Derbyshire 91-3 (Madsen 31*, McDermott 18*)
Derbyshire trail by 330 runs
Apologies for the non-publication of the blog last night. It was done and saved but for some reason never published. It is up there now, for your comment.
Rain and bad light took the afternoon out of today, after the home side advanced their score to an all out 421. Dusty Melton ended up with three wickets but the home side bats long and the last pair saw Ed Barnard to within ten of his century, before he played a loose shot and was well held by McDermott.
With skies overcast and the wicket offering help after being under the covers, batting was far from easy. Godleman never suggested permanence and edged to slip after an innings that was more in RLODC mode, as has been his wont of late.
Guest again looked composed, but will have been annoyed at clipping uppishly to Whiteley at mid wicket when he had got established. Meanwhile du Plooy was leg before again and for a highly talented batsman gets himself in some awkward positions.
Is he overthinking it? Certainly the player that arrived was more free, much less hesitant and the Vitality Blast and freedom to play his shots is coming at the right time for the player.
His dismissal brought in Ben McDermott, in challenging conditions. He cut his first ball for four, but thereafter played with circumspection and control, looking a very good player and doing a job for his side. I hope for sunny skies tomorrow, so we can see him in a less challenging situation, but we need a partnership, to avoid the follow on.
Through it all Madsen was calm, straight and assured. The odd ball beat the bat but the two saw it to the close.
Much to do tomorrow then, but definitely with the resources to get runs on the board.
Du Plooy's form is a growing concern.
ReplyDeleteOur top 3/4 has been pretty poor all season. Guest has showed some ability and Madsen still looks reliable but beyond that pair...
McDermott at least shows early signs that he's a serious player.
I wonder if the likes of McDermott, Guest, Hosein and Critchley would be better bets in the top 5 than Godleman, Reece or du Plooy.
This season is just showing no signs of improvement, can definitely see us following on here today. What has happened to Du Plooy, can't even buy a decent knock. It's lucky for him that we don't have any backup or I'm sure he would've been rested by now. A big day coming up and we need to try and grind this out, but I'm fearing another heavy defeat
ReplyDeleteLeaving aside the bowling, the batting is now a serious concern. Godleman, never pretty at the best of times, looks increasingly erratic at the crease and looks likely to be out to any half decent delivery outside off stump.
ReplyDeleteGuest I like. He shouldn't have got out how he did yesterday but at least he shows the necessary application and technique to offer a semblance of permanence at the crease.
Poor old Leus needs some T20 ASAP and i don't think the old maestro is quite what he once was, perhaps naturally given his age. It's high time we saw a WM masterclass (today will do) to prove me wrong.
The concern is that Wayne and Matt are our best batsmen by a country mile.
DeleteNo idea how we will replace Wayne when the time comes
Sadly, given we're not competitive with him, some might wonder what it matters.
ReplyDelete