Warwickshire v Derbyshire - Day 4 Review
In the end, the rain somewhat appropriately had the final word in this severely truncated game. Four days of cricket saw only one and a half innings completed, which tells its own story really.
Derbyshire will be happy with the draw – we’d have taken it before the game – but it could have been a decent match if not for the weather. The way that we fought back today was encouraging, with wickets coming along rather like buses – you wait a long while for one, then they all come at once. Wes Durston showed he will continue to take good wickets at this level, which augurs well for Derbyshire.
File Photo: Wes Durston of Derbyshire hits out during the County Championship match against Hampshire at The County Ground on September 14, 2012 in Derby, England. (Getty Images)
I was a little mystified by some of the comments flying around over the past couple of days. One Warwickshire fan over on Cricinfo suggested yesterday that it might become a contrived, one innings a side game. That rather ignored the fact that Derbyshire had already batted and were hardly likely to forfeit their second innings. Another today suggested that a good finish was on the cards when we had them four down with just two sessions to go.
On that first morning, the ball was, by general consensus, flying around all over the place. It was the sort of conditions where we could easily have gone in to lunch at 57-7. That Tony Palladino was able to play such an admirable and impressive innings later in the day was partly due to the sterling efforts of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Durston before lunch. They took time out of the game and overs out of the bowlers and the ball. When an attractive, flamboyant stroke player like Wes faces 86 balls for 32 you know it is hard work out there. Likewise Shiv will bat for hours, but nearly two and a half hours for 15 is excessive, even for him.
It shows a willingness to battle in adversity. Dan Redfern has those skills and his counter attack was delightful while it lasted, but you can’t play Gower-esque strokes all the time. When it comes off it is magnificent, but when it doesn’t it smacks, sometimes unfairly, of carelessness. Dan released the shackles imposed by the bowlers, but gave it away to a poor ball and was undoubtedly disappointed to do so.
What Derbyshire really need this summer is for at least one of our openers – either Wayne Madsen or Billy Godleman – to show the adhesive qualities of someone like Alan Hill. ‘Bud’ may not have gone down as one of the more exciting batsmen in our history, but in these conditions – and any others - he would sell his wicket dearly. Someone like Michael Slater might have hit five boundaries in a quick twenty-odd, but successful teams have an opener with ‘stick-ability’. It is not always appreciated by fans as much as teammates, but a bloke who is still there at tea on 65 is worth his weight in gold. As the bowlers flag in the final session, those coming in to face an old ball and tired bowlers will raise a silent toast to such a man, as the score mounts to something well above respectable.
Still, we showed greater resolve as a side than Nottinghamshire and certainly more than Yorkshire, whose coach Jason Gillespie has been scathing about their shortcomings against Sussex. After one match we are fifth and that’s no bad thing. We showed guts and fighting spirit in abundance and will only get better.
Next up is Lords.We don’t have too many of our lads have made a century there – now that’s something to aspire to.