Derbyshire v Middlesex Metro Bank One Day cup game 2

The nonsense that the English Cricket Board have allowed the domestic game to become has been made even clearer with the selection of Ross Whiteley for Welsh Fire. 

So after one game as Derbyshire skipper, he will be replaced in that role by Samit Patel. The county have named 13 players in the squad to face Middlesex on Saturday, which is pretty much, with injuries and existing absentees, what they have available.

It is absolute nonsense. If we have to have this abomination of a tournament, squads should be selected ahead of the competition of sufficient size that no change can be made from one week before it starts. Surrey has lost FIFTEEN players to it, Somerset and Lancashire ten each. Leicestershire have lost six, but they still have two overseas players, as do Hampshire, who opened their bowling today with Abbott and Abbas. Meanwhile, Derbyshire won their opening game with no overseas input, although Daryn Dupavillon is back in the squad for the weekend. 

So what happens if Zak Chappell gets called up next and a bowler sustains an injury? Because nothing has happened, I assume we're not going to sign an Indian superstar, like Northamptonshire and Lancashire, so it will be a case of elevating another young player from the academy

Despite our beating them the other day, I expected Northamptonshire to do well, so too Glamorgan, both largely unaffected by the other competition. Worcestershire have only lost one player, but with five regular bowlers injured, they are effectively fielding their second team attack already. Hampshire will probably be in the mix, too.

Anyway, rant over, back to tomorrow and the visit of Middlesex. With Whiteley gone, I expect Yousaf Bin Naeem to play, probably in his place, while Dupavillon will probably replace Mitch Wagstaff.

I do feel sorry for Mitch. He has gone from promising second team opening bat to a lower order bat who bowls a bit of spin. Then he was elevated to bat as an opener again at Chesterfield where he was on a hiding to nothing, before again being put in to bat eight but not bowl at Northampton. There is a good cricketer in there, but some form of consistency in selection and place in the order would be beneficial for him, as it is for anyone else.

The likely Derbyshire side: 

Came, Reece, Guest, Lloyd, Lamb, Naeem, Patel, Chappell, Moore, Conners, Dupavillon

Wagstaff and Potts also in squad.

Middlesex have lost the hugely influential Ryan Higgins and Leus du Plooy, as well as Helm, Holden and Eskinazi to the Crisp Competition. They still have a decent squad, but were hammered by Worcestershire in their opening game, conceding 371 before being bowled out in just 25 overs. Ethan Bamber, due to move to Warwickshire in the close season, will spearhead their attack, while former England men Sam Robson and Mark Stoneman anchor an otherwise inexperienced batting lineup. 

They travel with the following squad: 

Stoneman, Andersson, Bamber, Brookes, Cornwell, Bracknell, Cullen, Davies, de Caires, Fernandes, Hollman, Kaushal, Robson, White

The weather is set fair and in theory Derbyshire should have enough to win this one and make it two wins from two matches. Five from eight *should* be enough to see us make the knockouts and hopefully salvage something from what has otherwise been a dispiriting season.

Fingers crossed, eh? 

Northamptonshire v Derbyshire Metrobank One Day Cup game one

Northamptonshire 235 (Gay 59, Bartlett 50, Zaib 42, Chappell 4-39, Patel 3-41, Moore 1-29, Reece 1-73)

Derbyshire 236-8 (Chappell 94*, Whiteley 65, Weatherall 4-50, Sanderson 2-32)

Derbyshire won by 2 wickets with eight balls to spare

Just at the point when Derbyshire's season looked set to disappear around the u-bend - and my inbox was starting to ping with messages and comments of increasing vitriol - Derbyshire found heroes in their new captain and a man who now has to be regarded as a genuine all-rounder. 

They did pretty well earlier on, dismissing Northamptonshire for 235. Zak Chappell bowled beautifully in taking 4-39, while Samit Patel took 3-41. Harry Moore bowled accurately and very well for figures of 1-29 that failed to flatter him, but the feeling persisted that the home side's score, aided by sloppy fielding, missed catches and 26 extras, was more than they should have got in conditions helpful for bowling. 

Gay, Bartlett and Zaib batted well and showed that it was possible to score runs on a good cricket wicket, if you had the technique and a little bit of luck to go with it. 

Derbyshire started well, but 26-0 became 45-5, which in turn became 79-7 as good bowling combined with some injudicious stroke play to destroy what had looked a lengthy batting order. 

Or had it? Whiteley, who had earlier captained the side with cool common sense, came in to play an innings of remarkable restraint, his eventual 65 taking 99 deliveries and with only six boundaries. It was workmanlike and professional, in the knowledge that there were only two wickets to follow. 

Chappell came in and with with a series of trademark blows, bludgeons and edges, went past his 50 and got his side back into the game. The partnership went past 100 and had reached 131 before the captain, eyeing the leg side boundary, holed out in the deep with only 26 needed from six overs. It was a shot that didn't have to be played, but he had got his side back into the game and deserves great credit for his efforts today. 

Harry Moore then joined Chappell and any fears that the uninitiated may have had over his batting ability were allayed with crisp footwork and pleasant shots. He gave his senior partner the strike and Chappell scored the winning runs with his 12th boundary, an edge to third man which left him unbeaten on 94. Batting at number nine...

It was a remarkable effort by Chappell, one that will doubtless bring warm feelings and memories in his dotage. Rightly so, because to all intents and purposes, this game had gone when he joined his captain at the crease. 

It is good to get off to a winning start, but that victory should not mask another batting display of considerable mediocrity. Such a recovery cannot happen all the time and the batting unit as a whole has to take on greater responsibility in the building of totals. I accept we are two batters light, but there is still enough talent in this side to be able to handle such a run chase. 

Middlesex are next, at Derby on Saturday. They were hammered by Worcestershire today and will be smarting to atone for that defeat. 

