T20 Match Report: Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire
There was a better performance by Derbyshire tonight, but, in the end, the result was the same as in the previous T20 matches this summer: a defeat.
It was not surprising, of course, against a team that features six past or present internationals, but the game was won and lost, again, by the respective Powerplays and the talent of two of the best T20 batsmen in the world game.
After six overs, we had progressed to 32-3, while Alex Hales and Michael Lumb took Nottinghamshire to thirty in two overs. They reached the six over mark at 70-2, and the game was pretty much over as a contest by then. We fought back well, but Nottinghamshire won with over three overs to spare and there was no disguising their superiority.
I missed our innings, as I was working, but the first ball loss of Stephen Moore was a blow and Wes once again failed to get going. I applaud the promotion of Tom Knight, which I advocated last week, but it was a tough attack to face. I don't follow the rationale of keeping back Marcus North until number five, and Scott Elstone would be a much better option than Wes Durston on current form at the top of the order. Better, but a work still in progress for me.
There was no Chesney tonight, and I feel we'd be better served in utilising the talents of Alex Hughes (who didn't bat tonight) and Elstone higher in the order. But, at least, there appeared to be better rotation of the bowlers, even if the firepower of the opposition batting rendered it largely redundant.
Anyway, to Leicester next, though the swathe of bad weather cutting across the country overnight may legislate against a prompt Sunday start, or even one at all.
More on that tomorrow.
Postscript - good to see Usman Khawaja back in the county game at Lancashire. While he won't be remembered as one of our most prolific batsmen, there was a certain charm about his game at his best, and no one who saw it will forget his marvelous last day innings against Hampshire that steered us to the division two title in 2012.