Warwickshire 274 and 132-7 (Hain 46, Cohen 3-26)
Derbyshire 121 (Godleman 32, Miles 5-30, Norwell 4-24)
Warwickshire lead by 285 runs
I struggle to find positives in our batting at present and again, questions have to be asked about the coaching set up as they are ultimately responsible. We have shown all the resilience of a balsa wood bat this summer and it hurts me to say it. Players show the willingness to battle, but whether inadequately prepared or simply not good enough I can't say.
The season is sliding head deep into quicksand and too often we look too far from the requisite standard for comfort. Having bowled well yesterday, the concern I expressed to friends overnight was whether even 270 was too much for a line up shorn of confidence. I take no pleasure in being proved correct.
Batting wasn't easy, as evidenced by 18 wickets going down in the day. Godleman looked settled for a while, as did Guest, while Madsen, like Cohen later, was undone by a questionable decision. Yet there were again too many loose strokes for comfort.
Even I have almost lost confidence in the current set up to improve things and only a stellar T20 can surely prevent a winter of change. It shouldn't either, as it would be a Cork-induced success.
I actually switched off the feed and went to work in the garden for a while today. I have never done that before, but it is such a struggle to watch at present. Even when three quick Warwickshire wickets went down in the second innings, it was hard to get excited, as our batting seems incapable of chasing 200, let alone considerably more.
Mikey Cohen again impressed in the second innings and with Aitchison, Hudson-Prentice and Conners offers optimism for better times. We now need an Eddie Barlow, someone to galvanise the side, on and off the pitch. We certainly need the right overseas recruits for a relatively inexperienced side.
We have to improve, because the overall performances so far this summer have fallen way below the acceptable standard. Much as I like Dave Houghton, as Head of Cricket the buck has to stop with him.
Today, like too many others since April, we barely looked at the races. The late fight back with the ball was laudable, but I have no hopes of a successful run chase here.
Postscript: in better news, former Hampshire batsman Harry Came scored 113 from 54 balls, as Derbyshire's 210-3 beat Durham's 182-4 by 28 runs, in the latest second team T20 at The Riverside.
Alex Thomson's four overs for 27 were the most economical of the run fest, which will do his confidence no harm at all.
A guarded WOW here.
ReplyDeleteThings must be worse than I thought to read this verdict from Peakfan. I expected the "collapse" but the bowling catchup sort of balanced it out a bit in my mind. Maybe I am becoming immune.
From my view it is noticable the general public outside Derbyshire-World are starting to pick up on the general trend we have all been seeing. Not sure if this makes any difference.
I shall (try to) stay in there ....
It isn't easy, Silenius. I have massive respect for DH as a player and batting coach. But as Head of Cricket he will be aware that high level sport is results driven.
DeleteCouple that with overseas signings that have failed to impress so far and the pressure is on.
He - and we - need a good T20
A close Yorkshire supporting friend of mine texted me to tell me its as simple as we are just reverting back to the norm.
DeleteIs he hash but fair ?
But we shouldn't have to. And shouldn't accept that. I was optimistic our top 4 would score heavily. Truth is they haven't
DeleteIt is really hard to find any positives - but remember that back in 2019, out of the current league, Notts, Essex and Warwick were in the 1st division, and Durham probably only in the 2nd because of incurring the wrath of the ECB. There is therefore no doubt that we are coming up against stronger counties than we would have done in the old 2 division format. It is though still really difficult to find positives. Even Matt Critchley is having a couple of off innings and struggling a bit more with the ball!
ReplyDeleteGrant you that, David, but we should at least be competing. Surely? We are with the ball, but the batsmen have to do their bit
DeleteTrue - and back at the start of the season I thought that the bowling was the potential weak link, and that the batting would have enough quality to compete
DeleteCould Houghton have really guessed that Godleman, Reece, Du Plooy and Madsen would have been so ineffective this season. They’ve had horror shows (Madsen to a certain extent excepted as he’s made a number of starts but not carried on to anything substantial) We’ve got two batsmen averaging over 50 in the middle order so the major problem is the top 4/5 in reality.
