Matt Critchley is confident Derbyshire have enough talent in the squad to enjoy a successful Vitality Blast campaign this summer.
The all-rounder is excited to get the season underway and is looking forward to contributing good performances to help the Falcons win matches in the twenty-over campaign.
He said: “I think we have showed that we can compete with anyone across all forms, but especially in the T20 because I think we win the big games as much as we win the so-called smaller games.
“Every team has a talented squad, so every game is a big game.
“I think we’ve definitely got the talent in the squad, so hopefully we can avoid injuries and keep everyone together because we’ve got a nicely balanced squad.
“Obviously we’ve got a few all-rounders so we can balance the side differently if we need to so I’m looking forward to a successful season.”
The 22 year-old is relishing the opportunity to continue contributing with match-winning performances, after his final-over heroics against Yorkshire last summer.
He crashed 22 off five balls at Queen’s Park in July, inspiring Derbyshire to victory over their local rivals.
“Last season against Yorkshire is obviously a stand-out moment in my career so far but I want to carry on replicating performances like that to try and win more games.
“It was a pretty special moment and it’s not going to happen in every game but if I can try and be more consistent to do that twice a year then you can win two games on your own.
“We have a talented enough squad that there are other lads that will put in match-winning performances as well so I’m looking forward to it and contributing to more wins.
“I feel like I’m becoming a better player every year and this winter has been the same. I’ve been trying to develop and learn more skills with bat and ball so I can be more consistent across all forms and achieve the aim of winning more games for Derbyshire.
“Hopefully I’ll get a few more opportunities with the ball in the T20 competition this year so I can impact the game with bat and ball.
“Obviously it is an exciting time of the season during the Twenty20, it’s all action-packed and it suits the way I play so I’ll be trying my best to win games for Derbyshire.”
Critchley has also recently returned from a six-week placement in India, where he worked to develop his all-round game on the sub-continent.
“Playing against different players and being able to learn from them to see how they go about it, for example how they play against spin was helpful for me.
“Also, being able to work with different coaches to get their different theories so I can to try to develop and implement them into my game was good.
“Obviously it was good to get some practice outdoors during the winter as well so I think that it has benefitted my game well.
“In the last few years, I have worked with [Shane] Warne, [Stuart] MacGill and [Anil] Kumble, three of the leg-spinning heroes in the game so it was honour to work with them.
“Kumble is probably a similar type of bowler to me than the others so it was good to listen to him to improve my game.”
Vitality Blast is back! Derbyshire Falcons host seven Twenty20 games this summer. Purchase your tickets in advance and save. Buy online or call 01332 388 101.
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