Langers in for Notts clash

Terrific article in the Derby Telegraph today on Charl Langeveldt, in which he discusses his approach to bowling in T20 cricket. You can see it at:

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/sport/Staying-calm-helps-Charl-avoid-fall-guy-Twenty20/article-2311368-detail/article.html

Langeveldt is a classic case of a bowler improving with age. In my opinion he has been a far better opinion over the past five years than he was in the previous five, even allowing for the loss of a yard or two of pace. He still has the ability to bowl a quicker ball, though far from an express bowler, but now knows how and when to mix it up with all the other tricks at his disposal. Steffan Jones is another who has been a far better bowler after reaching thirty than he was beforehand, as evidenced by the number of teams he played for.

To a great extent it is common sense that greater experience leads to the honing of skills. Michael Holding is another who became the complete craftsman in the county game as he approached veteran status. Previously he relied on his blinding pace, a not inconsiderable weapon, but then mixed that with greater guile for a potent mix. Most bowlers are like this, especially spinners and Robert Croft has been one of the best two spinners in the country for the past five years despite the advancing years and waistline. Look at Jon Lewis at Gloucestershire and Glen Chapple at Lancashire for other examples.

Finding a couple of bowlers in that line might be the focus of John Morris' winter work this year, players who are perhaps not rookies but might benefit from another opportunity in their mid-late twenties after finding the game too much for them earlier in their careers for one reason or another. Whether they are out there I don't know, but one looks at the examples of Gemaal Hussain at Gloucestershire and Wes Durston here at Derby to see that players can sometimes be later starters. On the basis of his T20 batting so far, Durston could be about to embark on a new career as a one-day opening batsman of some talent and has plenty of years ahead of him in which to do so. He suffered from a lack of opportunities at Taunton and I only hope that their loss is our gain.

Tomorrow's game against Nottinghamshire is likely to see us unchanged, while the visitors have lost both Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad to injury and England respectively. The game could be decided on the respective talents of Langeveldt and Dirk Nannes, the two most economical bowlers in the World T20.

Nannes has done brilliantly for them so far, but he can be hit, as was shown on a couple of occasions in the IPL by a batsman prepared to chance his arm on a good day. As we all know, it is a team game, and both players will need their team mates to back them up with bat, ball and in the field to decide this one. I'm not convinced that Nottinghamshire's back up bowling is anything special and if we can get off to a good start we have some players who can score quickly.

Similarly our rivals have thus far profited from the lightning starts given by Hales and Brown, which has in turn allowed Patel and Hussey the chance to come in and do what they wanted. If we can make early inroads, it may put pressure on players who have not had a great deal of batting so far.

While a defeat would not be the end of the world for Derbyshire against the only unbeaten side in the section, a win would be a huge confidence boost and would stand them in good stead as the T20 programme commences its most intensive phase. I'm still hopeful that we can make the quarter-finals this time around and from there it is anybody's game.

Postscript - I wrote this on the train today before Nottinghamshire fell to defeat against Warwickshire. That defeat pretty much backs up the above comments!