I would like to see Bin Naeem brought into the side and given his head. At seventeen and still with a year of school ahead of him, Moore looked like he belonged today. I have every confidence that his young Academy teammate will do exactly that, if he is given a run in the side. 

He should have been there today, after an excellent innings against Cheshire and he he should be given the opportunity as soon as possible. 

But to close, well done Derbyshire. Specifically, well done to Ross Whiteley, Harry Moore and especially Zak Chappell. 

You and we will remember this one for a long time to come.

Northamptonshire v. Derbyshire Metro Bank One-Day Cup game one

In an interesting turn of events today, Ross Whiteley was named as the Derbyshire captain for the 50 over competition, that starts at Northampton tomorrow. 

I was under the impression that Samit Patel was going to be captain for all white ball cricket, but there has presumably been a change of heart and Whiteley, who has captained the second team for a good part of this season, will take on the role. 

He is an intelligent man, knows his cricket and will likely bring calmness to proceedings which will be appreciated by his team. With a number of young players in the squad, he also knows them better than Patel and is better able to manage them on the field. 

Alex Thomson is missing and will be for around a month with a side strain, while Anuj Dal is again missing again for personal reasons. Before anyone asks, I don't know what these are, but he is entitled to privacy and will get that from this blog.

Meanwhile Daryn Dupavillon is missing with an ankle injury, so we go into the game with no overseas player. Cam Fletcher was only signed for the T20 and I would assume is unlikely to play again.

With Madsen, Donald and Brown missing at the competition that I am not remotely interested in, there is an opportunity for Harry Moore in the squad, as well as for Yousaf Bin Naeem. With Mitch Wagstaff and Nick Potts also named, there is a youthful look that should earn a little breathing space should things not go to plan. 

Mickey Arthur has named the following thirteen:

Came, Reece, Guest, Lloyd, Patel, Whiteley, Naeem, Wagstaff, Moore, Chappell, Conners, 

Lamb, Potts also in the squad

The side above would be my choice, with good depth to the batting and eight or nine bowling options, if required. It may be that someone is carrying a niggle and realistically the side could be tweaked dependent on that and also the type of pitch. 

Northamptonshire welcome back the wonderfully talented Indian opening bat Prithvi Shaw. In a similar manner to the young Neville Cardus, when going to watch England against Australia, I would like to see Derbyshire bowl out their opponents for around 150, but would be happy if Shaw got a hundred tomorrow. He is a serious talent and it is astonishing that he seems so far from the national side over there. 

Interestingly, given rumours of his departure at the end of the season - with Derbyshire suggested as an option - there is no place in the home squad for Luke Procter. This perhaps lends credence to the story, given that he averages well over 50 this summer, but I tend not to worry about rumours, as often they are generated by agents in attempting to negotiate a better deal for their client. 

Northamptonshire have batted well in T20 cricket and with some exciting players in their lineup will expect to do so tomorrow. 

Their squad:

McManus, Bartlett, Finan, Gay, Keogh, Miller, Russell, Sales, Shaw, Sanderson, Vasconcelos, Weatherall, White, Zaib

I can't call this one. Realistically, the home side will probably start favourites as they have been playing good cricket and we - in all truthfulness - haven't, at least not consistently. Yet a change of personnel and a new skipper may prove beneficial and it should be a good game. The weather is set fair and I look forward to watching something akin to the style of cricket with which I grew up. 

For me, the result is less important than the experience for young players who are the future of the club. As I have written before, I would be happier to see a young side winning and losing together and gaining experience in doing so. 

What do you think? 

Cheshire v Derbyshire 50 over friendly

Derbyshire 242-7 (Guest 97, Bin Naeem 62, Dearden 4-39, Grant 4-42)

Cheshire 243-6 in 35.2 overs (Llewellyn 91*, Carroll 62)

Cheshire won by 4 wickets with 88 balls to spare

While accepting that this was a friendly and warm-up match, Derbyshire slipped to an embarrassing defeat to Cheshire at Nantwich today.

They looked off the pace with bat and ball, only excellent innings by Brooke Guest and Yousaf Bin Naeem saving them from a batting catastrophe. They added 127 for the seventh wicket after a collapse to 86-6 against the gentle off spin of Harry Dearden, formerly of Leicestershire.

Lamb was caught at wide long on, Whiteley caught sweeping against the turn and Wagstaff, after a century yesterday, swept around a straight full toss. They seemed stuck in a T20 mentality, the strokes played not especially sensible after twenty overs of a fifty over game.

Guest just missed out on a century in a classy innings, but Bin Naeem, 18 later this week, looked a player of class and charm in his innings of 62.

He has just finished school and I understand he has no plans for further education. On this basis he should be elevated to the first team sooner, rather than later 

If the batting was bad, the bowling was worse. Bryn Llewellyn and Kevin Carroll treating the bowling with near-disdain as they reached the target of 243 with nearly fifteen overs to spare. Carroll reached his half century from only eighteen deliveries and Derbyshire's players looked demoralised in the field.

Thirty-seven extras were conceded by Derbyshire in an ill-disciplined bowling display, but it mattered little as Carroll hit anything straight into the middle distance in a spectacular display of hitting that included six sixes and four fours. Meanwhile, the left-handed Llewellyn anchored the innings beautifully, with a stylish knock

We were very average and totally outclassed today.

One of those sides looked a minor county.

It wasn't Cheshire.

Closing T20 thoughts

Like many of you, I watched the post-match interview with Mickey Arthur last night and it was clear that he was hurting. I am sure the players are and rest assured the long-suffering supporters feel it more than most..

There is no question that most of the players have underperformed in this competition. The only one who comes out of it with major credit is Pat Brown, who bowled with intelligence and considerable skill throughout. Zak Chappell did pretty well and Samit Patel was usually economical. Yet there were various reasons for our poor displays, as I shall explain.

