Derbyshire v Somerset day 3

Shivnarine Chanderpaul of Derbyshire takes guard during day one of the LV County Championship Division One match between Derbyshire and Somerset at the County Ground

Given the speed at which wickets went down at Derby in the one session of play that was possible today, it may not yet be beyond the realms of possibility that a positive result could come from this truncated, yet thoroughly absorbing match.

86 runs on with eight wickets in hand, tomorrow will be an opportunity for someone to make a name for themselves, after Tony Palladino and Tim Groenewald did just that today. Reading the chairman’s tweet this afternoon, they both appear to have earned a bottle of champagne for their efforts- a nice touch from a man who is renowned for such things.

We could do with a Chanderpaul fifty-plus tomorrow and support down the order on a day when Somerset will not fancy anything over 220. With a better forecast, the likelihood is of a full day’s play, though it is unknown whether less cloud makes for easier batting conditions, or it will be equally challenging due to the condition of the wicket.

The big decision that will be mulled over by Messrs Krikken and Madsen overnight is the runs against time equation. If they are genuine in their push for a win – and they really have to be – they need to allow time to take ten wickets, but in doing so they can leave the door open for a Somerset batting line-up that is highly unpredictable. Several members of that side have either England or Lions experience and in some eyes Derbyshire will still be the underdogs in this game.

By the same token, they haven’t played at Derby for a few years and didn’t make an especially good fist of their first innings. We will hope to bat until the early afternoon but will base a declaration – if they do well enough to get to that stage – on how the wicket plays. It may soon become evident in the morning that 220 would be more than enough; conversely without cloud cover 250 may be gettable for a visiting side that can bat better than they showed first time around.

It promises to be an excellent day of county cricket on the type of wicket that generally produces such a match. Any day of the week I would take a game where 200 plays 250 or thereabouts, ahead of one where 450 plays 375. It is still possible to get runs, as Kim Barnett used to show a few years back when our wickets were tailored for a strong seam attack, but you have to work at it.

Spare a thought though, as I suggested last night, for the opening batsmen. Barnett used to lead off on such tracks closing towards a hundred before lunch, but the difference was that he was an experienced player with plenty of confidence who was used to the bounce and movement. Whichever combination we choose from Godleman, Hughes, Slater and Borrington we have no one with such experience, nor the confidence to play in such a manner. They will be doing a satisfactory job if they can stick around, see the shine off the new ball, take away some of the hardness and make it easier for those down the order.

Let’s just hope that Somerset’s openers don’t do that tomorrow. This game is definitely winnable and the men who took the wickets yesterday and today are the ones who can do it, rather than the greater pace of Mark Footitt.

Fingers crossed…