So well is the batting unit functioning that I don't see a change to the top seven. There can be no complaints about a line up that has registered 190+ in every game so far.
Which in turn has contributed to the second best net run rate in the section. So often in recent seasons we have played catch up on this after some heavy defeats, but this year has been better by a considerable margin.
The only possible change I see for tomorrow might be Rory Haydon coming in for Nick Potts. These games are high intensity and after starting well, Nick has taken some stick in the last two games. A breather would do him no harm and hopefully allow him to come back refreshed. He could have had a wicket last night and broken the dangerous stand, had Ben Aitchison held on to a tough chance, but his time will come again.
I don't Akif Javed being dropped. He has landed in a foreign country at short notice and gone straight into matches on pitches that he is unfamiliar with. I suspect Chris Wright has chatted with him about the 'English length' and also a need for mixing up his pace a little. Martin Andersson showed last night, having watched the highlights, how dangerous the 'pace off' man can be in this form of the game. The various outfield catches came as a result of the ball not quite being 'there' and there are other counties with similar exponents of that skill set.
Nottinghamshire thrived for years on the economical middle overs squeeze applied by the likes of Dan Christian and Steve Mullaney and a bowler who has disguised 'paces' will succeed in short form cricket, where everyone is trying to hit them into a neighbouring county.
The current Nottinghamshire side in this format doesn't compare to the vintage elevens of the past, but there are dangerous individuals within it. They have lost two from two and losing a third tomorrow will make their chances of qualification difficult, especially with a poor Net Run Rate at this stage.
Their squad of 14:
Clarke, Ahmed, Ali, Hayes, Haynes, Howell, Linde, Martindale, McCann, Moores, Munsey, Pennington, Pocklington, Stone
They have recruited George Munsey from Scotland and, to be honest, I am surprised that at a time when overseas recruitment is proving a challenge, neither Richie Berrington nor Brandon McMullen have been picked up. At the very least, counties would save on airfares and it would promote the game north of the border.
There are some average–looking overseas around at present and perhaps using glasses rather than binoculars might be beneficial...
Anyway, here's to tomorrow, hot weather, a good crowd and of course a Derbyshire win.
After the victory last night, albeit against an ordinary-looking Leicestershire side, I am going for home advantage counting and a Derbyshire win. Then again, perhaps Derbyshire just made them look ordinary, in a very polished team effort.
What do you think?
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