There was a marked decline in batting. Only eight scores in excess of fifty were made, compared to thirteen the year before. The most obvious decline was Wayne Madsen, but he should not be blamed for the failings of the team overall and of the coaching staff. 

I do not think it was helpful to continually harp on about 'aggressive' 'sexy' cricket played by 'entertainment machines'. I would prefer professional, combative, street smart cricket played by people who adapted their game to the circumstance of the match. 

We threw away several matches with poor decision-making. Leaving the last over to Luis Reece at Northampton was daft. Only making 179 after being 110-1 in ten at Headingley was shocking. Playing only one overseas player in most of the tournament was professional suicide, even though it was an obvious consequence of flawed recruitment. 

Time after time we blew good positions. Nye Donald often got us off to a flying start, but too infrequently built on it. The fine line between brilliance and thoughtlessness was crossed too many times by him and he needs to show that he is more than a player who can smack a few as if it is a beer match, then go back to the pavilion with the job not even half done. 

Yet he provided most of the few bright memories of Derbyshire batting. The rest suffered from a lack of knowledge as to what our best lineup actually was, batting positions that changed with the wind and a collective lack of game awareness. While individuals must take ownership of their failings in the middle, I was never left with any great feeling of a steady hand on the tiller. 

Team selection was never consistent, any more than batting order. The opening pairing of Donald and Lloyd showed promise, yet was prematurely abandoned. Reece was recalled, despite clear signs of decline in this format from previous years and the results were often painful to watch. Guest was up and down the order with seemingly no clarity on his role, Whiteley seemed to be the batting equivalent of Goldilocks' porridge, never quite at the right place in the order. Came got a couple of games and was then abandoned, Wagstaff bowled well in one game but was seemingly an afterthought thereafter. Neither Lloyd nor Madsen looked fully fit, a contributory factor, but I never felt confident about the batting unit and the failure to reinforce it with an overseas player was a big mistake.

Neither Patel nor Whiteley got close to the returns that were needed, both of them sadly suggesting that their best days are behind them. Each played a couple of innings, but that was simply not good enough, in a season when it was all anyone really managed. Questions have to be asked about the batting coach, but also about recruitment. Much noise was made about Derbyshire becoming 'the county of choice' but there has been no evidence of that.

Recruitment has been little more than a shambles this year. While I have every sympathy for Blair Tickner and his wife and their off field challenges, neither he nor Daryn Dupavillon suggested they were close to the required standard of an overseas import. It was always likely that the standouts in the team would be Chappell and Brown, which made the decision to recruit two specialist seam bowlers ludicrous in the extreme. It was equally obvious that to play them both would leave a lengthy tail, which was hardly a game plan of cunning, with such a flimsy batting line up. We waited for Mohammad Amir, but although he bowled tidily, he never suggested he was at full pace and never won us a game. Which is why you sign such players, after all. Zaman Khan did so, last year and how he was missed.

When we did, belatedly, sign a batter, it was a third wicket keeper, when we were already fielding two. It made little sense, but injury apparently limited the appearances of Cam Fletcher, even though he was oddly named in squads.

Compare and contrast: some may say we did okay, as a small county, but so are Northamptonshire and they qualified. They also recruited well - a look at their batting averages show Raza, Breetzke and Agar in the first three positions, two of them also bowlers. Not forgetting the shrewd acquisition of Ravi Bopara..

Then there is Leicestershire. They brought in Jimmy Neesham and also took Lewis Goldsworthy on loan from Somerset, who came second in the batting averages and top of the bowling. We should have been all over such a signing, as I wrote last year, when I also mentioned Ethan Brookes, who has done well for Worcestershire.

It was always clear to me - read older posts if you wish - that the fifth bowler was going to be an issue. Despite the challenges of the World Cup, a coach with Mickey Arthur's background should have been able to find an all rounder from somewhere, failing which a spinner, failing which cutting the losses and signing a top batter.

If you recruit a star bowler - let alone average ones - for T20 he can only influence four overs. A batter can do so over 20, an all rounder more. The Derbyshire class of 2024 was shorn of du Plooy, Haider Ali and Tom Wood and the loss was keenly felt. 

The bottom line is that no Derbyshire player who was here in 2023 has improved. It is a shame to have to write it, but it is also an undeniable fact. So either the message is being lost in translation between coaches and players, the environment is not conducive to improvement or the players signed and re-signed are simply not good enough. For the record, I don't think it is the latter, in most cases.

Mickey Arthur said again last night that there are some very good players in the dressing room. There are, so supporters have to question why they are not producing their best. They were all signed by or given new contracts by him, so something is wrong.

Given that he said at the time of his appointment that four years was about the right length of contract, because the message starts to get lost at that point, it seems we are there a year early. 

I don't think the board would be brave enough to call time on his tenure, nor can we probably afford to do so. 

But I am less than optimistic that the club can be turned around until there is an overhaul of the coaching staff. There appears to be a disconnect that isn't going to go away until we do so.

That win over Nottinghamshire and the one over Yorkshire at Chesterfield seem like a very long time ago..

Derbyshire v Durham T20 game 14

When the end of Derbyshire's final T20 game came this evening, it was as predictable as many that preceded it. 

A flimsy batting lineup, with the highest score 22, easily overtaken by opponents who simply played cricket, rather than trying to hit the ball into a neighbouring county. The Head of Cricket asserted before the competition started that we had a side of 'entertainment machines' and we were going to play aggressive cricket. Personally, there were a lot of times when I would have settled for good old common sense. 

.

Tonight we set off like a train, but the innings was derailed by the end of the Powerplay. Donald promised, but didn't deliver and the top order was blown away by accurate bowling, Coughlin apart. Patel tried to rebuild, but too many players gave it away and the total set never looked enough. 

