Derbyshire v Leicestershire preview

If Derbyshire bat as they have in the two previous games tomorrow, they will beat Leicestershire.

We have won one game easily and lost another narrowly so far, batting well in both games. I am sure that Graeme Welch and Wes Durston will have talked over reasons for losing at Northampton and will be better organised in the field tomorrow.

Leicestershire have won one, lost one so far  too, although in playing both of last year's finalists first up, we have shown that we can compete against good sides. They're all good though and watching Worcestershire clinically dispose of Yorkshire tonight highlighted how strong a group this is.

Our visitors tomorrow bat long and have some powerful players in the likes of Cosgrove, Pettini, Akmal and O'Brien. They are not one of the more athletic sides though and that is an area in which Derbyshire can score tomorrow.

It is obvious how hard we have worked at the skills in the format over the winter, with better use of every ball, rotation of the strike and giving fewer 'freebies' to the opposition in extras. I also like the fluid top six which, with three left and three right hand batsmen means we can make the opposition bowlers keep changing their lines, depending who is out.

The second team had two good wins over Yorkshire at T20 yesterday, with Jimmy Neesham bowling well and good runs from Alex Hughes, Jon Tattersall and Tom Knight. Indeed, the latter bludgeoned 61 from 28 deliveries, including six sixes, keeping him in Graeme Welch's thoughts. I still rate Knight as a cricketer, though have yet to see his new bowling style, something I hope to do when down in July. Likewise Tattersall has made good runs in his trial period and has given himself every chance of a contract for another year.

It was interesting to see Jimmy Neesham looking for a club to play some cricket and it must be hard to play just one T20 a week and maintain rhythm and form. I just hope he doesn't go the same way as Nathan Rimmington last year, when he broke a finger and lost form and fitness as a result.

Anyway, here's to a sunny evening, a good crowd and a win for the Falcons. We can play this format, for sure and it is just a case of winning the ten per cent of deliveries that generally make or break such games. In finding and clearing the fence, getting the dot balls and keeping twos down to ones these games are won.

Let's hope we do that tomorrow. Make sure to give them a cheer for me.