Pre-Match Pack: Notts Outlaws

Derbyshire Falcons have named a 14-man squad for the East Midlands Derby against Notts Outlaws at The Incora County Ground tomorrow evening (7.05pm). 

With two wins and two close defeats from their opening four games, the Falcons sit fourth in the North Group table, and captain Shan Masood, Luis Reece, Wayne Madsen, Leus du Plooy and Brooke Guest will all be looking to build on positive recent performances with the bat.

Having struck an unbeaten 59 at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday, du Plooy has 119 runs to his name from just three innings, and he has history against Notts Outlaws, including his 59 not out at Trent Bridge last season.

Drama was the name of the game when these two sides met in 2021, with both games going down to the final overs. Notts came out on top by just two runs on their own ground, in a thrilling reduced-overs contest, while the fixture at The Incora County Ground would end in a final-ball tie.

Mickey Arthur and the Falcons will be hoping for a more comfortable performance this time around, but with both sides vying for a space in the top-four, it could be another close contest.

With the ball, Sam Conners, George Scrimshaw and Hayden Kerr will be expected to provide the pace, while the spin of Mark Watt and Mattie McKiernan has garnered a combined seven wickets so far.

Derbyshire Squad: 

94. Shan Masood (c)
10. Luis Reece
4. Harry Came
76. Leus du Plooy
77. Wayne Madsen
29. Brooke Guest (wk)
21. Mattie McKiernan
65. Anuj Dal
18. Alex Hughes
15. Alex Thomson
50. Hayden Kerr
59. Sam Conners
51. Mark Watt
9. George Scrimshaw

Injury News

Suranga Lakmal has undergone successful surgery on his elbow and will work closely with the Medical Team through his recovery process for the remainder of the season.

Ben Aitchison’s recovery from a spinal bone injury is progressing according to plan and it is hoped he could feature before the end of the current campaign, Tom Wood remains unavailable for selection.

The Opposition 

Notts Outlaws come into the fixture against the Falcons looking to bounce back from a heavy defeat to Lancashire Lightning at Trent Bridge. 

It won’t be an easy task, with both the Outlaws and Falcons competing for a place in the knockout stages, as two internationally-renowned coaches pit their wits against each other, in Peter Moores and Mickey Arthur.

Notts boast a strong squad, with Alex Hales, Joe Clarke, Dan Christian and Samit Patel all stalwarts of the T20 game, with the ability to trouble any opposition, while the experience of Steven Mullaney and Luke Fletcher will be a key asset.

Pre-Match Talk

Leus du Plooy says the fight Derbyshire have shown in the Vitality Blast already will put them in a good place as they go further into the competition.

The Falcons have won two games from four, with narrow defeats coming against early pace-setters Birmingham Bears and Lancashire Lightning.

Ahead of this week’s East Midlands Derby, du Plooy says Derbyshire are putting Mickey Arthur’s vision for being tough to beat into practice and says there’s plenty of cause for optimism.

“The guys have shown incredible fight in all of the games so far, especially the ones we haven’t come out on top in,”

“That’s always a good sign, Mickey told us at the start of the season, we first needed to become a side who were tough to beat before we could start winning, and we’re making it really tough even for strong oppositions like Lancashire to get a win over us.

“I’m really proud of how we’re going about our business and we’ll be up for the rest of the competition. We’re feeling good, all of our batters have had a good run in the middle and our bowlers have stepped up at times as well. I’m really excited for what’s to come.”

Left-hander, du Plooy, is also looking forward to playing in front of a capacity crowd at The Incora County Ground once again, as the Falcons look to overcome their local rivals this Friday.

“I experienced it in 2019, it was a phenomenal experience, so it’ll be great to have that home advantage against Notts, with our supporters behind us, and we certainly want to give them a good game.”

Buy Match Tickets

The East Midlands Derby will see Derbyshire Falcons and Notts Outlaws go head-to-head in one of the Vitality Blast’s fiercest clashes, and the best way to experience it is LIVE and in-person.

Tickets are selling fast for the match, so make sure to buy in advance to avoid missing out on the excitement, drama and emotion, with local bragging rights up for grabs!

How to follow

Derbyshire’s Vitality Blast fixture against Notts Outlaws will not be live streamed, due to the game being televised live on Sky Sports.

The best way to watch this local rivalry is LIVE and in-person at The Incora County Ground, as both sides go head-to-head on Friday night, in front of a big crowd.

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.

Vitality Blast 2022 – Tickets on sale now!

Tickets for all of Derbyshire’s Vitality Blast fixtures are on sale now.

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.