ReplyDeleteAgree wholeheartedly with the overseas player situation as that makes a massive difference so that better come off for the T20 otherwise we are in trouble
A good point Gary as a couple of months ago few would have assumed the top 4 to be so poor.
Delete3 are very experienced players and so it is difficult to think that the coaching has brought about such poor form.
Things would be a lot worse without Critchley and in reality would the next best batsman make the difference?
My only thought is that I'm unsure bits and pieces players will be the answer.
I had the misfortune to be present today and I never thought I would hear myself say this, but I have not got the stomach to face it live tomorrow and listen to what the Warwickshire supporters will be saying about us. They had a lot of fun at our expense today and sadly it was all true. I left about five o' clock for no reason other than I'd had enough. After a reasonably good bowling performance today was a horror show.
ReplyDeleteI had hoped that McDermott might just be the galvanising influence we needed but to me, he looks way of touch. Granted we got a couple of dubious decisions against us today, but Warwickshire were on the wrong end of a couple yesterday, so what goes around comes around.
I have no idea where we go from here - the only way is up but our confidence is totally shot and you are spot on when you say we need an Eddie Barlow figure, but I'm sorry to opine that one wouldn't be enough. We need a team full of them.
There are just no positives after today's abject surrender.
Vince
This batting line up is the weakest I've seen for a very long time and like you say Peakfan what the hell is going on with the coaching?. I think change is inevitable when Warwickshire have completed their inevitable victory tomorrow. There is nobody capable of scoring runs consistently in this side and it needs to change asap. Disappointed doesn't even come in to it
ReplyDeleteSteve, you’ve articulated exactly what I felt watching yet another batting collapse today. We have become an embarrassment. I watched the first session, when we ended up sixty something for two, and then went out. When I came back we’d lost four more wickets for thirty or forty. I couldn’t believe it!
ReplyDeleteWhere I disagree is on bringing in overseas players. Just because someone comes from overseas doesn’t mean that they are a great player. So what if someone is from South Africa, New Zealand, or wherever. They have to be able to perform. And Derbyshire have had many overseas who have not lived up to expectations (even modest ones).
But I’m, totally with you in finding an Eddie Barlow-type figure to revitalise what is looking, in terms of batting, jaded, to put it politely. It’s painful to watch at the moment, so I can understand why you did what you did. I switched channels to the seconds at Durham, who won the first 20 came convincingly (Harry Came – who’s heard of him? - scored a blistering 113 not out), but lost their second game.
The bowlers have put up a good fight in the Warwicks second innings. But even if they polish off the tail early tomorrow for another twenty or thirty runs, I can’t see us getting anywhere near three hundred.
And this should be possible, with two full days left. Billy or Guest just needs to drop anchor, pushing occasional singles and hitting the bad ball, and then let Reece, Madsen, McDermott or whoever go for the shots.
I was impressed with Derbyshire’s bowling attack yesterday if McDermott keeps wicket and Derbyshire can then pick five batsmen Billy,Madsen,Wood,Du Ploy and Guest the potential is there ,it needs the likes of Billy and WM to start putting runs on the board and as what Ole Mortensen used to shout at the batsmen when they were going out to bat “crease occupation “
ReplyDeleteNot just one but a whole battalion of Captain Hindsight's turning up. I don't recall too much negativity about our batting prospects at the start of the season with the term "engine room" and "powerhouse" being widely used. Gary is absolutely right that no-one foresaw (or could have foreseen) all of our top 4 having such poor seasons, even if some of us felt that Godleman and Madsen's rock-solid techniques and steely concentration have been compromised by excess aggression. This is fundamentally the same team that took us very close to topping our group last year, and whilst that may have flattered to deceive to an extent, it showed real potential. As recently as the end of April, I was writing here (and I don't recall anyone disagreeing with me) that we'd made a solid start after three games. There's no question that batting performances in May have been bitterly disappointing but against a background of two years of steady improvement, it's time for sober assessment and appraisal rather than calling for heads to roll and still less for magical thinking about once in a generation mythic leaders.
ReplyDeleteWe did make a solid start, notoveryet. But like the display at Trent Bridge last year, largely down to two players playing out of their skin.
