Glamorgan 5-0
Derbyshire lead by 283 runs
When I was 16, I was playing for my school first eleven, scoring runs and taking a few wickets. I harbored fantasies of playing cricket for Derbyshire, but that is all they were.
Yesterday, Hamidullah Qadri (pictured) realised a dream and broke a few records along the way. At sixteen years and 203 days, the off-spinner became the youngest man to represent Derbyshire in a county championship match, as well as being the first player born in this millennium to play the county game. I'd also reckon he may likely be the first of Afghan origin to do so, but my life is too short to plough through birth records of all the others...
It is a wonderful achievement and his day ended on a high, making an unbeaten 11 at number eleven. As his career progresses, I wouldn't expect that to be his position for too long, based on his runs, as well as wickets, in age group and senior league cricket.
Indeed, the Derbyshire day ended on a high. I didn't see all of the day's play through the excellent stream from Cardiff, but Wayne Madsen looked on a different level to everyone else in making 70. It is strange, at the end of June, to acknowledge that as his season best, but testimonials and benefits have a habit of doing that to many players. He remains a player of the highest quality.
Billy Godleman grafted in his own, inimitable style, but it was hard work for the skipper and Alex Hughes, the pink ball zipping around a little. When Billy broke from restraint and edged to the keeper, the rest became a sorry procession and at 157-7 we looked unlikely to make 200.
To be fair, the home attack is a pretty keen one and they had conditions working for them, but as tea approached, and afterwards, the Derbyshire tail 'wagged' impressively. Daryn Smit worked hard for 41, while Tom Milnes played some good shots in his half century. With Tony Palladino and Qadri contributing, 288, if not imposing, is something to work with today.
A key day lies ahead. At the very least, with three full-time seamers and two contrasting spinners, the Derbyshire attack is balanced.
What they make of the conditions is something we will find out later.
Postscript: the pink ball? On the footage I found it harder to pick up and that seems to have been echoed around the country by spectators. Nor did the evening sessions seem to bring in a wave of post-work spectators, probably because the weather wasn't that great in some places.
Or maybe there's simply not the interest...
It's difficult to know what to make of this performance. Even more so than usual, we won't really know until Glamorgan has batted whether this was an opportunity missed to make a much bigger score on what seemed to be a good batting wicket when it was used for the T20 international, or a plucky and determined effort in challenging and unfamiliar circumstances. I'm not a fan of the idea of day/night first class cricket, and it didn't look terribly pre-possessing on the stream, but I'll see for myself, weather permitting, over the next couple of days.
ReplyDeleteI was puzzled by the decision to leave out Thakor. The batting has generally been so poor, and particularly the execrable performance at Northampton, that with the exception of Godleman, you could make a better case for leaving any one batsman out than for picking him. But Thakor at least looks to have been in decent form even if he was getting out with reckless shots at the wrong times. He can't bat like this at number 3 when early wickets have gone, but I would have expected others to have been first in line for dropping. Reece's early promise has pretty much evaporated in a run of low scores; Wilson has run out of form and luck in recent games; and Hughes and Smit are falling well below what you expect from middle order batsmen. Even if they are putting in some gritty and determined (though scratchy and nervy) performances at times, they are more what you expect from your number 8's than front-line batsmen. The less said about Mendis' batting the better, but it perhaps proves the point I've made here before, that you can't really trust averages from overseas first-class cricket until you've seen how someone performs here - Broom being the case in point last year, and Mendis and perhaps Smit this year.
There might have been other factors in the decision to leave out Thakor - his fitness to bowl perhaps - but the exclusion of Hosein, the side-lining of Slater, and now the dropping of Thakor hints at a closed and cliquey approach to selection of batsmen, in which being older and from outside the recent Derbyshire set-up counts for more than actual performances.
My own thoughts on Thakor are that they are hoping to get him fit for the T20. He injured an ankle early season and has done less and less bowling since. His death bowling is a key part of our strategy in the format and he would be a big loss. As would Viljoen, as might Davis.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone can forecast those fortunes until we know if these players will be fit.
Slats and Hosein? They are good players but need to score heavily in second team or league cricket to force a way in.
Having supported Derbyshire since 1955 I have to say I don't think I can remember them taking the field in championship game with a weaker batting line up. I support them through thick and thin and anyone who walks out to bat wearing a a Derbyshire shirt I am rooting for them to score a hundred. The bowling is weak that is without question but they are never going to be defending a competitive total when you go into games with two recognised batsmen.. we have Godleman and Madsen both not in the best of form, but Reece never an opening batsman, all rounder of limited ability., Hughes great lad but would never bat in the top six in any other county side, Wilson and Smit top men but only wicket keeper batsmen, Mendis, Taylor, Milner and Palladio bowlers who can bat a bit. We have Slater, McConnell and Wood on the staff as recognised batsmen surely it's time for a place to be found for at least one of them in the top five. When the T20 begins it's hard to see where a competitive total will come from even if we have a stronger bowling attack. Last year we had the much lamented Rutherford, Chesney and Wes at the top of the order who at least gave us bit of impetus in the power play, hope I'm wrong but I look at the line up and don't really see anyone who can clear the ropes on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteJust had a thought as a thankyou for playing Conor Mckerr into form do you think Surrey would loan us Dernbatch, Meaker or Foottit until the end of the season!
ReplyDeleteEr...probably not!
DeleteIf Qadri is 16 i'm a dutchman! he looks at least early 20's. Has the authenticity of his date of birth been confirmed? The accuracy of records in Afghanistan is not exactly execpleray so i for one find this record highly dubious. Still i dont care ih hes 66 hes bowled well it seems vs an awful glamorgan side.
ReplyDeleteHigh Peak
Give over High Peak! He has grown up here at Alvaston and Boulton CC and has just sat his O Levels..
ReplyDeleteAn excellent appraisal of the bating lineup situation by Snapper in the post above. I think many of the regular spectators attending this season would fully agree with your observations.
ReplyDeleteOn the bowling front Surrey seem to have blown hot and cold regarding Mark Foottit , we may have the chance to re-sign him next winter as a replacement for the injury prone Hardus Viljoen. The only problem being the cost of terminating the contract of the recent acquisition.
Unless Mark was unsettled down there I think it unlikely Dave and he has missed a fair bit of cricket for them through injury.
ReplyDeleteI think it too early to talk of terminating contracts. He isnt the first and wont be the last seamer to miss a lot of cricket for us. George Pope missed nearly the whole championship season with a knee injury and Mike Hendrick, Alan Ward and others did too. If specialists say it is a degenerative injury its a different matter
High Peak - please give my regards to your brother, Ryan ten Doeschate!
ReplyDelete