Final words on the Blast

We are almost at the start of the Vitality Blast and I cannot think that Derbyshire have ever gone into this competition in such a rude state of health. 

Unbeaten, second place in the division in red ball cricket, with specialist big guns coming into the side for the new competition. As the club publicity has been telling us, we have three legends of the format in Wayne Madsen, Samit Patel and Ross Whiteley. An overseas bat who has been on fire, with a mystery overseas spinner who got into a World Best XI only a few months ago. Powerful and long batting, plenty of bowling options. 

To be honest, I don't think we will ever have a better chance of progressing to the knockout stage as we have this year. If we fail, I think it will be on one of two things. 

Can Allah Ghazanfar show the form here that he has abroad? Very few will have faced him, or even seen him, so his variations could be devastating. Of course, a bad ball is a bad ball and he hasn't played for a few months. We also need to remember, regardless of his talent, he is only eighteen. He could and may well be The Man.. but it might go the other way. We need to remember that there will be nights when people have a go at him and get lucky. He will be up against some very good cricketers and will be aware that they will be keen to assert themselves. 

Yet what I have read and seen of him suggests a young man with the world at his feet and the ability to take things in his stride. If he hits the ground running, the next few weeks will be spectacular. Good judges rate him extremely highly and good judges are rarely wrong. Just as Mickey Arthur was advised that Caleb Jewell was the real deal, so we have people doing the same with Ghazanfar. I think Brooke Guest will have a hectic time, keeping to this fella.

Then there is the fifth bowler. Logically that should be Harry Moore, good enough to be picked for the Hundred at 18. Yet there is a big difference between being fit, which I understand he is, and being match fit. He hasn't bowled in a competitive game since the start of the season and it is a big ask for anyone to come in with nothing in the tank. 

When he is match fit, he will play, but that might not be at the start of the competition. When he does, it would almost certainly make Derbyshire the only team in it with two 18-year-olds and two others over 40. 

So that fifth bowler is key. People know Zak Chappell and Pat Brown are fine bowlers, they know Samit, they have heard all about Ghazanfar. But they will almost certainly target the other four overs. Whether that is Lloyd, Moore, Reece, Aitchison or whoever, the other team will be coming at them. We could play a specialist bowler, or lengthen the batting further with an all rounder. Maybe Mitch Wagstaff could come into the equation as an extra spinner and they see what they can get from Martin Andersson, but he only bowled one over for Middlesex last year. The safe option may be Luis Reece, until Moore is deemed fit.

We go into the competition with three players having points to prove. Nye Donald could be a sensation at the top of the order and if he reins in his tendency to get carried away his partnership with Caleb Jewell could he special. Sometimes a tendency to overhit is his downfall (Leeds, last year?) but his talent is undeniable. If he and Jewell click, you would want to see it.

Meanwhile, both Samit Patel and Ross Whiteley will know that it is unlikely they will get another deal, certainly unless their figures improve from last season. But these things tend to focus minds and both will feel they still have fuel in the tank. If they both prove that, Derbyshire should be a real force to reckon with.

As I've said before, we need the breaks with the weather, we need to hold our catches and we cannot afford injuries. Our first choice side looks very strong, but if you take a couple of big names out of it, less so. 

Having said all that, in full knowledge of a team high in confidence, I am going to predict qualification from the group. With that talent at our disposal, we should be doing that.

What do you think?