Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire - Day 3 Review

I exchanged texts this afternoon with a friend who was as pleasantly surprised by our steady second innings as I was.

“If these two see it through to the close” I wrote, as our score sat at 70-2 with Wayne Madsen and Shivnarine Chanderpaul well set, “we could yet get a draw. But if one goes, we could be five down by the end of the day”.

I take no pleasure in my Nostradamus-style powers of prophecy, but the slump from 107-2 to 139-5 was the latest in a season that has seen too many already. If county cricket were accompanied by the music to which we are subjected in T20, perhaps Paul Simon’s Slip Slidin’ Away might be appropriate.

The fight will continue tomorrow because that’s what this team does, but the loss of Shivnarine Chanderpaul to a ball that he felt brushed his thigh pad triggered a mini collapse. It was good to see Wayne Madsen grafting his way to runs and he deserved a fifty, but Ross Whiteley went quickly to a good catch and we’re left looking at rain dance options for tomorrow. Good as our lower order is, even optimistic old me can’t see us lasting much past lunch time – though I hope I am wrong.

There are a few things that concern me at the moment, and they are indicative of players who perhaps are low on self-belief. Three dropped catches again today is one of them. Last year we held more than most sides and some were barely chances; yet, that has not been replicated so far. It has to be, if we are to compete, as the opportunities are not coming with anywhere near the frequency of a year ago.

Tony Palladino and Tim Groenewald were a major factor in our promotion last summer, but in three matches so far, the former has three wickets at 72, the latter four at 42. Both have bowled tidily enough, but the early inroads into innings haven’t happened on wickets that have offered assistance. Maybe, as Paul mailed me this evening, we need to see if Mark Footitt’s greater pace is a better bet, but we could do with our two main men returning to former glories before much longer.

Then again, the batting averages bear little study either. Take away Chanderpaul’s 65 and Mark Turner’s 40 (seriously) and only Tony Palladino, with 27, averages more than 20. I take no pleasure from recounting these statistics, but it illustrates that the issue doesn’t lie only with the batsmen. We are struggling as a side right now.

I’d love to see us battle for a draw tomorrow, but that would not and should not mask shortcomings at this early stage of the summer. The New Zealand game to come will take on added significance, with several players very keen to establish some form ahead of the next championship game, at home to Sussex.

I will be down for that one myself. Let’s hope things have improved a little by then.