Derbyshire have an unchanged squad for this evening's game against Scotland, which isn't that much of a surprise as we don't have many options outside of it.
We didn't bat that badly against Hampshire, but Adam Wheater's innings took the game away from us and a player who makes a decent score at a rate of 1.4 per ball upwards will generally give his side a better than evens chance of a win. Our batsmen made good starts but we had no one who went on to the match-defining knock that was required.
It was unfortunate that both Mark Turner and Mark Footitt chose Tuesday to return to their more profligate bowling days and - for me, at least - confirm that it is unlikely that both will feature in the same T20 side. Both are capable of very good, fast spells, but if or when it goes wrong it is spectacular, something we can ill-afford with a batting line up that has talent but, outside the openers, not really anyone of an explosive nature. I could not, for example, see anyone scoring a 44-ball century as Darren Stevens did for Kent last night.
That's not a criticism of good players, merely an observation but they should be more than good enough for Scotland today. The Scots have some players of talent, as they show every season, but the parts don't always add up to a robust and cohesive whole.
I hope that's the case tonight, if for no other reason than the fact that it will keep me armed with good ammunition for a number of months to come...
I' said two seasons ago that Turner and Footitt should never be seen in the same limited overs team and I see no reason to change my opinion. Occasionally they may both come off but it's just not worth the risk and it never has been. The prelude to Hampshire came in the abandoned match against Surrey when they clocked up a ton in nine overs. It was Turner and Footitt who were responsible for most of that carnage.
ReplyDeleteWe may not have batted badly in one sense but we lost the match so nobody can say we batted well. Too many players who are unsuited to one day cricket and have nothing resembling a power game. No amount of development is going to cure such a fundamental problem. Every time there seems to be a chink of light,the tunnel seems to be extended.
If we do play today then we should beat Scotland with plenty to spare, but then so we should. It's the other games we lose and the way we do it that worries me.