Middlesex 260 (Reece 4-61, Hudson-Prentice 3-65)
Derbyshire 199-4 (Hosein 56*. du Plooy 55*)
Derbyshire trail by 61 runs
Maybe because it was the season's penultimate day, perhaps because we did pretty well, but I really enjoyed today's cricket from Lord's.
I thought Luis Reece and Fynn Hudson-Prentice bot did very well in the morning session, and whatever else happens over the winter, I think that we have two genuine all-rounders in that pair. Both average more with the bat than the ball and will continue to progress in the years ahead.
Later, Godleman and Reece came out as if it was a Vitality Blast match, putting on 49 runs before each was out quickly, Wayne Madsen going in between for a first baller. At 55-3 a rebuild was needed, but Hughes helped Leus du Plooy add 48, before an unbroken stand of 96 between the latter and Harvey Hosein gave Derbyshire a position of dominance.
It was as well as I have seen Hosein play, the caveat being that Middlesex had a bizarre theory that he was weak against the short ball. This was disproved in convincing fashion, with a series of powerful hooks and pulls that merely confirmed it as one of his stronger strokes.
At the other end the silky du Plooy also eased to a composed fifty, an innings replete with the caressed cover drive that is fast becoming his trademark shot. Increasingly I am of the opinion that I have seen no better timer of a ball since Azharuddin and the thought of watching him over the next few summers is an engaging one.
As for the game, if the weather allows a full day tomorrow, there will doubtless be a last afternoon run chase. Derbyshire may want that extra run for a bonus point, but with the forecast showery a positive result looks unlikely and they may just aim to bat on.
A draw would make no difference to our league position, however, so we may be in for some interesting cricket tomorrow.
It was a shame the last hour was lost yesterday, as another 16 overs might have allowed us to pass Middlesex's first innings, with a couple of hours this morning to build a lead of 150 or so and have a go at bowling out what looks like a pretty dispirited Middlesex team who looked as if they'd left for the beach yesterday. It leaves the only possibility of a result being an artificial run chase, but with a delayed start and the possibility of more rain by late afternoon cutting off the back end of it, I think Derbyshire will settle for bonus points and seeing if Hosein or du Plooy can get to a century.
ReplyDeleteThe short-pitched tactic that Middlesex used against Hosein didn't work but I could understand why they tried it. Hosein's been out several times this year hooking, and having played it rarely (if at all) before this season, he has become a bit off a compulsive hooker. He's also developed a trigger movement of his front foot down the pitch this year, which I assume is a deliberate approach to be more positive. It's worked to an extent, in that his strike rate is significantly better at 49 and is higher than either du Plooy or Hughes, but in the process he has become more vulnerable to full length balls. I'm not sure that Derbyshire need yet another expansive stroke player in a batting line up that has the (joint) lowest number of batting points and too many headlong collapses, and I wonder whether we have more need of the old adhesive and patient Hosein than this year's version.
Agree to a point, notoveryet, but he had to start doing more than just occupy the crease. If he can develop the strokes and the strength to hit fours in front of the wicket consistently, he will likely be our long term keeper. But he needs to be more of an asset in the one day game and in run chases, when he resorts to Dil-scoops to little positive effect. There's a middle ground, of course, but he has done OK this summer in four day cricket.
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