Back to T20 for one more weekend, as Derbyshire strive to make the knock out stages of the competition once more.
Two wins from three may well do it, but we won't especially want to go to Old Trafford and try to beat high-flying Lancashire on Monday. So tonight's game against Northamptonshire and then the trip to Leicester offer our best opportunity.
We can't surely do as badly against the Foxes as last time, but first we have to beat a Northamptonshire side that we beat comfortably on their own patch, but who have since gone on a successful run, especially in the four-day game.
I'd have greater confidence if I knew what wicket we were using, to be honest, because on a used track it may come down to who wins the toss and then presumably bats. Unless we use the one from the recently completed four-day game, which seemed mighty fine to anyone holding a bat over the last three days.
I won't attempt to second guess the team, though I suspect that Mark Watt will return from a good stint with Scotland and probably replace Boyd Rankin. With Tom Lace out for the summer, the batting largely picks itself and the question is if our bowling can rise to the challenge.
My side, for what it is worth, would be
Godleman, Reece, Madsen, du Plooy, Hughes, Hudson-Prentice, Critchley, Smit, van Beek, Watt, Rampaul,
The visitors arrive with the following squad:
Ashraf, Buck, Cobb, Hutton, Keogh, Levi, Muzarabani, Pretorius, Procter, Rossington, Sanderson, Sole, Thurston, Wakely, White
I'm hoping for a reaction to the Leicestershire game and the right result for Derbyshire.
We must all keep our fingers crossed that they deliver.
Go Falcons!
It looks as if either Stevens or Rankin will play unless Dal is given a long overdue chance to liven up the fielding and the running between wickets. On the evidence so far though, neither Rankin nor Stevens are going to add anything. No Watt, though, which is both odd and disappointing for a game of this significance to us. I'm not aware of any Scotland commitments, and he bowled 10 overs in Scotland's last game a couple of days ago, so presumably isn't injured. Also noticeable that Cole isn't in the Northants squad and there are rumours that he's been sent back to Essex. Not many counties for him to try now, but let's make sure we're not one of them.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that we could say that some of the batsmen are fighting for an England test place?
ReplyDelete