The Durham spinners bowled well, as did Amir, Patel and Brown for Derbyshire. Yet this was another big occasion where we flopped and it continues to be a major frustration for supporters that we just don't turn up on the big occasions. 

I will do a review of the T20 competition over the weekend, as time permits. There will be those who think that in taking it to the last game we did well. I am not one of them. With the investment in this squad specifically for this competition, I would deem this a major disappointment. 

More about that in the next couple of days. 

On to the one-day cup now. Not that I am feeling optimistic there...

Derbyshire v Durham T20 game 14

Are you feeling hopeful, Derbyshire fans? 

I suspect that Durham supporters are, given that they welcome back Mattie Potts and David Bedingham for this one, international players both. With Alex Lees, historically prolific against Derbyshire, to lead a side that also includes Colin Ackermann, Callum Parkinson and Ben Raine, we are up against it , even before we consider their TWO overseas players, Australians Ben Dwarshuis and Ashton Turner. They play their overseas players, an interesting concept one hopes might catch on...

I would love to see Derbyshire win tonight. There would be no expectation of further progress, because the sides in the southern group look stronger, to me. But my expectations are low, because options are limited by injury, selection idiosyncrasies and poor recruitment. 

We have too many single format players on a small staff, which limits the options. Patel, Whiteley and Brown are seen as one-day players,  so much so that the latter two have seemingly  been allowed to take part in the 'Caymans T10' in August, according to reports. Meanwhile, Dal, Conners and Lamb are perceived as four-day players, Reece is, but is drafted in anyway, Potts has effectively disappeared  and Aitchison has been injured and largely missed the season. 

So the options for change are limited, further complicated by recruitment of overseas players who duplicate our areas of strength (Dupavillon) and numbers (Fletcher). The latter is apparently still struggling with a groin injury, which poses the question why he is included in matchday squads? 

So it is fair to say I am baffled, not overly optimistic and with few real expectations of a win tonight. As we saw again last night of course, when Saif Zaib hit the Birmingham bowling to all corners of Northampton, one player can have a special day and turn form on its head. Yet Derbyshire are again struggling because of a lack of clarity in roles and team selection.

It made no sense to have Luis Reece open again last night, when his tournament high this year is just 23, from seven matches. The argument that he is a fifth bowler doesn't really wash, because he has only bowled six overs in those seven games. Yet Guest is omitted, very much to the detriment of the wicket keeping and fielding standard, with an average of just under 30. Maybe he was injured, but such an occurrence is as rare as elephant eggs on your breakfast table.

For what it is worth, I would go for this side tonight, giving us the best chance of success: 

Donald, Guest, Lloyd, Madsen, Patel, Whiteley, Thomson, Chappell, Amir, Brown, Dupavillon

It is a long tail, but you could argue that if the top eight don't score the runs, you shouldn't expect the bottom three to do so. Equally, it gets your best bowlers out on the pitch, at the same time as your best batters. Surely such common sense is a prerequisite of team selection? If there are injuries, so be it, but shouldn't supporters be made aware of this? 

Durham bring the following squad: 

Ackerman, Bedingham, Clark, Coughlin, de Leede, Dwarshuis, Jones, Lees, McKinney, Parkinson, Potts, Raine, Robinson, Sowter, Turner.

As always, I will be watching intently, as will all of you, in person or via the stream.

Yet I'm afraid to say my confidence isn't high.

Having said which, you have no idea how happy I would be to be proved wrong. Yet even if we win, we need to keep our NRR above that of Yorkshire (against Nottinghamshire) while Birmingham beat Leicestershire. It's going to be one of those nights.

What are your thoughts?

Worcestershire v Derbyshire T20 game 13

Worcestershire 169-8 (Pollock 67, Brown 4-23)

Derbyshire 170-5 (Madsen 44, Whiteley 41*) 

Derbyshire won by 5 wickets

Derbyshire edged to a final ball win at Worcester tonight, thanks to a late partnership of 57 from 26 balls between Ross Whiteley and Alex Thomson. 

Having restricted the home side to only 169 in their 20 overs, the Derbyshire batting was stifled by a home side that included a young lad at Shrewsbury school and two other Academy products, as well as Ethan Brookes, who had an extended trial with Derbyshire last season. 

Nye Donald blazed away at the start but then gave it away with a totally unnecessary shot against Home, who he had already hit for three boundaries. Luis Reece hasn't really looked like scoring in this competition and David Lloyd gave it away after getting in. Samit Patel never looked comfortable either and when Wayne Madsen was bowled attempting to ramp, the writing was on the wall. 

Thankfully, in a team that looked a little lopsided to me, Whiteley produced only his second innings of the competition from 22 balls, to edge his side over the line and keep their involvement in the tournament alive. Thomson gave good support and flicked a four to fine leg to win the game off the final ball.

I thought Home and Darley, both on debut, bowled splendidly for the home side, who looked like winning with four overs to go. They bowled six overs and took 3-37 between them, a terrific effort, while Brookes, who had an extended trial with us last year, had a good all-round match. It made for an exciting finish but not one we looked like winning. The home side's experienced bowler, Tom Taylor, was the one to leak runs, however and Derbyshire got home by the skin of their teeth. 

Earlier Brown bowled beautifully against his old side, while Amir was also excellent. The ground fielding wasn't of the standard I would hope for, however and became quite sloppy at times.

I didn't understand the side tonight. Guest was left out, Donald kept wicket, Wagstaff played, neither Fletcher (injured) or Dupavillon did. We seemed a batter short, to me and will need to raise our game considerably tomorrow night to have any chance of beating Durham at Derby. Did we need three spinners, when other bowling options included Whiteley and Reece, both unused?

Still, we are alive going into the last game and few of us saw that coming.

