To celebrate 20 years of Vitality Blast, we’re asking Derbyshire supporters to vote for the Falcons’ best-ever Twenty20 player.
The nominations for this vote have been whittled down to three outstanding candidates: Wayne Madsen, Ravi Rampaul and Wes Durston, with the winner to progress to a national vote, involving all 18 counties, to determine the who has been the best domestic T20 player of the last two decades.
To help with your choice, we’ve compiled a quick overview of each player below:
Wayne Madsen
Few players can boast the kind of innovation that Wayne Madsen brings to the T20 arena, from his patented ‘Madsen Ramp’, a vast array of sweeps, as well as the expert strokeplay and power hitting that has made him a modern Derbyshire great.
With 3,010 T20 runs to his name, Madsen is the Club’s all-time leading run-scorer in the format, with an average of 30.71, 20 half-centuries and a strike-rate of 134.31 showing that the right-hander can adapt to any scenario.
He may be affectionately known as the G.O.A.T, but will Wayne get your vote?
Ravi Rampaul
Derbyshire’s leading bowler in our best T20 season to date! Ravi Rampaul’s 23 dismissals saw him sit top of the wicket-taking chart in 2019, as the Falcons reached their first-ever Finals Day.
Those wickets in 2019 came at an average of just 15.73, while Rampaul’s economy rate of 6.70 was equally impressive, as he opened and closed innings with unparalleled consistency.
The West Indies quick, who recently made his return to the international arena after a second stint with Derbyshire, is currently the Club’s fifth-highest wicket-taker in T20 cricket (37), despite playing just two seasons of the format.
Is Ravi your choice for our best-ever T20 player?
Wes Durston
Derbyshire’s two-highest wicket-takers in T20 cricket, Matt Critchley (55) and Alex Hughes (54), could easily have made this list, but instead it’s the all-round effort of Wes Durston which earns him a nomination.
44 wickets at 26.97 put him fourth on the wickets list for Derbyshire, but it’s when you combine that with Durston’s feats with the bat that you really see just what a tremendous talent he was.
2114 puts him second for T20 runs for Derbyshire, behind only Madsen, while his 111 against Notts Outlaws at Trent Bridge remains our highest individual score in the format.
Durston’s 63 sixes are also a county record in T20 cricket, although Madsen (61) looks set to break that record in 2022!
Vote for your choice using the form below.
We’re looking forward to welcoming supporters back to The Incora County Ground next summer and our Blast Pass will put you at the heart of the action.
Buying a Vitality Blast pass for 2022 now will secure your place at every home group game next summer. You will be able to see every ball as the most explosive form of cricket returns to Derbyshire in 2022 for just £89, a saving of over 30%.
With a formidable top-order, backed up by an exciting crop of bowlers, the Falcons are ready to go again in 2022.
Vitality Blast 2022 – Tickets on sale now!
Mickey Arthur’s Falcons kick off their Vitality Blast campaign under The Incora County Ground lights against Birmingham Bears on Friday 27 May, when the likes of Leus du Plooy, Wayne Madsen, Shan Masood and George Scrimshaw will all be aiming to make the perfect start.
After a dramatic episode in 2021, the East Midlands Derby against Notts Outlaws returns on Friday 3 June, while the Falcons will be aiming to extend their Vitality Blast winning streak at Queen’s Park to four matches, when they take on Yorkshire Vikings to close out the BRM Solicitors Festival of Cricket, in association with Chesterfield Borough Council, on Saturday 18 June.
