Preview: Derbyshire v Yorkshire

Shivnarine Chanderpaul will be missed

Big game with a ‘big ask’ for Derbyshire tomorrow, with a win a massive prize for our boys, but one they look like needing to get without the services of Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Shiv’s injury seems to have been the dreaded hamstring and that could see him out for a week or two, depending on its severity. I would be very surprised to see him in the team tomorrow, or indeed for this week’s championship game at least.

Winning without him will be tough and one assumes that one of our openers will need to play a major innings for us to do so. The skipper will always knock it around sensibly, but he isn’t a really explosive batsman and to take our score out of the range of Yorkshire‘s hitters, someone needs to be clearing the ropes a time or two.

There won’t be a better time for Albie Morkel to unveil the big shots that have made him a feared T20 opponent. His bowling has been very tidy thus far and his influence considerable, but we really need an Albie special, maybe a fifty off thirty balls or something like that, which would convince a few doubters and do his batting confidence a world of good.

As for the rest of the team, I share a few concerns regarding Jon Clare’s role. He’s a top player, but his greater strength is his bowling and he seems to be doing little of that, either through captain’s choice or his fitness. If he is fit to bowl he should be in the team, but if not, I would prefer to see the greater batting ability of either Alex Hughes or Peter Burgoyne, both of who offer bowling options, in the side for tomorrow. I think three seamers – logically Morkel, Groenewald and Turner – will be enough and the rest can be split between the various spin options available to the skipper.

Yorkshire got a hammering against Durham and will be keen to return to winning ways. I hope I am wrong, but while the optimist in me considers a Derbyshire win, the realist sees their greater strength in depth and their more dynamic batting and thinks that this might be tough, especially without Chanderpaul.

I really, really hope I am wrong though.

More tomorrow, when we will either be celebrating a step closer to the quarter finals, or contemplating a tricky and nerve-wracking last few games.