Worcestershire 185 and 108-5 (Haynes 23*, Aitchison 3-27)
Worcestershire need 181 to win
An outstanding unbeaten century by Anuj Dal, his third of the season, together with another exemplary spell of bowling by Ben Aitchison has put Derbyshire on the brink of a remarkable win at the end of day three of this game.
Dal followed Masood, Madsen and Guest to the three centuries tally, the total of four players equalling the county best achieved twice previously. He has been a rock for us this year, calm, composed, very organised and highly skilled. He is a classic case of the later developer, serving his County apprenticeship over several summers before finally blossoming.
We didn't add substantially to the overnight tally, but setting a target of 289, on a wicket still offering considerable help to the seamers, looked like a tall order for the home side.
Pollock, who approaches all innings like a T20, was dismissed for the second time in the match by Aitchison, the next ball after hitting him for six. The tall seamer, badly missed earlier this summer, bowled superbly again and had the batsmen in all kinds of trouble. 3-27 in fifteen overs was Mike Hendrick-style bowling and equally effective.
He bowls within himself and appears to have shortened his run up, which will help him bowl longer spells. You can put me down as a huge fan of a talented young bowler.
Dal chipped in with a wicket, as did Conners, but the players went off for bad light around the right time for Derbyshire. Throughout the game the best time for batting has been the evening session, while mornings have proved quite a challenge.
On that basis, Haynes and Roderick need to play out of their skin tomorrow and we will need to bowl very poorly not to force the win.
It would be well-deserved. Good catches have been held and a couple of strong shouts were turned down that could have made the final day a formality. Meanwhile, tomorrow is forecast for cloud cover but little chance of rain.
I expect 2022 vintage Derbyshire to wrap up victory before lunch, which would keep them very much in the promotion mix.
All that from 14-5 on the first day..
Shame we couldn't finish the job today especially as the Met Office forecast for Worcester didn't mention rain today. Incredible to find ourselves in the box seat after being 14-5 on day one as you say PF. Reminds me of playing Gloucestershire a few seasons ago when we were bowled out for 44 yet went on to win. Let's hope history repeats itself here!
ReplyDeleteAnother good day. I expected our bowlers to well in the first innings, but it was the middle order that kept us in this. We've rarely had so much quality so deep, you'd rather we didnt need it but its good to know it's there.
ReplyDeleteWeather permitting, we should clinch this tomorrow. Aitchison is on fire, seven wicket, so far, and Guest has eight catches. These sorts of milestones haven't happened for a few years. It's all about how Mickey has instilled confidence into players, and worked with the other coaches on their weaknesses. We're witnessing a new Derbyshire.
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