Birmingham v Derbyshire T20
Birmingham...seriously, Birmingham? Were I a Warwickshire fan outside of the city, I wouldn't be best pleased about the name, that's for sure, but such is the gimmickry of T20 that a name change is deemed important...(sighs loudly...)
Anyway, tonight's game, against a side that has won six from eight in the competition, will be a tough test for Derbyshire, after last week's heroics against our near and dear neighbours.
We have beaten Warwickshire before (enough of this monicker malarky) and to do so again would be quite something. Reinforced by Kiwi powerhouse Brendan McCullum, a man who led one of the most popular touring sides in recent memory, they will be a tough test. If the New Zealand skipper gets going, he can put any total out of sight and ambitions to win this game must first revolve around minimising his impact on it.
Derbyshire have named a similar squad to last week, Ben Slater coming in for Will Davis who has a minor injury. The opener returned to form with a sparkling innings for the seconds this week, but I don't see to much tinkering with a winning formula. The side, at peak form, bats long and has plenty of bowling options.
Our squad:
Wes Durston (capt)
Hamish Rutherford
Chesney Hughes
Ben Slater
Shiv Thakor
Wayne Madsen
Alex Hughes
Scott Elstone
Tom Poynton
Tom Knight
Wayne White
Nathan Rimmington
The opposition, led by Varun Chopra, has announced the following squad:
Varun Chopra (Captain)
Tim Ambrose (Wicket Keeper)
Rikki Clarke
Laurie Evans
Recordo Gordon
Oliver Hannon-Dalby
Ateeq Javid
Tom Lewis
Brendon McCullum
Jeetan Patel
William Porterfield
Josh Poysden
Boyd Rankin
They have batsmen in form, after this week's game against Sussex, while in Jeetan Patel they have the man I regard as the best value overseas player in the county game.
I would love to predict a win here, but we need to be at our very best to do so. Anything less than that will see a defeat, so the onus is on the boys to replicate the form, commitment and quality of last week.
We will see if they can later tonight.