A home game! When I see the lads in action, it usually means a round trip of 600 miles or more to the County Ground or a trip to one of the northern grounds that we know and love.
Tomorrow sees me make the 12 mile trip from my semi-rural home north of Glasgow to Titwood, home of Clydesdale Cricket Club, for a game that we must win. Even if we do there is no guarantee of further progress after yesterday's defeat. As I said yesterday, we must all hope for a Lancashire win tomorrow to stand a chance of qualification and then do the business ourselves. If that game is rained off we are out, as the difference between respective Net Run Rates is too great to make up.
The problem over the last couple of games has been the lack of flexibility in the bowling. In each game bowlers took some stick but there simply was no one else. Once Rikki Clarke is fit to bowl again, Greg Smith is fit and Wavell Hinds arrives we'll have plenty of bowling options. If Dan Redfern makes the one day side he would give another, but having only five bowlers is far from ideal.
I hope that fans realise improvements ARE being made, but the side is a work in progress. Some players need greater experience, some need to be allowed to leave and more quality needs to come in. That is a job for the end of the season, but we have a lot of cricket to play and I still think we have the ability, if they all stay fit (and we have better luck with the weather) to make a good fist of this season.
There is no news yet of the Scotland squad for the game, although it is likely to be a similar side to that whch played against Yorkshire. Several players struggle to get time off for midweek games which may see a few changes, but I hope that Derbyshire show a professional streak that has been missed in most recent trips north of the border.
Showing posts with label Scotland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scotland. Show all posts
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Saturday, 3 May 2008
Derbyshire v Scotland
I've just about got my breath back from the game tonight.
This game highlighted exactly what I said in this blog earlier in the week. No 20/20 game could possibly ebb and flow like this one did. Derbyshire were on top, then two wickets brought Durham back, Clarke and Sadler restored things, then Durham kept it tight at the end. They then got a good start, we pegged them back, Langeveldt took three wickets but back they came again until Clarke kept his nerve at the end.
Sunday's game should not be as close, and if Derbyshire do a professional job, they can not only win but improve their run rate to strengthen their position. The Scots have been our bogey side in recent years, but this year they are in a degree of disarray. A pre-season match in Namibia saw them snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, mainly due to a captain who singularly fails to appreciate that spin can play a part in winning games.
South African born Ryan Watson misses this game to be with his wife at the birth of their child, and Fraser Watts surprisingly replaces him. Watts is in a poor run of form and perhaps the captaincy is a burden he could live without. Equally strange is the omission of Qasim Sheikh, the only in-form batsman, while Majid Haq, an aggressive left hander who bowls gentle off spin, is also unavailable. Navdeep Poonia, on the staff at Warwickshire, comes into the squad, but is a player who is very vulnerable early in his innings.
There should be a place for Aussie Glenn Rogers, who has been strangely overlooked in recent games despite being one of only two bowlers who usually keeps it tight. The slow left armer is also a fair batsman who is strangely overlooked by the Scots despite scoring heavily in club cricket.
If the weather holds fair, Derbyshire should pick up two more points. It is important that they do so in style and head into the second half of the competition with confidence high.
This game highlighted exactly what I said in this blog earlier in the week. No 20/20 game could possibly ebb and flow like this one did. Derbyshire were on top, then two wickets brought Durham back, Clarke and Sadler restored things, then Durham kept it tight at the end. They then got a good start, we pegged them back, Langeveldt took three wickets but back they came again until Clarke kept his nerve at the end.
Sunday's game should not be as close, and if Derbyshire do a professional job, they can not only win but improve their run rate to strengthen their position. The Scots have been our bogey side in recent years, but this year they are in a degree of disarray. A pre-season match in Namibia saw them snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, mainly due to a captain who singularly fails to appreciate that spin can play a part in winning games.
South African born Ryan Watson misses this game to be with his wife at the birth of their child, and Fraser Watts surprisingly replaces him. Watts is in a poor run of form and perhaps the captaincy is a burden he could live without. Equally strange is the omission of Qasim Sheikh, the only in-form batsman, while Majid Haq, an aggressive left hander who bowls gentle off spin, is also unavailable. Navdeep Poonia, on the staff at Warwickshire, comes into the squad, but is a player who is very vulnerable early in his innings.
There should be a place for Aussie Glenn Rogers, who has been strangely overlooked in recent games despite being one of only two bowlers who usually keeps it tight. The slow left armer is also a fair batsman who is strangely overlooked by the Scots despite scoring heavily in club cricket.
If the weather holds fair, Derbyshire should pick up two more points. It is important that they do so in style and head into the second half of the competition with confidence high.
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