Middlesex 327-6 (Geddes 1109, Holden 65, Cracknell 44, Morley 2-58, Potts 2-98)
Derbyshire 240 (Jewell 54, Whiteley 37, Dal 36, Gohar 3-35)
Middlesex won by 87 runs
My future son in law asked me if I had seen a lot of horror.
'For most of the last sixty years, son' was my reply. My daughter smiled, she knew where her old Dad was coming from.
There isn't a lot of fun in watching Derbyshire right now. I take no pleasure in being able to predict a defeat before the game is played, because nothing in the body language or performances suggests otherwise. I will be quite honest in having switched over to watch the T20 finals day from Belper, where Daryn Smit turned in a virtuoso performance on one leg to help Clifton through to the final.
Truth be told, it looked like first class county against minor county today and the result was a foregone conclusion before the Middlesex innings had even ended.
It's hard to say that. It hurts to say it. This is MY team, just the same as it is your team. I'm not about to switch allegiance at this stage, but we look so far off the pace at present it is frightening.
I take nothing away from Middlesex, who put in a professional performance and played some very good cricket. There was a world of difference between the attack that they were able to field and the one that faced them, just as there was nothing in the Derbyshire side to match their top four. With such disparity, it was always going to be a one-sided encounter, but I cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel just now.
Although he took two wickets, Nick Potts had the sort of day that was always likely after he had signed a 2-year contract. The line, length and rhythm wasn't there today and it confirmed that although much improved, he has plenty more to do to become a fixture in the side when everyone is fit.
Caleb Jewell made a pleasant half century, but rather gave it away in driving without getting over the ball. There was a little innings restoration from Luis Reece, Anuj Dal and Ross Whiteley, but as the required rate climbed, there wasn't a point in the innings when I thought Derbyshire might produce a shock result. Middlesex won by 87 runs and were very good value for it.
Derbyshire travel to Southampton on Tuesday for a game against a Hampshire side that racked up 383 today. I am not optimistic, but we travel to Berwick upon Tweed tomorrow, so I won't see it either. In current form, that's a relief.
I will create a page for that game and your comments on it in due course.
Do please add names to your comments. I can sense the anger and frustration out there right now, but as usual will reserve the right not to publish anything personal and unsigned.
Oldest side in the competition, yet one of the worst.
ReplyDeleteWe will finish this competition (again) with absolutely nothing to show for it.
You look at Glamorgan who finished below us but their fans are chuffed at the progress of Hope-Bell, Horton, Edwards and Nicholls who look ready to step up to County level because they've been backed.
Same for Sussex, bottom but with Tear emerging as a real positive.
We finish with nothing. Poor Bin Naeem's treatment has been apalling. In, out, in, out and always coming in down the order when we've usually already lost. I feel so sorry for him, MA's lack of confidence in him is palpable, as it was last season when Potts got a t20 game and was given 1 over. No wonder Bin Naeem has struggled coming in so late after the dad's army ahead of him has crumbled.
Potts goes backwards, economy of 10.5 in the Blast and 6.4 in this. He's a wicket taker but needs to tighten up, he has the talent and he'd already have learned these lessons if exposed to quality batting more over the last 4 or 5 seasons.
We consistently compete strongly at under 16 and under 18 level. The talent is there but will continue to be squandered because MA can't understand development.
His short termism fails to get results now and ensures continued failure tomorrow. Agree with the poster who said his extension will be a disaster.
Truly depressing stuff. Simon
ReplyDeleteWe were never going to win this game with only one fast bowler who seems unable to stem the runs at the moment , three medium pace bowlers and two spinners. Is this really the best attack we can field? I dread to think how many runs Hampshire will rack up against us. Like many others I suspect, I can't wait for the County Championship to start again.
ReplyDeleteYet we were led to believe that our best chance of success this season was in white ball cricket.
Chapel Guy
At todays members forum club chairman Ian McFarlane stated the club have used, and always will use, the One Day Cup as a development competition. Once I had removed my jaw from the floor, I counted how many players we had used in the One Day Cup this season who aren't in the first team squad. By my calculations it is zero.
ReplyDeleteI think, personally, Mickey Arthur’s approach of going into every game with the strongest team available has backfired a bit.
ReplyDeleteI’d have stuck with Bin Naeem at 3/4 and given Hawkins and Stewart more opportunities. Yes, we might have seen a few heavier defeats along the way, but at least we’d be giving fringe players proper exposure and finding out whether they are capable of stepping up. That has to be part of the long-term plan.
And to be clear, I agree with the vast majority of what Mickey Arthur does. Most of his signings have been very good, and bringing in Wright as bowling coach was, in my opinion, an excellent decision.
My concern is the same one I had when Houghton was with us: the pathway into the first team just isn’t strong enough.
You can see a massive improvement in the recruitment and development of younger players, and I have a lot of admiration for the work Smit is doing in that area. But will we actually see the fruits of that structure at first-team level? I’m not convinced we will.
I remember Mickey saying at the start of the season that we would see a younger team. I bought into that, particularly for the T20 competition. Instead, what we’ve seen in this competition has been pretty poor.
At some point, I think the club needs to come out and say to the supporters:
“Yep, we got this wrong.”
Then explain the plan. Tell us that red-ball cricket is in a good place, but white-ball cricket is miles away from where it needs to be. Tell us we’re going to build a team, give young players opportunities, and accept that it’s going to take time.
I’d actually respect that far more than trying to convince everyone that everything is fine when it clearly isn’t.
The problem is, I’d be absolutely shocked if they actually came out and said it. 😂
There’s nothing wrong with admitting you’ve taken a wrong turn. Every team does it. The important bit is knowing where you’re going next.
And at the moment, I’m just not sure we do.
Terrific comment, Gary. Thank you
DeleteI won't get stuck in, there's little point. But it was a dreadful effort. At least 2 players are unlikely to pull on a Derbyshire shirt again after Tuesday and some others can count themselves fortunate. There's nothing to build on and whatever MA is doing has now completely failed. I am unlikely to renew my membership for 2027.
ReplyDeleteOne or two people have privately said the same to me re membership, Tim. It's very sad but understandable
DeleteI didn’t expect a victory today and it never really looked likely from the start. Middlesex paced their innings very well, I thought, helped by some ragged bowling and fielding. They were able to build from the good platform they had established through Geddes and Holden whereas we tend to implode.
ReplyDeleteAs with other commenters on here, I have been disappointed not to see more of the younger players involved. That was why I was very pleased to Theo Brown with the team today, warming up with them and running drinks. At least get them used to being in and around the squad and comfortable with that environment so that when they do (hopefully) make the step up, they feel more familiar with it. I sometimes think it must be very demoralising being a youngster at Derbyshire and wondering how you will work your way through to senior cricket.
I agree, Sarah. With every word
DeleteThe attack without Chappell and Aitchison looks short of a leader. Same can be said of the batting, without Madsen and Montgomery. I would have liked to see Hawkins and Wagstaff play in this competition. No complaints today. Middlesex have won 6 out of 7 and looked very strong on paper and in practice. Kris.
ReplyDeleteOkay, we let Middlesex get to more than 30-40 than they should have got, but our batting seemed more like a CC game. To sum up, we were mediocre.
ReplyDeleteAt one point, we needed 200. off 20, yet we kept pushing singles, and the run rate kept climbing., I don't get it. This was another opportunity for Whiteley, and he didn't' deliver, Reece seemed timid, yet, as we know, he can find the boundary and clear the rope.
Downthewicket