Gloucestershire v Derbyshire Vitality Blast Quarter-Final Preview

Hands up anyone who thought that Derbyshire would still be involved at this stage of the Vitality Blast T20?

Not many, I guess.

I looked back at what I wrote before the tournament started, and found the following:

'Will we make the knock out stages? My head tells me no, because the absence of an extra top seamer  will hurt us on occasion. I look at other teams in a strong group and think that there will be times we will be chasing too many, even for a deep and talented batting side.

But Derbyshire have made us proud this summer, with some professional, polished displays. Be prepared for a few more of those, before this tournament concludes.

And if they get on a roll...'

Well, they got on a roll, perhaps found their best line up by accident, rather than design and find themselves on the verge of finals day. There may be a few bad memories of our last involvement, but we fell victim to Shahid Afridi's one innings a summer, together with poor captaincy on that evening.

This time could be different. We know our strengths, which are a team ethic worth its weight in gold, we field well, bowl with discipline and bat deep. Our top four is as good as any in the tournament, and if they fire, we have every chance of success.

I don't expect late surprises, because we know our best eleven now. I don't see Darren Stevens or Boyd Rankin involved, though a slow wicket might make the former a possibility. For me, the final eleven will be as follows:

Godleman, Reece, Madsen, du Plooy, Critchley, Hughes, Hudson-Prentice, Dal, Smit, van Beek, Rampaul

There's no news of the home side, as you would expect, but the key to success will be in removing Michael Klinger early. Skipper and talisman, this is his final season and he will be keen to finish on a high. Miles Hammond and James Bracey will lend good support, but I don't expect a high-scoring game.

David Payne is their leading wicket-taker, with Ryan Higgins and Andrew Tye lending good support. The battle against our top order is where the game may well be won and lost, my concern being that if they fail, the rest haven't had that much T20 batting of late.

From the perspective of the neutral, this is the least glamorous of the quarter-finals, something that you can bet your bottom dollar will be mouthed on Sky on Saturday night. For both sets of supporters, it represents an opportunity for a big day out, for Derbyshire in particular, new ground being broken.

For me, we have exceeded expectations this year. Solid in the RLODC, improved but still frustrating in the four-day game and coming through a strong section in this competition. They can be proud of their efforts already, and with some good summer recruits on board (and hopefully winter ones to come) this could be the catalyst for Derbyshire.

Nothing but praise from me for Dave Houghton, Dominic Cork and Billy Godleman. The skipper has transformed himself into a fine T20 player and has captained with authority, ably assisted by the sage advice of Daryn Smit and Wayne Madsen.

From here, it is who holds their nerve, who raises their game and who takes the catches when they are offered.

We can do this, you know.

And as always, your thoughts are welcome!