Pre-Match Pack: Durham

Derbyshire have named a 14-man for their Vitality Blast fixture against Durham at Emirates Riverside tomorrow (6.30pm start).

Ravi Rampaul comes into the squad after signing for the Royal London Cup, with availability for the remainder of the Vitality Blast, while fellow experienced quick Jade Dernbach will be looking to build on a strong debut, in which he claimed three wickets against Worcestershire Rapids.

Leus du Plooy (348) and Luis Reece (343) have scored almost 700 runs between them in the Vitality Blast so far, with the top-order duo aiming to finish the competition strongly with three good performances.

Nils Priestley is unavailable for selection, replaced in the squad by Rampaul, while Wayne Madsen, Alex Hughes, Sam Conners and Anuj Dal are amongst those currently sidelined with injury.

Derbyshire Squad: 

10. Luis Reece
24. Tom Wood
76. Leus du Plooy
20. Matt Critchley (C)
4. Harry Came
29. Brooke Guest
33. Fynn Hudson-Prentice
15. Alex Thomson
8. Michael Cohen
21. Mattie McKiernan
37. Logan van Beek
9. George Scrimshaw
7. Jade Dernbach
14. Ravi Rampaul

Pre-Match Talk

Head of Cricket, Dave Houghton, is delighted to welcome Ravi Rampaul back to the Club, and is looking forward to seeing the experienced quick lead Derbyshire’s young attack.

Former West Indies international, Rampaul, has returned to the Derbyshire for the final three Vitality Blast fixture, as well as the Royal London Cup, having taken a Club-record 23 T20 wickets in the 2019 season.

That total put him top of the wicket-taking charts in the Blast, while he managed a total of 80 dismissals across all formats. Hopes were high that he would be able to replicate that form in 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic prevented Rampaul from returning in the final year of his contract.

Regulation changes mean that he is now classed as an overseas player, and he is available for the T20 fixture against Durham at Emirates Riverside, where he could revive his new ball partnership with Logan van Beek.

With the likes of George Scrimshaw, Ben Aitchison and Mikey Cohen expected to feature in the Royal London Cup, Houghton wants Rampaul to share his experience with the youngsters and contribute to their development, while targeting success in 50-over cricket.

“I’ve always felt that we had some unfinished business. Ravi had such a good season in 2019, he was Club Player of the Year, but we lost him for a year due to the pandemic,” he said.

“It’s great to have him back, Ravi is a great cricketer and he still has a lot to offer our side. He will be a great asset for us. When I arrived in 2019, the first thing I said to him was that I wanted him to lead our attack.

“That means standing at mid on and talking to our bowlers about what they are doing. It’s a job he enjoyed and I think it inspired him to reach the heights that he did in 2019, and I’m sure it’s something he’s looking forward to doing again with our young attack in the One-Day Cup.

“Our bowlers have come on leaps and bounds this year, but to have someone of Ravi’s ability and class opening and closing the innings for us, which is something we’ve missed this season, is going to be fantastic.”

How to follow

You can follow Derbyshire’s Vitality Blast fixture against Durham on the Club website through our improved Match Centre, delivered in partnership with Purpose Media.

As well as the host venue’s Live Stream, 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.