Captain Billy Godleman and fast bowler Sam Conners could return for next week’s LV= County Championship fixture against Middlesex at Lord’s, while batsman Wayne Madsen is likely to feature before the end of the campaign.
Conners missed the entire Vitality Blast and Royal London Cup competitions through a hip tendon tear, but made his return to Second XI cricket this week against Nottinghamshire at Lady Bay. He will continue to build up his bowling load throughout the remainder of the fixture, before being assessed ahead of Derbyshire’s trip down to London.
Conners could line-up alongside Billy Godleman, who is expected to be available for the remainder of the season, subject to final fitness tests. The Club captain sustained a quad injury, which ruled him out of six Royal London Cup fixtures, but the opener has recovered well ahead of the match at Lord’s, starting on Monday (11am).
With four first-class matches to go, it’s expected that Wayne Madsen will feature again before the season is over, with the batsman having responded well to rehabilitation from his hamstring injury. He remains to be assessed by the Club’s medical team. Likewise, fast bowler Dustin Melton will return to training this week.
However, wicketkeeper-batsman Harvey Hosein will not feature at Lord’s, as he continues through his graded return to fitness after a second concussion of the season last month. Having suffered a setback in his initial recovery, Hosein has been referred to a specialist and will be monitored throughout the process, in line with concussion protocol.
Fast bowlers Mikey Cohen and Nick Potts are unlikely to feature again this season, with the latter set to see a specialist ahead of the winter training regime.
Matt Critchley, Luis Reece and Leus du Plooy are all fit and available for selection after their time in The Hundred, with Critchley and Reece playing for the Second XI at Lady Bay this week.
