Pre-Match Pack: Birmingham Bears

Derbyshire have named a 13-man squad for tomorrow’s Vitality Blast fixture against Birmingham Bears at The Incora County Ground (2.30pm start). 

Having scored half-centuries in each of his first two innings, Luis Reece is Derbyshire’s leading run-scorer in the competition with 110. He retains his place in the top-order with Billy Godleman, Harry Came, Leus du Plooy and Tom Wood also named in the squad.

Matt Critchley’s contributions with bat and ball led Derbyshire to victory over Leicestershire Foxes on Friday night, and the squad will be aiming to carry that momentum onto home soil, with the likes of Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Brooke Guest also performing well in the opening two fixtures.

Logan van Beek was another key performer in the win on Friday, taking three wickets and a catch, he is joined by Mattie McKiernan, Michael Cohen, George Scrimshaw and Sam Conners as bowling options.

Alex Hughes (side strain) is out due to injury and will be assessed over the next few days, while Wayne Madsen’s hamstring injury will keep him out for 4-6 weeks. Anuj Dal (shoulder) will also miss the game.

Derbyshire Squad: 

1. Billy Godleman (C)
10. Luis Reece
76. Leus du Plooy
24. Tom Wood
20. Matt Critchley
4. Harry Came
29. Brooke Guest
33. Fynn Hudson-Prentice
8. Michael Cohen
21. Mattie McKiernan
37. Logan van Beek
59. Sam Conners
9. George Scrimshaw

Pre-Match Talk

Luis Reece says Derbyshire are determined to turn around their current poor form, but he believes the squad’s work-rate will soon garner results. 

After a tough month of red ball cricket, the Falcons were beaten by six wickets in their opening Vitality Blast fixture against Lancashire Lightning at Old Trafford.

Reece top-scored for Derbyshire with 59, while he and Fynn Hudson-Prentice each claimed two wickets, but England international Liam Livingstone’s unbeaten 94 saw the hosts through to victory.

Dominic Cork’s side travel to The Uptonsteel County Ground on Friday evening to face Leicestershire Foxes, before hosting Birmingham Bears in their first Derbyshire-based home Twenty20 fixture since 2019 on Sunday.

Despite the result, Reece is confident the positive elements of the performance show the Falcons will be a match for any side in the competition, especially with the hard work being put in behind the scenes.

“The beauty of Twenty20 cricket is that you can get on a run and the confidence will keep building,” he told BBC Radio Derby.

“We’ll keep rolling into the next game, it’s another chance to showcase to the fans and hopefully bring some smiles back to the Derbyshire supporters’ faces, it would be nice to give them something to cheer about and actually reward them for their support.

“We work incredibly hard behind the scenes, I know the last month hasn’t shown it, but we really feel like we’re turning a corner and positive results will come, sooner rather than later.

“These games come thick and fast, and there’s been enough encouraging signs to know that if we come back on Friday and put some of the same processes in place then we should come out on the right side of the result.”

How to follow

You can follow Derbyshire’s Vitality Blast fixture against Birmingham Bears on the club website through our improved Match Centre.

Our live stream Live Stream puts you at the heart of the action, with ball-tracking, multi-angle replays and live commentary from the BBC and more!

The Match Centre also includes in-play scorecards, ball by ball commentary, clips and statistics, everything you need to stay up-to-date, no matter where you’re following from!

Clips and updates will also be provides via our social media channels, so make sure you’re following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, so you never miss a moment of the action.

Tickets

Tickets for Vitality Blast home games are on sale now, but they’re selling fast so don’t delay if you want to cheer on the Falcons in Derbyshire this summer.

Home Fixtures:
Birmingham Bears – Sunday 13 June; 2.30pm – SOLD OUT
Lancashire Lightning – Tuesday 15 June; 7pm – SOLD OUT
Northants Steelbacks – Thursday 17 June; 7pm
Leicestershire Foxes – Tuesday 22 June; 7pm
Notts Outlaws – Friday 25 June; 7pm – Currently off-sale
Worcestershire Rapids – Friday 2 July; 7pm
Yorkshire Vikings – Sunday 18 July; 2.30pm