Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire - Day 2

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire – LV County Championship

A handy habit of taking relatively regular wickets kept the Nottinghamshire innings in reasonable bounds yesterday, although missed opportunities in the field left them wondering what might have been.

The normally reliable Wes Durston spilled a couple of chances at slip, while a run out opportunity of Billy Godleman went begging as Nottinghamshire closed on 325-5, with a 69-run lead. Derbyshire are not yet looking down the barrel in this game, although a bad morning today could turn them from mildly curious to decidedly intrigued onlookers.

The fighting qualities of this side are well known, but they will need to show them all to survive this one. The visitors will expect to declare at around 550 and then press home the advantage, but Derbyshire can and must bat better in the second innings. With Adams injured and Broad unlikely to be more than a short spell shock bowler, we really shouldn’t be rolled over by Fletcher, Gurney and Patel.

Whether we lose or not, it would at least be encouraging to see a few batsmen find their best form, which is pretty much everyone save Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Along with Tony Palladino, he is the only player who looks like he can bat at this level right now. I don’t think that is the case for a minute, but the sooner we can post a 400 total, the better it will be for everyone’s confidence.

If the batting fails again in the second innings, there will have to be questions asked by Karl Krikken, as we simply cannot rely on the latter half of the line-up to bail us out every time. The panic button doesn’t yet need to be pressed, with only three games gone, but we will win little without totals to bowl at. This is a decent Derbyshire attack, but we don’t have a Gladwin and Jackson.

It is early doors, but I believe tomorrow to be an early defining day in our championship summer. If we can keep the lead to around 175, then bat a heck of a lot better second time around, the mood of the camp will be improved, irrespective of the result. If we don’t, it may be time for a rethink and some long hard looks.

Nothing has changed. The path chosen for the club’s future is absolutely, one hundred per cent the right one, but last year’s promotion was an unexpected early consequence of the policy. The talented young players now need to show that their ‘manning up’, to use Karl Krikken’s phrase, is another one.

They need to learn. And do so fast.