I will be back tomorrow morning with a look at the game against Durham.

Worcestershire v Derbyshire preview - T20 game 13

Two cup finals in 48 hours for Derbyshire, as they travel to Worcester tonight, before entertaining Durham tomorrow night at Derby. 

They need to win both games and in doing so, protect a slender advantage on net run rate. Our interest in the competition could end tonight, or it could go down to the wire. 

In seasons past I could hazard a guess at how things might go, but so transient, so varied has Derbyshire's form been this season that it is a near impossibility. 

Both games are winnable, and we need a little help from Nottinghamshire, when they play Yorkshire at Headingley tomorrow. I'd have to say that looks unlikely, because our neighbours have looked awful this year, but giving the white rose county a hard game could be to our benefit.

It could all be rendered academic if Leicestershire and Northamptonshire win their remaining games, but the former has to travel to Birmingham tomorrow night, while the latter has a home game tonight against the same county, before travelling to Old Trafford tomorrow. Lancashire looked very good last night, hammering Nottinghamshire and they will fancy their chances, especially now they have been reinforced by their England men.

So Derbyshire can do it but team selection will be key. I would like to see the return of Cam Fletcher and the following side:

Donald

Lloyd

Fletcher

Madsen

Patel

Whiteley

Guest

Reece

Chappell

Amir

Brown

(Came, Dupavillon, Thomson, Wagstaff in squad)

If Fletcher isn't fit, I would play Dupavillon instead.

Worcestershire have the following squad tonight:

Jake Libby
Josh Cobb
Ed Pollock
Gareth Roderick (w)
Rehaan Edavalath
Tom Taylor
Henry Cullen
Olly Cox
Brett D’Oliveira (c)
Harry Darley
Ethan Brookes
Rob Jones

They have had a disappointing campaign but have some powerful batters in that side. Bowling looks to be the weaker suit, so as well as winning, Derbyshire need to do so in a way that boosts the all important run rate.

The game against Durham tomorrow would then become a 'winner takes all' affair, but won't matter if we don't do a professional job tonight.

While nerve-wracking for those who suffer accordingly, it is an exciting finish to the group stage. 

I just hope Derbyshire acquit themselves well over the next two days. 

As always, I welcome your thoughts. 

Recruitment and tactics

Recruitment and tactics. 

This has been a recurring theme in my blog posts for a good part of the summer and the winter that preceded it. Certainly since the start of the T20 I seem to have been beating the same drum and I really can't make a lot of sense of it. 

Let's take recruitment first of all. When the Derbyshire board sit down at the end of the season to debrief, there should be one question staring them in the face. Why did we have three overseas players on the staff for the T20 and only play one of them? 

Only in five of the twelve matches we have played so far have we gone in with two overseas players, winning two and losing three. In recent matches we have named three in the squad, yet only played one. It may be that Cam Fletcher is injured, still recovering from a groin injury, but why name him, if that is the case? You may as well name Ben Aitchison in the squad. If Fletcher is fit, he should be playing, even if he is oddly one of three wicket keepers in a first choice T20 side, making him another one-dimensional player when we needed more.

As for Daryn Dupavillon, he always seemed destined to disappear if Mohammad Amir arrived. Why? Because as I pointed out at the time of his signing, I couldn't see how he would get in the team, when Zak Chappell and Pat Brown are skilled, experienced T20 bowlers and Amir a world-class operator. Including him too would leave a tail of worrying length.

The challenge always seemed likely to be the fifth bowler and so it has often transpired. How handy would it have been to have someone who could score a quick twenty and bowl four good overs of whatever pace, rather than a one-dimensional cricketer, such as DD or Blair Tickner? Surely an up and coming Australian might have been worth a shot? Other counties seem to have found overseas players appropriate to their needs, so why couldn't we? 

Then there are tactics. If you look back through our teams from the first game of the competition onwards, there appears to have been no grasp of the best lineup. 

In turn, a consequence is muddled tactics, with players seemingly unaware of how they fit into the 'master plan'.

Let's take Luis Reece as an example. I have said before that I am a big fan of his, but his game is different to the likes of Donald, Whiteley and Patel. I don't know why we broke up the Donald/Lloyd partnership, but if Luis is going to open, he has to knock it around, give the more aggressive partners the strike and ensure that he bats through the innings. I know that we are talking elite level here, but Kohli, Tendulkar, Kallis, Williamson, and 'Buck' Rogers did this, so too Dean Elgar and Usman Khawaja. When they opened, they set out their stall to be there at the end of the twenty overs, or near to it. Rotating the strike, keeping an established batter in and allowing the more expansive players around them to boost the scoring rate. 

In contrast, when Luis was out in the third over yesterday, he had 15 runs from the same number of deliveries, while Nye Donald had faced one ball. When the desired rate was ten an over, Donald needed to be given as much strike as possible during the Powerplay. It was painful to watch Luis swinging at several balls without success, using up crucial deliveries and upping the required rate. 

I'm not blaming him for the defeat, but the tactics were awry. Surely it made sense to take advantage of the closer set fields and have Lloyd blast away with Donald, or at least have Reece knock the ones and let Donald at the bowlers? 

If we don't make the knockout stages, thoughts will understandably return to when we have made selection blunders, poor on-field decisions and naive recruitment. I don't expect Derbyshire to win every game, but I don't think it is unrealistic or asking too much to expect us to know our best eleven, or for those players to have a clear vision of what their role is within the side. I haven't seen much evidence of that, in a batting order that has changed with the frequency of a traffic light.

Brooke Guest would have made better sense as an opener. Power hitting isn't his game, but he is the quickest runner between wickets in the side and strike rotation comes easy to him. I wouldn't necessarily put money on Brooke to regularly score fourteen an over at the death, but he would have been a good anchor, around who the rest could play the more expansive game. 

