Mark Watt is interestingly the choice of the three spinners, which could be interpreted as an audition for next summer. Having said that, Mattie McKiernan is seen as more a one day bowler and I am unsure of Alex Thomson's fitness. In the absence of Shan Masood, Luis Reece looks set to return to opener after an excellent 50 over competition.
The Derbyshire squad is as follows:
Godleman, Reece, Guest, Came, Madsen, Du Plooy, Dal, Watt, Aitchison, Conners, Potts, Scrimshaw.
The final place in the side would appear to be between the last two names, as a five -man seam attack would appear too much.
There is no news at this stage of the Durham squad, this likely delayed by the weekend announcement that James Franklin is leaving his role as head coach at the season end.
Durham have some very good players but seem to have underachieved this summer. A new direction will be of benefit and key to their fortunes moving forward will be how long Chris Rushworth can keep playing. He has been an outstanding servant to the county and has always done especially well against Derbyshire.
David Bedingham is a very fine batsman, but Durham may or may not lose Alex Lees and Mattie Potts to England in the future. Like all the other counties, their fortunes will be heavily linked with their ability to recruit excellent overseas talent.
As for this game, a positive result could be a challenge in the light of a challenging weather forecast. We must hope that sufficient time will be available for a positive result and, of course, that Derbyshire come out on the right side of it.
This has been a more encouraging 4-day season than I think any of us expected. My gut feeling is that we will just fall short of promotion this year, the game in hand that Glamorgan have being crucial.
However, the right results in this round of fixtures sets the game between the Welsh county and Derbyshire up very nicely for a battle royal in due course.
In the light of the weather forecast, I am going for a draw in this one. But as always, I welcome your thoughts when you are able to give them.
Has Shan Masood now left Derbyshire?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Harry Came will open as he was man in possession at the top of the order when we last played a red ball game. (Distant Memory I know though it has been that long ago we played a County Championship game it may well have been Alan Hill or Kim Barnett who opened)
ReplyDeleteHaving Mark Watt at 8 whilst a more attacking option from a bowling side does leave a long tail. If Watt is the long term option and he does look the better spinner we have at the moment we will need recuit more of an all rounder for the number 8 slot.
I also wonder if we will see Zak Chappell in a Derbyshire side sometime this season as not only will it help us it may be of benefit to Notts if he plays against promotion rivals.
I presume Thomson is still injured but strange how McKiernan dropped out of the team not long after his century and has not come back.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to Peakfan, I have been following Derbyshire's fortunes since the mid-1950s (the days of Donald Carr and three-day cricket on uncovered pitches). But despite this traditional introduction to the wonderful game, I would like to say a few words in defence of The Hundred. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but to dismiss it as "the other competition" while welcoming the return of "proper cricket" is rather mean-spirited. It has played to packed grounds full of family groups and in particular has given a real boost to the women's game, so must be doing something right. As a cricket lover I appreciate all facets of the game - after all, it's about bat and ball and The Hundred is no different in that respect.
ReplyDeleteMark,
High Peak
My concern, Mark is the potential damage it is doing to other formats and the potential existence of the counties that we grew up watching.
DeleteIt is not sufficiently different to T20 to warrant the ridiculous expenditure and the damage that it is doing to the traditional game.
I simply cannot see any way in which franchise cricket sides will ever be supported long-term when there is no history for such sides in this country. Such sides have failed elsewhere, South Africa being a notable example, where they have gone away from that having realised the mistake.
British sports fans are very parochial and I find it very difficult to believe that they will embrace this change as the ECB hope they will.
The grounds have been reasonably full, as one would expect when tickets have been distributed free of charge. Had the T20 been given free to air television exposure might it not have done equally well perhaps even better?
Not for me. Mean spirited maybe but realistic as to the damage it is doing to the game and the divisions that it is creating among its supporters.
For me it is all very sad.