Worcestershire, 237 and 243-6
Derbyshire 578-5
Match drawn
In the end, Derbyshire could not force the win that would have perhaps redeemed in part their poor four day form this summer.
But then, it was always likely to be so.
There wasn’t a great deal wrong with a wicket on which our batting side had managed 578-5 only the day before. When time was taken out of the second innings by rain and bad light, the task got even harder, especially when one considers that this was some way removed from a first choice attack.
No overseas ‘attack leader’ (no change there) no Chappell, no Conners. No Aitchison, out for the second innings and who knows for how long, a loan seam bowler on a tour of the counties, a bowler just back from a side strain, a second/third choice spinner and a young tyro in his sixth first-class match. The portents were not good.
Yet again it highlighted that there is much to do over the winter.
I am not suggesting that Derbyshire make wholesale changes, because the money is simply not there for that. But they do need to look around the country and the world to find the same small group of players but improve the quality.
It was perhaps inevitable that Sam Conners, after a summer last year when he played almost every game, might find his body rebelling this time around. Zak Chappell has a history of injury, around being a very good bowler, while the least said about Suranga Lakmal’s stint the better. The seam attack on paper looked good, but sadly it has largely remained on paper only.
On a wicket such as the one at Worcester, you either need a quality seamer or spinner. The reality is that we had neither. Good cricketers, because I have said before, you have to be to play at this level. But not special cricketers, the ones who rise like cream to the top, to force a win in such situations.
We won’t finish bottom of the table, but only because Yorkshire look set to be docked a lot of points for the historic issues at that club.
But there has to be change at the end of the season. If we cannot find better players somewhere, who regard Derbyshire as ‘the county of choice’ then we need to be prepared for more of these days. When we play ourselves into a winning position, but fail to press home the advantage because we don’t have that X factor that enables the win.
I think the batting is broadly OK, but we do need an opener. We also need to quickly sort the du Plooy situation, because we will know the money we have to play with and whether he needs to be replaced. I also hope to see Matt Lamb back in form and in the team, because players coming to the end of their contracts might look at a player such as he and wonder if Derbyshire really is the right destination to continue their career. Perhaps he will benefit if du Plooy leaves, but they are huge shoes to fill.
It should not all be gloom and doom. Maybe we could have declared earlier, but an extra half an hour with that attack would not have made a difference. Yet we did well, with those limited resources, for 3 days of this match, batting with style, substance and class.
That they fell short in the end should not be the end of the world.
But it should highlight what is required for the new beginnings.