Mousley did that for Birmingham yesterday. Sixty from 44 balls, while Ali (59 from 32) and Hain (52 from 30) blazed away at the other end. Savvy cricket, the kind I like to see. Malan did the same for Yorkshire, chasing over 200. They wouldn't have won without Thompson's 40 from 14 balls, but they wouldn't have got close without Malan batting through at one end. 

One day, I hope to see a Derbyshire side show consistent common sense like that.

But we haven't seen it often this year. If we still still manage to progress, it will have been despite the tactics, rather than because of them.

Birmingham v Derbyshire T20 game 12

Derbyshire were outclassed  at Edgebaston today, the home side batting, bowling and fielding much better than we did. 

That is all you can say. We bowled well in the Powerplay but the home side hurt us badly in the final six overs, in which time they added 82 runs. Derbyshire were actually ahead at the same stage of their innings, but had lost wickets too frequently to be able to up the pace themselves. 

Birmingham batted well as a unit, we simply didn't. For us to challenge such a total, one or two players needed to get going and build a score, but they didn't do so. Donald and Patel briefly threatened, but the innings lacked real substance as Birmingham bowled cannily and fielded tigerishly. 

Again, I question why we put Luis Reece back in to open, when he simply doesn't bat quickly enough. The Lloyd/Donald combo was going well, so why break it up? I like Luis as a player and a man, but this is not his format.

Even more, I ask why we are paying for two overseas players who are presumably regarded as no better than the domestic players we already had. When neither of them are being selected, it is the only assumption one can make.

To go into around half of the matches in this competition with only one of your allocation of overseas players is poor recruitment and management. I could understand it if they were injured, but when they're in the squad it makes no sense. Such questions need to be asked at board level because I don't think I'm alone in finding it inexplicable.

We could still qualify, If we win the remaining two games, but our net run rate will have been damaged today. You would have to say that over the season we have made too many mistakes on the field, but considerably more of it than I would have expected from a coach of Mickey Arthur's reputation. 

Anyway, off with the cricket hat, on with the football one. 

Good luck tonight England.

As for Derbyshire, our hopes are on a knife edge.

Birmingham v Derbyshire T20 Blast game 12

Big game tomorrow! 

Having watched Birmingham last night, with an attack chock full of spinners, I suspect Derbyshire may go with an unchanged side for this one. If Cam Fletcher is fit, he may replace Luis Reece, but that would leave the fifth bowler duties between Alex Thomson and Ross Whiteley.

Worcestershire, who have been very average in this competition, easily beat their local rivals last night, mainly because Birmingham were shell-shocked by the 34 runs that Matthew Waite took from the final over, bowled by George Garton. They lost early wickets in their reply, including the crucial one of Sam Hain and never looked like getting close.

As I said in yesterday's radio interview, getting Hain is the way to success. They have some very good players, but he is the glue of the batting order and averages over sixty in the competition this year. T20 is an odd game but you only need one player to get going and it turns a game on its head. We saw that today, when an extraordinary innings by the highly talented Michael Pepper made a mockery of a Sussex total in excess of 200, Essex chasing it down with ease.

Likely Derbyshire side:

Donald, Lloyd, Fletcher, Madsen, Patel, Whiteley, Guest, Thomson, Chappell, Amir, Brown

Last night's home side was as follows:

Davies, Yates, Ali, Hain, Mousley, Bethell, Benjamin, Garton, Foulkes, Briggs, Lintott.

The weather is set fair and if it isn't quite a winner takes all game, with the home side pretty much sure to qualify now, a win would leave Derbyshire in a very strong position. I have really enjoyed the cricket we have played most recently and I hope the positivity and game management can be carried into this game. 

As I have said all season, the talent is in this squad. If they all go out and show it, the game tomorrow is winnable. 

I will endeavour to get a match report out after the game, before England take on Spain in the football, tomorrow evening. 

We would all take a Derbyshire and England double, wouldn't we? 

Radio interview

My interview last night on North Derbyshire Radio can now be heard on catch up here

It is a good show, well worth a listen as always. I am on at 21 minutes

Book Review: Faces on a Wall: An English County's Curious Collection of Captains by Andrew Radd

Over the course of my life, I must have read thousands of cricket books. I have a decent library of my own, but if I sat down and thought about it, my favourite ones cover the unsung heroes, people who in some cases have disappeared into the mists of time and are not household names. 

So it is with much of Andrew Radd's fascinating book on the many and varied characters who have captained Northamptonshire since 1878. 

I hadn't heard of many of the earlier ones, which made this book all the more enjoyable. There are a number of impressive names, including 'Tubby' Vials, Rawlins Hawtin and 'Punch' Raven. My knowledge kicked in around the time of Vallance Jupp and subsequently Freddie Brown, cricketers and characters both.

Like Derbyshire, Northamptonshire have seldom ascended the peaks of county cricket and for many years they were seen as the ultimate in perennial underdogs. Yet that changes nothing in so far as their contribution to the county game is concerned. Many outstanding players have played for them, and, as this book shows, a good few have been captain.

Dennis Brookes was an outstanding player for them either side of the Second World War and would have been an England regular had he played for a different county. Raman Subba Row became a respected administrator of the game, Keith Andrew was perhaps the best wicket keeper In the country through the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as being one of its great characters. 

Then there was Jim Watts, the very astute captain who led the county to one day silverware, Allan Lamb, Rob Bailey, Matthew Hayden.. the list goes on. 

A lot of work has gone into gathering together the information that makes this such an informative and enjoyable read. I respect that, because not all of that information would have been readily available in the public domain.

The book looks at the challenges faced by all of those captains as the game changed and it was no longer a necessity that an amateur should be in charge. 

While it is essential reading for any Northamptonshire fan, I can only say that any cricket fan will get to the end of this book and probably want to revisit it almost immediately. 

