Derbyshire has named a 14-man squad for the Royal London One-Day Cup opener against Northants Steelbacks at The Pattonair County Ground on Friday 19 April; 11am start.
New signings Leus du Plooy and Mark Watt both come into the squad, which will be led by Head of Development, Mal Loye, throughout the 50-over competition.
Du Plooy joins up with Derbyshire fresh from an impressive CSA Provincial One-Day Challenge campaign in South Africa, during which he hit 593 runs at an average of 74.12 to power Northerns to the final.
He could slot into the middle-order alongside Wayne Madsen who passed 15,000 runs for the club across all forms in the recent Specsavers County Championship draw away to Gloucestershire.
Captain Billy Godleman is likely to open the innings after hitting 509 runs in last year’s competition, at an average of 72.71, including a century in the reverse fixture against the Steelbacks.
Watt is expected to lead the spin attack after taking 3-43 from his ten overs in the 87-run win over Warwickshire in the Second XI One-Day Trophy earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Logan van Beek and Ravi Rampaul are set to spearhead the pace attack.
1. Billy Godleman
10. Luis Reece
77. Wayne Madsen
27. Tom Lace
18. Alex Hughes
76. Leus du Plooy
16. Harvey Hosein
20. Matt Critchley
65. Anuj Dal
37. Logan van Beek
59. Sam Conners
51. Mark Watt
14. Ravi Rampaul
17. Alfie Gleadall
Northants will be looking to bounce back after suffering a 72-run defeat away to Durham in their opening Royal London One-Day Cup match of 2019.
Alex Wakely’s side were undone by a 208-run partnership between Cameron Bancroft (151 not out) and Michael Richardson (102) as Durham posted 342-5 from their 50 overs.
West Indies captain Jason Holder hit 86 off 68 balls in the chase, but wickets at regular intervals meant the Steelbacks were all out for 270 inside 44 overs.
Holder will remain a threat with bat and ball at The Pattonair County Ground, while the likes of Josh Cobb and Richard Levi provide powerful striking at the top of the order.
Northants squad: To be announced.
Leus du Plooy arrives at The Pattonair County Ground on the back of three centuries and two half-centuries in white ball cricket in South Africa. He believes he’s now ready to hit the ground running with Derbyshire.
The 24-year-old has signed a two-year deal with the club and is eligible to play across all forms until the end of 2020 – an experience he is hoping to capitalise on.
Du Plooy said: “I’m really excited. I’ve been fortunate to meet some of the guys already and I’m ready to go.
“I’m in really good hands and I’m still young in the cricketing world. I’ve got a lot to learn and I’m looking forward to learning it here with Derbyshire.
“I just take things game for game and work on the little things.
“It’s always good to come into a team that’s in a winning environment. A winning team is a happy team so I’ll look to contribute where I can and add value.”
Live Stream
Derbyshire is pleased to continue its partnership with Stream AMG and Purpose Media to provide a free live streaming service for 2019, which will offer live ball-by-ball footage with a live score overlay graphic.
You can watch all the action live HERE.
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Tickets
Tickets are available on the gate with an Adult ticket priced at £16 (£12 in advance), Junior ticket £5 (£4 in advance) and Students £5 whilst Adult tickets for Day Four are also priced at £10. Car Parking is available on the day; £5 on the gate (£4 in advance).
Click HERE to buy tickets online or call 01332 388 101.
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