Derbyshire 298-8 (Came 73, Reece 69, Ali 63, Guest 35 Kellaway 3-41)
Glamorgan 299-3 (Ingram 115*, Carlson 65, Bevan 44, Root 34*, Byrom 30)
Glamorgan won by seven wickets
The reasons for the eventual defeat were exactly the same.
At 240-2 after 40 overs we were set for a final assault that could and should have taken us to a total around 340 to 350. Certainly in a Vitality Blast match that would have been the expectation. A hundred off the last ten is far from uncommon, with two men set at the crease and batting to come.
Instead, we managed a very ordinary 58-6 and the result of the game, on another fairly blameless wicket, didn't really look in doubt after that.
Lakmal and Conners bowled OK, as did Dal, but the fact that Derbyshire used eight bowlers tells its own story. I am still unsure why Luis Reece isn't coming on until seven other bowlers have turned their arms, because this is a very weak Derbyshire attack.
It would appear that our only possibility of a win in this competition would be in winning the toss and chasing a total. But for much of the season winning even the toss has proved problematic, so I don't expect that to change anytime soon.
All of the top four batted well, however once again none of them went on to a score that would be considered match-winning or even match-defining. Came and Reece continued their excellent form, Guest was busy after a slow start, while Ali was again classy, hitting strokes with power and a delightful wristiness. Yet his departure, from a skied outside edge, saw the start of the decline. Lamb needs time in the middle, Dal doesn't look in the best of touch and the departure of the captain saw the tail rooting around for whatever scraps they could find in the closing overs. Kellaway bowled a controlled spell for the visitors, one that we later struggled to emulate.
Glamorgan started their reply well and although two wickets fell in quick succession, Ingram once again highlighted his class and, well-supported by Root and Carlson, saw his side to a comfortable win.
I am not sure where Derbyshire go from here. They can't really change personnel, because there are effectively only 14 players to choose from. All they can do is aim to manage match situations much better than they have so far done in this competition.
I don't think that I am alone in pretty much writing off this summer and hoping that the winter recruitment policy ends up with the county in a better place by the start of the 2024 season.
Season over, what a huge disappointment this has been. And you can even suggest we have regressed since Dave Houghton went, well have we improved?
ReplyDeleteI just think the disappointment of this year has been heightened after everyone improved last season.
DeleteI have said all along that season 3 should be when MA is properly judged. I think he should have been more ruthless at the end of last year, but was perhaps encouraged by the overall displays.
We need a few wins in this competition. That might happen if we can win a few tosses, but unless the bowling is better, we could be chasing 350+
I wasn't listening fully to the commentary but I thought I heard them say that if a player missed two games in a row in the Hundred his county could apply to have him back to play a game. Wayne and George have both missed two at the moment. Whether it is possible I do not know, especially as George will not be here next season.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t hear that David, but I wonder if Derbyshire will think the cost is justified. When a player is away at The Hundred they have to recompense the club out of their franchise salary. This compensation will be reduced if they come back to the county, so whilst the fee paying public/members would be happy to see them, the accountants wouldn’t. Craig
DeleteThe start those two boys, Came and Reece, gave us today was superb. Haider supported them well and Guest tried hard though not at his best. Thereafter batting wise we were below 1st class County standard and ended up 70 runs short of where we should have been.The bowling attack is toothless and at times embarassingly weak. This season has been nothing short of a disaster. Nobody's fault but our own through rank bad planning on the part of Management and sub-standard on field performance. It has to get better, it can only get better....surely.
ReplyDeleteI think this season been very underwhelming. Mickey did say last season that some of players were at their max with how far they can go as a player. I do trust Mickey judgment of a player. I don’t have doubt there and it’s sad that we got to August season is over. I do think he does the bare minimum when comes to media. That does disappoint me as think he could interact more.
ReplyDeleteOne player that shouldn’t get judged this year is Lamb. It’s really difficult when coming back from injury and this year he has been hampered by injury. I think game situations when coming in to bat is keep the score rate up and that’s difficult to do if you not got form or had time at crease. He needs couple 2nd eleven matches and have some good innings under his belt.
We do need to change strategy in this competition is chance for opportunity. I would player Mitch Wagstaff, Harry Moore and Yousaf Bin Naeem this week. Just giving them more exposed and experience being around professionals can have big impact. I am not saying they are ready but sometimes expose can help when the time comes for them to step up.
I really think at moment 5 places up for grabs in this team. It highlights a really lack of options and the depth of the team. The middle order both occasions cost us. Today was 81 runs off 93 balls 7 wickets in hand is reallY poor in modern era of the game. My biggest concern is we maybe able to change some of this next season but believe the task is far bigger than what Mickey believed when 1st ball was bowled this season. It’s going to take years to turn round.
Team for next match fill the gaps
Reece
Came
Guess
Ali
……..
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……..
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Conners
Lakmal
Lakmal? and it's a no from me for Ali. He's been OK, but no more than that.
DeleteFor the next match, Jasper. Not next season. To be honest, Ali has done okay. Certainly since the opening experiment ended, which did the lad no favours at all. We wouldn't have asked Azharuddin to open. For a young man in England for the first time he has entertained. Frustrated too, but that's what happens at 22!
DeleteAh! yes, I thought Gary meant for next season. Apologies.
DeleteMaybe he has found a solution though, perhaps we should insist on playing 6 a side! 😉
Please, let the season end. Stop the hurt!
ReplyDeleteAt least his competition will hopefully provide proof, if it were needed, that a few of our 'fringe' players are not good enough.
After Lakmal, one of the biggest disappointments of the season for me has been the lack of runs from Matt Lamb when he's played. Hopefully it's been due to his injury problems, but so far very unconvincing.
Lamb needs cricket and has barely played since the T20 started. A very good player, I wouldn't judge him on this year. Hopefully they get him sorted over the winter
DeleteI'm ready for the season to end. The toss today was pretty vital, as we lost time early on, trying to get to grips with the conditions. Alas, it was lost yet again. Having got ourselves into a decent position, we threw it away again. How long can Reece and Came prop us up for? Kris
ReplyDeleteLooking back on yesterday, I felt it was a tough toss to lose. It was a good pitch and I think chasing would have improved our chances of a much-needed victory. We lost Reece and Came before either could benefit from playing themselves in. We do though have an opening partnership for next year - a nice mix of experience and youth and an always useful left-hand/right=hand combination. Haider played brilliantly. He is a rare talent and his strokeplay is a delight to watch. Another 10 overs of him yesterday and we could have posted a more competitive score. Personally, I would like to see him back next season, if that is an option. Guest apart, the middle-order are not in form and we fell away badly, and the game was, to all intents and purposes, lost. Conners and Lakmal beat the bat early in their reply. An early wicket would have brought in Ingram against the new ball. That said, Carlson played superbly. He is so busy, with a shot for every ball. What a cricketer, and I am staggered and rueing our luck that he has not been picked up for the (horror that is) The Hundred. In summary, I genuinely don't think this season is a disaster. We are not a bad team, just toothless in our bowling attack, and Mickey Arthur has already taken steps to address this. We will be a different team with Amir and Brown next season, as well as having the shrewd leadership of Lloyd.
ReplyDeleteI think Haider has had a successful season to date, especially when you take into account that it was a mistake to play him as an opener when the season began. He is well suited to all formats and will hopefully be offered a contract for 2024...
DeleteIan. Sth Africa.
We may as well take the opportunity to blood some of the untried talent as this competition is gone ( as it was last year tbh )
ReplyDelete