VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED!
Derbyshire’s vote for the All-Time Twenty20 side is underway, with a large number of entries already submitted on the opening day.
We take a closer look at the opening batters who have a chance of being selected in the All-Time XI, from players such as Michael Di Venuto, who played in the first Derbyshire Twenty20 game in 2003 and scored 67, to 2023 T20 Blast opener Luis Reece.
Di Venuto played only 21 matches over four seasons, due to the low number of fixtures per season, as the Twenty20 format was introduced in the county game. His average of 32.23 ranks highly compared to the other openers on the shortlist – an impressive stat considering the format was new to cricket when he was representing Derbyshire.
Two batters on the shortlist, Martin Guptill and Shan Masood, only represented Derbyshire during one season in T20s, but made significant impacts. New Zealander Guptill registered three half-centuries to Masood’s five, both had top scores in the seventies and struck a similar amount of boundaries, Guptill 64 and Masood 70 – but the Pakistan left-hander did it in one more game.
Wes Durston is one of only five men to register Twenty20 centuries for Derbyshire, and during his 81 matches in the format he scored 2114 runs, second to Wayne Madsen who is some way out in first place with 4117 runs.
Entering in the more recent years, Luis Reece, Hamish Rutherford and Billy Godleman have featured for the Falcons in the last decade. Rutherford played 19 times across two seasons, whereas Reece and Godleman both have amassed over 1000 runs in the format as batters for Derbyshire.
From Scorpions to Phantoms and Falcons, Derbyshire have had some brilliant Twenty20 players, including individuals from all across the world. Ahead of next season, we will announce Derbyshire’s greatest Twenty20 side, drawn up from players who have made outstanding contributions for the county.
For each position, there are different players available to choose from, including their Derbyshire statistics in this format. There is also an option to select the captain of your greatest Derbyshire T20 side, and put forward a ‘twelfth man’ – it maybe somebody you couldn’t quite squeeze into your side, or a player who you think is deserving to be in the original lists!
Voting closed on Sunday 5 November.
