who's played for England who apparently is one. Work that out.
ReplyDeleteIt's not particularly hard to work out when the tall chap was playing in a test match against England two weeks ago.
DeleteHe's British.
ReplyDelete