A very good read and again, massive respect to Pitch Publishing for ensuring this saw the light of day.

Faces On A Wall: an English County's Curious Collection of Captains is written by Andrew Radd

Derbyshire v. Lancashire T20 game 11

No play at Derby today, which seemed likely from the forecast. But as it turned out, it was a good night for the county.

Yorkshire beat Durham and Worcestershire beat Leicestershire, so by virtue of run rate we are fourth in the table with three games to go. 

Teams will continue to win and lose and I think two wins from the last three games, if we can maintain that net run rate, will see us through to the knockout stages. From where we were, that would be an excellent effort. 

Birmingham next, against the table-toppers on Sunday afternoon. It will be a tough game but we are in the mix and just need to keep this run going. 

I will be talking about the week's results on North Derbyshire Radio tomorrow evening. I will put a link to the interview when it is available.

Derbyshire v Lancashire T20 game 11

It should be another big night in Derby tomorrow, as the county side play host to Lancashire in a crucial encounter. 

They're all big games now, but having looked at the fixtures and net run rates, as long as Derbyshire don't lose the latter advantage that they have they **might** qualify with two wins from four. Northamptonshire, probably the team we are chasing down, also have to play both Lancashire and Birmingham, while like us they also play Durham, who are likely to be in the mix. As we have already seen this year and in seasons past, anyone can beat anyone else at T20 on a given day.

Lancashire welcome back Phil Salt from England duty, which will be an added complication for an already difficult challenge. But if we are to have any credibility in progressing in this competition, we need to win these games. 

A Derbyshire squad of fifteen has been announced and the challenge for Mickey Arthur is to select the correct eleven. Most of the side picks itself, but there is a decision on two places, those being, for me, between Luis Reece, Cam Fletcher Alex Thomson and Ross Whiteley. If Fletcher is fit, he should get the nod, but Reece has bowled in recent games. Then again, Whiteley played a big role in the win over Nottinghamshire on this ground and is important in the field. Thomson did very well against Yorkshire, but his involvement will depend on the pitch.

My eleven first and then the remainder of the squad, with Reece and Whiteley to share fifth bowler duties:

Donald, Lloyd, Fletcher, Madsen, Patel, Whiteley, Guest, Reece, Chappell, Brown, Amir plus Thomson, Came, Dupavillon, Wagstaff

While Salt is back for the visitors, there is no Buttler or Livingstone, so it could have been worse! They are currently second in the group, behind Birmingham and bring the following squad: 

Jennings, Aspinwall, Balderstone, Blatherwick, Bruce, Croft, Green, Hartley, Hurst, Lavelle, Mahmood, Salt, Wells, Wood.

It will be a tough game, but as I mentioned the other night, we now have two world-class bowlers in our attack and that counts for something. There is also plenty of power in the batting lineup and it only needs one or two of these to come off and we are capable of beating anyone. 

Having said all of the above, the forecast for Derby tomorrow is not good, with what looks like a fifty per cent chance of rain throughout the day and into the evening. Whether that results in a reduced overs game or a washout is anyone's guess.

But either way, the game looks to be very much worth a watch. 

And if the Derbyshire of the last two games turns up, who knows what might happen?

Derbyshire v Yorkshire Vitality Blast game 10

Yorkshire 130-9 (Ferreira 44, Thomson 3-26, Amir 2-23, Patel 1-15)

Derbyshire 131-3 (Lloyd 50, Madsen 31*)

Derbyshire won by 7 wickets

As if we didn't know it already, what a strange game cricket is! 

After being soundly thrashed by Yorkshire in the four-day game that wasn't, Derbyshire turned the tables today and administered a seventh straight beating to the white rose county at Chesterfield.

Following on from last night's excellent win at Leicester, Derbyshire have put themselves back into contention. We needed to win five from six, now it is three from four, though admittedly that is going to need beating either Birmingham or Lancashire, as well as Worcestershire and Durham. None of them are games that can be taken for granted, but this is a good time to get on a roll. The margin of the win was such that our net run rate is now the third best in the group, which could be important come judgement day. The frustration is that we only play the last two counties once, which is not in our best interests in this format.

It helps, of course, that we now have two world class bowlers in the attack. Both Samit Patel and Mohammad Amir showed their class today and bowled spells of guile and skill. Amir hasn't slipped himself yet, bowling well within himself, but he is crucial to our hopes and is by a distance the best overseas bowler we've had this year. 

Yet the damage today was done by Alex Thomson. His first over saw him take three crucial wickets. Malan changed his mind mid-stroke and lobbed a catch, Lyth assayed a drive straight to Patel at cover and Masood went on the charge first ball and was stumped nicely by Guest, who took a turning, lifting ball with aplomb. It was an odd move by the Yorkshire captain, but we weren't complaining. 

With all of Yorkshire's top players back in the pavilion in the second over, it was then a case of damage limitation. It could have been worse, had Lloyd not shelled a chance given by Ferreira that he would take 99 times in a hundred, but the visitors never recovered. 

The side looked lively in the field, the catching largely sound (Chappell's to dismiss Hill quite nonchalant) and Guest was back to his best behind the stumps. He did put one down near the end, but I considered that four runs saved, as the ball went between where first and second slips would have stood.

I have to say, early in that innings, I had concern over the pitch, which looked 'iffy', but it dried out and when the home side's turn came to bat they never looked in any danger. The irony of our winning the toss and doing well on deciding to bowl was not lost on me.

Such pitches at Derby might see Samit make a first-class comeback and it is a long time since I saw a bowler with two slips, as he did briefly, for T20.

Neither Donald nor Reece posted anything substantial, but they scored quickly and took the initiative. Lloyd atoned for his earlier error with a stylish and punchy half century, while Madsen saw his team through to victory with five overs to spare. I have written those words a few times over the years.

