When I saw that Gloucestershire had won the toss and understandably elected to field I was concerned that we would struggle against an attack that has done consistently well this season. Especially when Wayne Madsen again went early and Chesney Hughes was soon following him. Given that Greg Smith later only lasted four balls it was a poor day for those I highlighted last night had a point to prove.
In between, Martin Guptill and Wes Durston put on a superb 266 in just 53 overs, a partnership that must have been a joy to see. Durston has had a fine season and now tops the batting averages, while Guptill at last showed the talent that we knew he had in the Championship. Wes now has a fighting chance of making a thousand for the season and is currently 156 runs short.
Ross Whiteley came in and helped Durston see it through to the close, but Karl Krikken will doubtless look at today with satisfaction, tempered with the knowledge that he probably got his team wrong. Last night I suggested that Madsen should drop down the order to allow a debut for Matt Lineker and I am not convinced that Smith is mentally where he needs to be at present with the contractual issues surrounding him. Certainly the statistics suggest that and with Dan Redfern close to full fitness Smith will be lucky to retain his place for the next match. Madsen's recent decline is also a matter for concern and one hopes that he soon returns to his normal form.
At the end of it all, this was an excellent day for the county. If we can push on to 450-plus tomorrow it will be an excellent effort and the foundation of a potential win. Today was a celebration of a new contract for Wes Durston and it is heartening to think he will be with us for the next two summers.
Just need to push on tomorrow now - weather permitting.
PS Thought I'd beat 'Anon' to the draw tonight and point out that Wes Durston was signed by John Morris. Having said that, I first mentioned him as a worthwhile pursuit for the county on September 29, 2009 after his release by Somerset (check if you wish) and it took us several months to do so. Surely I get brownie points for the signing too...?
Totally agree with you Peakfan, an excellent day for Derbyshire with fantastic innings by both Guptill and Durston.
ReplyDeleteIf it was down to me then i wouldn't be picking Greg Smith any longer. He's a good, not great player, and his heart clearly is not with Derbyshire and he's not part of the future plans. Instead i'd be giving someone like Lineker or Borrington a chance to open and get some experience while allowing Madsen to bat at and not have to face the new ball.
As you say Redfern should be back soon and will surely replace Smith. Nevertheless an excellent day for Derbyshire, further boosted by Palladino signing an extended deal. Hopefully more of the same tomorrow.
Any news from the 2nd XI game?
Peakfan, lets not be too harsh on Smith. Anybody can get a duck! It must have been difficult for him waiting such a long time to get in. I am sure, as always, he is giving his best for us. I have not heard that he has been offered a contract by another county so maybee he may still be with us next season.
ReplyDeleteBen
Only that we fielded a very strong side: Borrington, Lineker, Slater, Park, Siddique, Redfern, Siddique, Poynton, Hughes, Needham, Footitt, Evans, Sherriff were the 12
ReplyDeleteTrue Ben, but after 236 runs in his first 3 knocks of the year, Smith has 438 in his last 17, not the form of a top six batsman when there are others knocking on the door...
ReplyDeleteUpdate from Bristol - Gloucs Seconds got 400 against us today, O'Brien making a hundred. Lineker and Borrington saw us to 20-0 at the close.
ReplyDeleteTaken as a whole it was good day and we should rub it in even further tomorrow. No thanks to the oft mentioned trio of Madsen,Hughes and Smith. None of these three should be playing and im afraid Krikken has got it wrong again.
ReplyDeleteMadsen,s last twelve championship innings have produced the following scores.
1,2,44,0,4,0,0,48,0,2,10.
Hughes has scored 680 championship runs,nearly 200 of these in two innings. He has managed to score over 50 on just 4 occasions.His last 10 innings reads.
4,10,2,38,167,7,10,9,44,0.
Smith,s last twelve innings are as follows.
18,0,34,15,3,38,10,57,57,45,0.
If anyone can tell me why,based on these facts,any of these three deserve a place,then i,m all ears. Madsen has forgotton what a run looks like. Hughes is having a very poor season and his one day stats are equally dismal. Smith is just Smith. Often gets a start and then flops. Be then he usually does.
What makes this even more galling is the fact we have other players who have been knocking on the door for some considerable time now. Just how loud do they have to knock before someone answers?. Im all for giving people a fair chance and most batsmen have a few innings where things don,t go right,but our three are taking it to a new level. What is the point in having other players if they are constantly ignored. Im not saying Krikken has his favourites,but it certainly appears that way.
I think I raised Durston's name early still. Double brownie points? LOL
ReplyDeleteI have been off line for a couple of days, but just referring back to the subject of our batting. I would agree with you that the top order has generally performed well. Perhaps Madsen and, until this game, Guptill being the only disappointments. What I was trying to convey with past comments was merely that we don't really have (yet) 2 or 3 guys that can regularly command/shape innings and guarantee 1000 plus runs. That is one of the real hallmarks of a promotion pushing side, which would be a tall order for a team currently in transition admittedly. That said, I would be particularly pleased if Durston made the mark this term - a real turnaround for him if he gets there. His odds are falling......
Double brownie points for you MV! You're right, but I can't think of many sides who have 2/3 thousand run men in the eleven.
ReplyDeleteOne of these days....
Marc, please lay off Madsen as in all forms of cricket he is probably our best batsman as he was last season! Yes in recent championship matches he has gone of the boil but class is permanent. You have to understand that like most of the batsmen Madsen worked with Andy Brown on a daily basis and he had a massive positive effect on them. Now that Andy has been sacked the batsmen don't have a coach which effects players in different ways. Perhaps half an hor with someone like Andy Brown might do the trick for the likes of Madsen and Hughes.
ReplyDeleteSorry Peakfan, the last comment was from Ben.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know why DCCC keeping playing Denby's Aussie Jake Sherriff in the seconds? Surely there are other lads within the county set up that would benefit from playing 2's cricket, particular at this time of the year when there are no school/exam commitments.
ReplyDelete