DeleteAs for people being 'Captain Hindsights' (little disrespectful, BTW) aren't we all? If we were all gifted with foresight it would be a fine old world.
You have read my blog and contributed well to it for a number of years. And know that I favour continuity far more than most. But progress?
There was the win at Trent Bridge, followed by Leicester, two rain-affected games and then a hammering at Aigburth. Followed by a frankly awful T20.
This year, albeit against decent sides, we have been mediocre.
So my 'sober assessment' is that we need a much better T20 than last year or questions will be asked.
Yes, a few individuals have progressed well, but others haven't. Overseas recruitment has been questionable, albeit with the caveat of the global situation and I would argue that we released two better bowlers than we recruited.
So if that is not a reason to be asking questions, I don't know what is.
Barlow was a once in a generation leader. My point being that this generation needs another one, a player who makes things happen. Historically that has come from the overseas role.
So where is that player?
Sorry, the hindsight jibe wasn't intended for you but for all of the experts commenting here and elsewhere who saw this coming and can't understand how blind Houghton was to it. Nor do I think you're calling for change for change's sake as many are, and I'm certainly not arguing for continuity for continuity's sake either, but I don't agree with your conclusion about the value of the galvanising individual. Apart from Barlow, who have we seen at Derbyshire who can genuinely be described in this way? Dean Jones, certainly, but at the cost of lighting the fuse that blew a powder-keg apart and arguably destroyed Derbyshire as a force for 10 years. Derbyshire has suffered too much over the years from new leadership brooms who've announced a new strategy, reshaped the squad and then watched it fall apart until the next new broom arrives and repeats the cycle.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that I think there has been steady progress under Houghton until the last few weeks with a clear and sustainable strategy for a club like Derbyshire. Apart from the promotion season, the last 2 years have been the first in more than 20 years where Derbyshire have been genuinely competing in the final stages of competitions. That doesn't vaccinate Houghton or Godleman from questions and challenge about the last few weeks, but neither should 4 bad defeats cancel out everything that's happened in the past 2 years.
We know that a process will be in progress anyway, with both Houghton and Godleman's contracts coming to an end. At his age, Houghton may anyway be thinking about retirement, and Godleman's been captain for 5 years so may have stepping down in his mind anyway (he certainly had a fairly weary tone at times in a recent Cricket Badger podcast). Even if they want to carry on, both will rightly be held to account for performances. Whatever the outcome, however, I want to see it as part of clear succession planning that maintains the broad strategy.
Point taken, notoveryet but I just think such terms are disparaging and not what I want, whoever directed at.
ReplyDeleteIt is all about opinions. Some are based more on fact than others, but all are valid, as long as not personal, here.
I don't think there is any doubt the strategy is sound but the personnel needs tweaked. Sometimes a fresh voice is an asset in its own right and this needs considered.
We need to look at overseas recruitment and only bring in if of real value. I get why we retained Melton this year, but other signings are questionable. Leics have signed Harris, Glamorgan have Labuschagne - look at the confidence their performances spread through the team. Do we have that?
Maybe instead of 'average' overseas you use the money to lure a good player from elsewhere. Someone suggested Steve Finn recently, if fit a good idea.
My next piece will explain things in greater detail...
I've written several times about what poor value most overseas players are (not just ours, although shopping towards the bottom of the market probably doesn't help) and particularly so at a time when English cricket faces so many financial challenges. The real elite rarely play and then only for short periods, very few are box office, and most are a lottery. Harris and Labuschagne have made a big impact but I'm not sure anyone was very excited when they were signed, and their exception rather proves the rule. Just thinking about the teams we've played this year, the overseas (as opposed to the former Kolpaks) have made a marginal contribution - Young and Bancroft for Durham, Joseph for Worcs, Paterson for Notts, and Malan for Warks. Just looking at the averages and excluding the former Kolpaks, only Harris and Young (just) get into the top 50 batters, and only Abbott, Neser and Abbas the top 50 bowlers. Compare this with 7 domestic batters and 11 domestic bowlers who have moved counties in the last couple of years, and you have a sense of where the best value is found.
ReplyDelete