Leus du Plooy says Derbyshire will be doing all they can to keep their push for a place in the top two alive against Durham, and believes the signs of progression are there for all to see.
Derbyshire enter the game against Durham, which starts on Monday at 10.30am, in fourth place with three games to go, still hopeful of mounting a charge for the top two.
The situation is a far cry from 12 months ago, when Derbyshire were still winless in the LV= County Championship, competing only to avoid being bottom of the third conference group.
With Mickey Arthur’s influence on the squad clear to see, and widespread improvement from a number of players, Derbyshire are continuing to set their sights on the next stage of the project, something du Plooy is enjoying being a part of.
“To still be in the fight, it’s such a reflection of the work the players have done and the effect Mickey’s had on everyone,” he said.
“I didn’t expect there to be such a massive progression in just one season, I’m sure we’ll see even more in two or three seasons, we will become the county of choice.
“This is such an awesome feeling compared to last season, where we were basically down in the dumps. No environment can be nice when you’re losing the whole time. I’m just coming back from the Welsh Fire now and it’s impossible, because you can have as a good a time as you want off the field, but if you’re not performing on the field, it’s tough to create a healthy environment.
“It goes without saying that a good finish would mean so much, but the vision Mickey’s trying to create is not for that to be the be all and end all. We’re working towards something bigger that just scraping to get into Division One. In every training session, the intensity is there to improve and be more than just hoping to be in Division One one day.”
Looking ahead to next week’s game, Derbyshire will be looking for their first Incora County Ground victory of the red ball season, and du Plooy says the battling win over Worcestershire last time out should enthuse the bowling attack.
“It’s a win that we definitely need, if you look at the table,” he added.
“The thing we’ve got going for us is that we won the Worcestershire game when all signs pointed towards us losing on Day One, so our bowlers will have taken a lot of confidence by taking 20 wickets there.
“The Derby pitch has shown it’s good for batting, but you never know in cricket, you can think the pitch is flat and then be 100-5, so we’ll be looking to play the mental game against Durham and put them under pressure.”
England return to The Incora County Ground – tickets on sale now!
England are aiming to extend their unbeaten streak in Derby with T20 action against India this summer.
