Derbyshire Falcons have named an unchanged 14-man squad for a third consecutive Royal London One-Day Cup fixture, against Durham at The 3aaa County Ground on Wednesday 23 May.
The Falcons, who will be aiming to bounce back from defeat to Worcestershire on Saturday, have the same 14 available for the visit of Tom Latham’s men, who have struggled in the early stages of the 50-over competition.
Derbyshire put in a team performance with bat and ball to earn a 57-run win over Warwickshire in the opening fixture, but lost wickets at regular intervals to slip to defeat against Worcestershire at New Road.
Billy Godleman, who is averaging 80 in the competition, will continue at the top of the order, alongside Ben Slater. The 26-year-old hit a fine 119 in Derbyshire’s last List A victory over Durham two seasons ago.
Alex Hughes hit 47 off 44 balls at the end of Derbyshire’s innings at New Road and he’s set to feature in the middle-order and provide a further seam bowling option, alongside left-armer and powerful striker, Luis Reece.
Duanne Olivier is Derbyshire’s leading performer with the ball, having claimed three wickets at an average of 19 and an economy rate of 4.53.
Safyaan Sharif has also taken three wickets, whilst fellow seamers Ravi Rampaul and Hardus Viljoen have two and one respectively.
1. Billy Godleman
26. Ben Slater
10. Luis Reece
77. Wayne Madsen
18. Alex Hughes
19. Callum Brodrick
20. Matt Critchley
14. Gary Wilson
11. Daryn Smit
7. Hardus Viljoen
41. Ravi Rampaul
74. Duanne Olivier
50. Safyaan Sharif
8. Dan Wheeldon
Durham have lost their opening two Royal London One-Day Cup fixtures, but are set to bring a strong side to The 3aaa County Ground.
Led by New Zealand batsman Tom Latham, Durham are set to continue with Paul Collingwood at the top of the order, with Michael Richardson and Will Smith providing further experience to the batting line-up.
Wicketkeeper batsman Stuart Poynter is a powerful striker and he will be dangerous in the middle-order, alongside Ryan Pringle, who also offers a spin bowling option.
Nathan Rimmington and James Weighell are likely to lead the seam attack, whilst Chris Rushworth is set for a return.
Durham Squad: Tom Latham (c), Cameron Steel, Will Smith, Graham Clark, Michael Richardson, Paul Collingwood, Stuart Poynter (wk), Ryan Pringle, James Weighell, Nathan Rimmington, Chris Rushworth, Matt Dixon, George Harding.
Billy Godleman is hoping his side can bounce back from Saturday’s loss at Worcestershire and take learnings from the defeat.
He said: “One-Day Cup cricket at home for some time we have been a real force so we will certainly be looking to make the most of a home advantage.
“Some of the execution of plans wasn’t quite what we would have expected on Saturday, but that is the game of cricket – bowling wise.
“I think the slower bowlers, Alex Hughes and Luis Reece and Matt Critchley did an excellent job in the middle, taking the pace off the ball, bowling straight and in hindsight perhaps we could have continued with that for a little bit longer.
“Certainly an area for improvement is our death bowling. But sometimes you have to take your hat off to some fine striking, but I think the bowlers would be aligned in thinking that there could have been a more consistent delivery of the skills towards the end of the innings.”
The Falcons begin their run at home by welcoming Durham to The 3aaa County Ground, a little over a week since their last visit to Derby in the Specsavers County Championship.
Godleman added: “I think the nature of county cricket is sometimes you can be playing against a team consecutively in a short space of time and obviously that’s what’s happened with Durham. We will be very well used to the personal coming down.”
Royal London One-Day Cup is back at The 3aaa County Ground! Derbyshire will host four 50-over fixtures in May and June. Buy your match tickets in advance & save.
Derbyshire vs Durham – Wednesday 23 May
Derbyshire vs Leicestershire Foxes – Friday 25 May
Derbyshire vs Yorkshire Vikings – Wednesday 30 May
Derbyshire vs Lancashire Lightning – Sunday 3 June
