Derbyshire Falcons have named a 15-man squad for the East Midlands derby against Notts Outlaws in the Vitality Blast at The 3aaa County Ground on Friday 13 July.
The Falcons will be aiming to bounce back from two defeats in the opening matches when they welcome the Outlaws for the big local derby.
Wayne Madsen is set to continue in the middle order; the experienced all-rounder is the Falcons’ top run-scorer in the competition following his impressive 76 in the opening match against Lancashire Lightning.
Calum MacLeod is expected to support Madsen after the Scotsman hit a well-made 44 against Lancashire, while he has also proven valuable in the field, taking two catches in the recent game against Worcestershire Rapids.
22-year old Anuj Dal will be hoping to maintain his spot in the middle order following his debut against Worcestershire as he hit a quick-fire 35 from 26 balls, including three fours and one six.
Fast bowlers Lockie Ferguson claimed his first wickets in a Derbyshire shirt last time out, including the scalp of former Falcon Martin Guptill, with figures of 2-25, while Ravi Rampaul also impressed taking 2-24.
Luis Reece remains unavailable as he continues his rehabilitation after suffering a broken metatarsal in his right foot during the Royal London One-Day Cup campaign.
26. Ben Slater
20. Matt Critchley
6. Calum MacLeod
77. Wayne Madsen
18. Alex Hughes
14. Gary Wilson
19. Callum Brodrick
11. Daryn Smit
65. Anuj Dal
21. Matt McKiernan
47. Wahab Riaz
7. Hardus Viljoen
69. Lockie Ferguson
50. Safyaan Sharif
41. Ravi Rampaul
After a disappointing start to their Vitality Blast campaign, Notts Outlaws bounced back to record consecutive away wins.
Captain Dan Christian inspired the visitors to their recent 58-run win over Northants Steelbacks as he hit the second fastest century in the history of English domestic cricket with an unbeaten 113 from 40 balls.
Christian has also chipped in with two wickets so far in the Vitality Blast, taking 2-32 in the win over Leicestershire Foxes on Sunday. Batsmen Tom Moores and Samit Patel also helped the Outlaws to victory with quick-fire half-centuries against the Foxes to record their second win of the competition.
Steven Mullaney is likely to support Moores and Patel at the top of the order following a successful spell as England Lions captain last month. The all-rounder hit a well-made 58 at The 3aaa County Ground against West Indies A in June, while he also claimed three wickets throughout the Lions series.
Luke Fletcher is Notts’ leading wicket in the twenty-over campaign so far with five, while he boasts an impressive record in T20’s, taking 66 wickets at an average of 24.15. The returning Harry Gurney is also expected to support Fletcher, as he carries form from his three wickets against Northants Steelbacks.
Outlaws Squad: Jake Libby, Steven Mullaney, Harry Gurney, Matt Milnes, Luke Fletcher, Matt Carter, Samit Patel, Tom Moores (wkt), Paul Coughlin, Will Fraine, Dan Christian (c), Ish Sodhi, Billy Root.
Opening batsman Ben Slater is expecting a good atmosphere from a capacity crowd for the East Midlands derby against Notts Outlaws at The 3aaa County Ground on Friday.
The Falcons are aiming to kick-start their Vitality Blast campaign against the 2017 champions Notts Outlaws, and the powerful left-hander hopes for a high-scoring contest.
A capacity crowd is expected for the local derby and the 26-year-old believes there is enough talent across both sides to make for a good game for supporters.
He said: “The main objective is to get the first win on the board. In the last game I think we bowled brilliantly, but didn’t have enough runs on the board.
“There are good players on both sides so if we get a good wicket it all bodes well for a good game tomorrow.
“I didn’t play in this game last year, but I played in the sell-out against Yorkshire at Chesterfield last year. The crowd were up for it against Lancashire, so it should be a good atmosphere.”
Vitality Blast is back! Derbyshire Falcons host seven Twenty20 games this July and August. Purchase your tickets in advance and save from £4. Buy online or call 01332 388 101.
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