Twenty20 Head Coach, Dominic Cork, has confirmed that Matt Critchley will take over as captain for the remainder of the Vitality Blast campaign, replacing Billy Godleman.
Godleman has struggled for form in the Twenty20 competition, while the Falcons have won just two of their first eight group stage matches.
Injuries to nine first-team players have previously prevented rotation at the top of the batting order, with the experienced duo of Wayne Madsen and Alex Hughes among those sidelined. However, the potential return of batsman Tom Wood and all-rounder Anuj Dal for Thursday’s game against Birmingham Bears has led Cork to make a tough decision on the captaincy.
24-year-old all-rounder, Critchley, will take over the role for the remaining six group fixtures, a decision Cork hopes will shake things up after two heavy defeats.
“I’ve spoken to Billy this morning, and I’ve decided, along with Dave Houghton and the rest of the coaches, now is the right time to pull him out of the cauldron,” he said.
“It’s been a tough time for Billy, he hasn’t shirked any responsibility, but as a coach, it would be unfair to just keep letting him go on and on. I’ve spoken to him, and he will come out of the squad to recharge his batteries.
“Knowing Billy, he will be raring to go when required and the Derbyshire supporters will hopefully reap the rewards of a refreshed Billy Godleman.
“Matt Critchley will captain through to the end. While you have that one sombre conversation with Billy, you have a bit more of an upbeat one with Critch. He’s excited and understands it’s an honour to captain this Club.
“He is really important for the future of this Club; he’s an exciting young player. He’s somebody who will go out there with his badge proudly in front, and I hope that he can energise us and get us back to winning ways because the last two games have not been good enough.”
Wood and Dal’s return would provide a huge boost for the Falcons, who are currently down to just 12 available contracted players, due to Alex Thomson being ineligible to feature on Thursday.
The pair will work on their fitness throughout Wednesday, before being tested prior to the match at Edgbaston.
“At the moment, we are down to 12 players, because Alex Thomson can’t play against his parent club,” said Cork.
“We’re looking to add Tom Wood and Anuj Dal to that squad, pending fitness tests and physio reports. They’re both working today, they’ll travel to Birmingham tomorrow and will have fitness tests before the game.
“So with Billy coming out and those two in, there will be a 13-man squad, and as players return from injury, they will be considered for selection.”
Although he has been unable to find form in this summer’s T20 competition, Godleman was among Derbyshire’s top performers on the road to Finals Day in 2019, scoring four half-centuries and averaging 41.18. He is also a previous Vitality Blast winner with Middlesex in 2008.
Cork admits he does sympathise with the frustrations of supporters but says the injury situation, combined with the quality of the player concerned when at his best, dictated Godleman’s selection.
“I understand the frustration, and I understand the criticism on social media, but Billy has been an integral part of this team for some time,” he added.
“With nine injuries, it’s not easy, but we’ve just tried to get on with it. We talked to Billy about dropping to three and take on that Wayne Madsen role, as a senior player, but it just hasn’t worked.
“Maybe if there had been players fit, this decision would have been made a little bit earlier, but without having those players available, you have to hope that a player with the pedigree of Billy pulls through. Unfortunately, it hasn’t, and I’ve had to make this decision.”
With six games to go, the Falcons are second from bottom in the North Group, five points off the quarter-final qualification spots.
While the chances of reaching the last eight seem remote, Cork is determined to fight for every point possible, and has challenged the squad to stand up and take control of the remaining matches.
“While it’s still mathematically possible, we will be trying to win every match and qualify. I will not give up until someone tells me there’s no chance, and even then we’ll be fighting to win,” Cork added.
“We’ve just got to get through these tough times. We need someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and win those close games, we have the talent to do that, it’s just about taking that responsibility.
“Once myself, Ajmal Shahzad and Mal Loye put the players out, there’s not a lot we can do beyond advising them. It’s down to the players to identify those tough moments, find a solution and execute it.
“They know that, they understand what they need to do, we’ve had some honest chats, and now we have to go out there in the final six games, push our chest out and proudly represent a fine county in Derbyshire by playing some really hard cricket.
“As long as they come off and say they can’t give any more, that is all I ask for. Don’t come thinking ‘if only’, come off saying ‘that’s all I could give.’”
While Derbyshire have struggled for wins across both formats played so far this season, the emergence of an excited crop of young players has been a positive for the Club.
In the red ball game, Sam Conners, Ben Aitchison and Michael Cohen have all claimed maiden first-class five-wicket hauls, while George Scrimshaw has been a revelation in the Vitality Blast, taking ten wickets at an average of 15.
Cork says he’s relying on the senior players in the squad to continue the development of these players, as they form the foundation for the future.
“We’re starting to see some exciting talent coming through at Derbyshire, and that’s important not only for this competition, but the Club as a whole,” he said.
“Harry Came scored a magnificent century in the Second XI against Durham, he’s got and 50 and a 40 for us so far, and I would never tell him not to play that shot (which he got out to against Leicestershire), because if that comes off, we all applaud him. They’re young players, they have to learn but you only do that by being in the cauldron.
“Leus du Plooy is a fine young talent who’s still learning his game and will be an integral part of this Club. Matt Critchley, everybody seems to think he’s 28/29, he’s still a young player and learning all the time.
“Brooke Guest’s energy is infectious, he wants to play, he’s constantly working on his glovework because he wants to get better and better. I was excited when I saw George Scrimshaw playing for Worcestershire, because I knew he was local to us and I wondered how we lost him.
“We have him now, and I hope he stays at Derbyshire for a very long time because this guy is a very good bowler, he still has things to work on, but that’s what you do as a coach with young players, we have a fine young seam attack with Sam Conners, Ben Aitchison and Michael Cohen, that’s four brilliant quick bowlers for the future.
“But it’s all about results, you need your senior players to be pushing these young lads and showing them the way, especially in T20 cricket. We’re one unit here at Derbyshire and we need to push forward.”
