Leicestershire 171-8 (Turner 79, Green 34, Javed 4-23, Montgomery 3-26)
Derbyshire 172-3 (Donald 91, Came 45*, Ahmed 2-46)
Derbyshire won by 7 wickets
I cannot have been the only one with a tear in my eye as Wayne Madsen walked down the pavilion steps with his wife and daughters this afternoon, en route to his final T20 innings for Derbyshire.
The innings didn't follow the script, as he was bowled by Rehan Ahmed for two, but we can perhaps attribute it to the Bradman-style guard of honour, sportingly offered by the Leicestershire players as he reached the middle. It was a mark of the respect in which he is held in the game and he will have been pleased to sign off his final T20 appearance with a comfortable and professional team win, perhaps with a tear like the rest of us.
Earlier, the Leicestershire innings was a bit of a mess until Ashton Turner went into overdrive. Thankfully, no one afterwards was able to say 'you ain't seen nothing yet' and the final total was a seemingly adequate, but no more, 171-8
Turner is a good player but has had a mixed time with Leicestershire, including three ducks. Here he opened up in fine style after reaching his half century, striking Moqim for three sixes in his final over. The visiting innings would have been in a sorry state without his innings of 79, as only Green and Evison otherwise contributed.
The Derbyshire spinners did well, keeping their discipline and the ball away from the short boundary side of the pitch. Yet the star turn was Akif Javed, who has improved as the tournament has progressed. He bowled with pace and aggression to take a splendid 4-23, while Matt Montgomery was very tidy with 3-26.
The home reply was typical of the season, as Donald and Andersson passed fifty in the fourth over before the latter was caught. It brought in Harry Came, who batted in stylish manner to the end, sensibly willing to play second fiddle to his captain as Nye Donald went on to his highest T20 score. He batted just 38 balls for his 91, 7 fours and 7 sixes among his shots, yet there was greater restraint too, which was pleasing to see. This time he saw his team close to the line before holing out on the boundary edge, leaving Came and Matthew Montgomery to ease Derbyshire home.
It was a good win but I won't get unduly carried away, as Leicestershire have looked very ordinary this summer and the result merely decided bottom and second bottom in the group. I have no idea why they don't open with Patel and Budinger, who were a formidable pairing, while they looked quite ragged in the field.
Still a win is a win and on Wayne's Big Day that is what we all hoped for.
On to the One Day Cup now, but first a mid-season break, until July 21.
Totally dominant today.
ReplyDeleteI was sure we would win when the final over of the Leicestershire innings was a good one for Derbyshire. So rare in this campaign.
Another fine innings from Donald. I was willing him to get his ton which he could have done by pushing singles at the end but it just isn't his way.
Overall It's so frustrating because I felt that Derbyshire were good enough to have played like this in the other games.
No fairytale finish for Wayne but good to see the respect shown by the Leicestershire players.
Lastly, a word for the weather this season: all games completed without interruption. A rare plus point of climate change.
The final match of the Vitality Blast produced a win for Derbyshire and the retirement of Wayne Madsen from 20-over cricket - one of Derbyshire's all-time greats.
ReplyDeleteLike Everyone else, I am disappointed that Derbyshire did not do better in the Vitality Blast, but not despondent. A quick look at all the results shows what might have been. No team wins every close match, but most teams win their fair share, particularly those with experienced players.
The batters regularly made competitive scores, but the lack of experience in the bowling attack was crucial. Both overseas players took time to settle down in conditions that were unfamiliar to them, and the English-qualified bowlers in the team lacked experience. Most of the bowlers in the teams we played against had years of experience playing 20-over cricket. Despite this, both Nick Potts and Jack Morley, who have played very little first-team 20-over cricket, showed considerable promise for the future.
A quick resume of matches tied and lost shows what a bit more experience in the team might have achieved by winning more close matches.
22 May – lost to Durham by 6 runs
24 May – lost to Yorkshire by 2 wickets
7 June – lost to Notts by 10 runs
28 June – tied with Yorkshire
1 July - lost to Lancashire by 4 runs
6 July – tied with Lancashire
10 July – lost to Durham by 5 runs
Derbyshire failed to make enough runs and lost the match against Essex, but not by a wide margin. The pitch in the Somerset match played to the pace bowling strengths of the visitors and not the slow bowling strengths of Derbyshire, where the former were less well endowed, ensuring the visitors won.
Denis
A lovely end to a frustrating T20 season. But a day that will linger in the memory for reasons other than the game itself. Let’s hope for a good run in the one day cup and a strong end to the championship. I still remain convinced that this side isn’t that far away from being one that can challenge and it’s more to do with changing the mindset as much as anything else.
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