Defeat but not disgrace for Derbyshire against New Zealand

Martin Guptill made 57 off 42 balls

Logic suggested that a strong New Zealand side would be too good for Derbyshire in a pre-World Cup match today, and logic is rarely wrong.

Yet we ran them close and, to quote Ogden Nash, I will bet a silk ‘pajama’ that they will get easier games in the tournament proper. I’d perhaps have put money on Martin Guptill getting some runs, but it was only in the closing overs that New Zealand pulled away. It is that late impetus, and the ability to provide it, that separates the better sides and I reckon the Kiwis, if they avoid injury, will be a good bet for a semi final slot in the T20 World Cup. They bat long, have some decent bowlers and field brilliantly.

It was close to, but not quite the Derbyshire side I’d envisage as the strongest for T20 and acquitted itself well. The top three looks formidable and have done well thus far, while the bowling was steady in the face of high quality opposition. There is plenty to build on and I have every confidence that the learning curve from the defeat will be worth the blemish on the tour record.

It’s a funny old game though, T20 and to be a star at it a player needs ‘only’ to be capable of scoring at around two runs per ball when the pressure is on. I don’t mean to demean the talent, as it is a gift given to few, but both Brad Hodge and Darren Sammy have clearly identified themselves as masters at the format yet again in recent days.

Hodge’s unbeaten 21 from 8 balls won the game against South Africa for Australia today, while Sammy’s unbeaten 30 from nine saw the West Indies to a win that looked dodgy a couple of overs before his late onslaught. While Hodge has enjoyed a long and fruitful career around the globe, Sammy is a late developer and a player for who I have massive respect.

He makes the most of his talent, is a handy bowler, a useful batsman and a player who generally has a smile on his face. I can relate to a guy like that and he has become a very shrewd and valued player at the shortest format.

When things are tight, as they often are in T20, teams need a player who can hit it out of the park and Sammy is worth his weight in gold for the West Indies.

If we can find such a player, from within or outside our ranks, for this summer’s competition we could make the promised land of the knockout stages for the first time in years.

While the championship should be the focus, it would be good to see a better effort at the one-day game and I think the portents are favourable at this stage.