Pre-Match Pack: Birmingham Bears

Derbyshire have named a 13-man for their Vitality Blast fixture against Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston tomorrow (6.15pm start).

Matt Critchley begins his stint as T20 captain, with Billy Godleman dropping out of the squad, while Tom Wood and Anuj Dal will undergo fitness tests prior to Thursday’s fixture.

Harry Came, Luis Reece and Leus du Plooy will all feature in the top order, as the Falcons aim to bounce back from the defeat to Leicestershire Foxes on Tuesday evening.

Logan van Beek (12), Fynn Hudson-Prentice (11) and George Scrimshaw (10) are all into double figures for Vitality Blast wickets this season, with the latter’s ten coming at an average of 15.

Derbyshire Squad: 

10. Luis Reece
24. Tom Wood
76. Leus du Plooy
20. Matt Critchley (C)
4. Harry Came
29. Brooke Guest
33. Fynn Hudson-Prentice
8. Michael Cohen
65. Anuj Dal
21. Mattie McKiernan
37. Logan van Beek
9. George Scrimshaw
3. Conor McKerr

Pre-Match Talk

Twenty20 Head Coach, Dominic Cork, has confirmed that Matt Critchley will take over as captain for the remainder of the Vitality Blast campaign, replacing Billy Godleman.

Godleman has struggled for form in the Twenty20 competition, while the Falcons have won just two of their first eight group stage matches.

Injuries to nine first-team players have previously prevented rotation at the top of the batting order, with the experienced duo of Wayne Madsen and Alex Hughes among those sidelined. However, the potential return of batsman Tom Wood and all-rounder Anuj Dal for Thursday’s game against Birmingham Bears has led Cork to make a tough decision on the captaincy.

24-year-old all-rounder, Critchley, will take over the role for the remaining six group fixtures, a decision Cork hopes will shake things up after two heavy defeats.

“I’ve spoken to Billy this morning, and I’ve decided, along with Dave Houghton and the rest of the coaches, now is the right time to pull him out of the cauldron,” he said.

“It’s been a tough time for Billy, he hasn’t shirked any responsibility, but as a coach, it would be unfair to just keep letting him go on and on. I’ve spoken to him, and he will come out of the squad to recharge his batteries.

“Knowing Billy, he will be raring to go when required and the Derbyshire supporters will hopefully reap the rewards of a refreshed Billy Godleman.

“Matt Critchley will captain through to the end. While you have that one sombre conversation with Billy, you have a bit more of an upbeat one with Critch. He’s excited and understands it’s an honour to captain this Club.

“He is really important for the future of this Club; he’s an exciting young player. He’s somebody who will go out there with his badge proudly in front, and I hope that he can energise us and get us back to winning ways because the last two games have not been good enough.”

Wood and Dal’s return would provide a huge boost for the Falcons, who are currently down to just 12 available contracted players, due to Alex Thomson being ineligible to feature on Thursday.

The pair will work on their fitness throughout Wednesday, before being tested prior to the match at Edgbaston.

“At the moment, we are down to 12 players, because Alex Thomson can’t play against his parent club,” said Cork.

“We’re looking to add Tom Wood and Anuj Dal to that squad, pending fitness tests and physio reports. They’re both working today, they’ll travel to Birmingham tomorrow and will have fitness tests before the game.

“So with Billy coming out and those two in, there will be a 13-man squad, and as players return from injury, they will be considered for selection.”

How to follow

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