Derbyshire 142- 6 (Ali 42)

Nottinghamshire 143-7 (Hales 35, Scrimshaw 3-16, Khan 2-34)

Nottinghamshire won by 3 wickets

George Scrimshaw got it right at the end of the game tonight. Derbyshire were 15 to 20 runs short of what might have been a remarkable win.

The giant Derbyshire quick bowler was in fine form tonight and took 3 wickets, but the home side’s sub-par score meant that there was no margin of error against a long and strong Nottinghamshire batting lineup.

Despite the protestations of the Sky commentary ‘experts’, it never looked like an easy pitch for scoring runs. None of the home side struck their best form, until McKiernan hit some lusty late blows from Afridi. It was too late then, despite the best efforts of Haider Ali, who did well in conditions some way removed from those he is familiar with.

It might have been different had du Plooy given himself a chance to get in. I remain unconvinced that someone new at the crease should be playing a low percentage shot from the final ball of the power play. The trade off between a maximum 6 extra runs or someone staying at the crease is not a positive one.

Nottinghamshire were disciplined and Derbyshire had to emulate that against a strong batting side.

They did well, but it was not to be.

Realistically, we can probably afford only one more defeat to retain any interest in the knockout stages. That boat may already have sailed, as our net run rate is far from impressive.

So the wait to beat Nottinghamshire in this format goes on. But they can take heart from a battling display.