There was a marked difference in this side to the one that I saw earlier in the week. The presence and leadership of Patel should not be underestimated, while the arrival of Amir, belated as it is, could turn out to be perfect timing.

I would be happier if Cam Fletcher is fit for the next game. I still find it frustrating that we are in a tournament that allows two overseas players and are only fielding one, but that die was cast with recruitment. Luis Reece has done well in the last two games, but Fletcher could play a key innings before the end of the group stage and may well come back in.

Credit where it's due, Derbyshire's players have picked themselves up from the debacle of earlier in the week and have given themselves a chance. The light at the end of the tunnel could yet prove to be no more than a burglar's torch, but we would have taken this without question a week ago. 

While they will look back on opportunities missed so far, in a strong group this looks like it could go down to the wire.

That being the case, I am delighted to acknowledge a job well done by players and coaching staff. 

More please, gentlemen.

Leicestershire v Derbyshire Vitality blast game 9

Leicestershire 184-6 (Cox 61*, Goldsworthy 48, Patel 2-27, Chappell 3-42)

Derbyshire 187-6 (Patel 67*, Madsen 46)

An outstanding all-around performance by Samit Patel saw Derbyshire to a fine win at Leicestershire tonight.

The Derbyshire captain turned back time and produced a powerful display, exactly when it was needed by his side. He got good support from Wayne Madsen, which helped his side recover from a now traditional mid-innings wobble, while Zac Chappell supported him well at the death. 

The run chase looked as if it might be easier than it turned out, but Ben Cox produced a powerful and inventive innings to push Derbyshire's chase, on a slow pitch, into danger territory.  Patel's 2-27 was the standout bowling, while Chappell took three wickets but was expensive. 

I assume that Fletcher is still injured, because otherwise going into the side with only one overseas player made no sense. Thomson, as I expected, took the final place, but could find it under threat from Dupavillon at Chesterfield tomorrow unless the pitch is expected to turn.

Although Donald and Reece led off well, both went too early for comfort, as did Lloyd. Whiteley also failed and it was left to the two oldest players in the side to steer Derbyshire closer to a win, although Sam Wood bowled very well for Leicestershire and looks a good prospect

It needed fireworks from Patel in the penultimate over, after a six in the one before it had been deemed four by the umpires. 

Mohammad Amir started well, but his last two overs were expensive as of the home side, powered 58 from the last four. He will benefit from the runout and will hopefully be back to his best very soon. 

One word in closing.. the stream was the worst this year and between odd angles, strange cutting between cameras and incessant buffering, it became almost impossible to watch in the Derbyshire innings.

It may seem churlish to say so, after all, it isn't that long ago when we didn't have any coverage of matches. But it was disappointing tonight and it ruined the game as a televised viewing spectacle.

Still, we got the points and we live to fight another day in this competition. 

Now to follow it up at Chesterfield tomorrow!

Radio interview

If you would like to hear last night's 's discussion about Derbyshire cricket on North Derbyshire radio, you can do so here

My interview with Matt Rhodes is on at the five minute mark for 20 minutes. Thankfully it didn't pick up the coughing fit that I had part way through! 

Match preview v Leicestershire and Yorkshire T20 games 9 and 10

The bizarre nature of fixture scheduling in county cricket is amply illustrated this weekend. 

Derbyshire play Leicestershire tomorrow evening at 6.30pm, then head back to play Yorkshire at Chesterfield on Sunday at 2.30pm. But whatever you do, make the most of it, as we are only playing on 14 days in the next 49. Bonkers? I think so...

Mohammad Amir is in line to make his county debut tomorrow and his presence will make a difference to the squad. I did another interview with North Derbyshire Radio yesterday, due to be aired tonight (I will post a link later) and said that the advent of Amir, together with the return of Patel, Fletcher and Brown would change things up for the squad that was hammered by Yorkshire in the four-day game.

Mickey Arthur has named a squad of 15, but I expect the following side, with the last four named also in the squad: 

Donald, Lloyd, Madsen, Fletcher, Whiteley, Guest, Patel, Thomson, Chappell, Amir, Brown

(Dupavillon, Came, Wagstaff, Reece)

Reece or Wagstaff could push Thomson for the final place, depending on the surface.

This is a strong squad. I have no issue with the addition of another specialist bowler when that player is of world-class standard and should deliver results accordingly. Amir's arrival has been longer coming than a new owner for Derby County was, but if he has brought his best game with him, such players can transform sides. 

We need to win five of our last six games to have a chance. The quality is there, we just need the players to have the confidence in their ability and show it to the world. Seeing a world-class operator in the corner of the dressing room should bring confidence and I am excited about the weekend fixtures. 

Looking at the Leicestershire and Yorkshire squads for the weekend, we are every bit as good. The Foxes have brought in Jimmy Neesham and Paul Stirling as overseas players in place of Wiaan Mulder and Peter Handscomb, with Rishi Patel taking over as skipper. 

Their squad for tonight against Nottinghamshire is:

Patel, Budinger, Cox, Currie, Evans, Goldsworthy, Hull, Kimber, Mike, Neesham, Stirling, Swindells, Walker, Wood

As for Yorkshire, there is no Bairstow and no Rashid in the squad against Birmingham tonight, which may or may not change for Sunday. 

Masood, Lyth, Malan, Hill, Wharton, Thompson, Revis, Bess, Cliff, Ferreira, Moriarty, Leech, McKerr, Tattersall.

My thoughts? We are capable of winning both of these games IF the real Derbyshire turns up. I would like to see Samit bowl in the Powerplay, because his control makes him a powerful weapon. If everyone plays to their potential, the talent in the side is still such as to make a late run for qualification. 

But we can only afford to lose one more and that is a big ask. This weekend could well go down as being season-defining.

What do you think?