Derbyshire squares off against Leicestershire in the 2nd North Group fixture in T20 Blast 2020.
Team Previews
Derbyshire will start their domestic T20 campaign against Leicestershire. Derby was the semifinalist in the previous season, losing to eventual title winner Essex by 34 runs. Derbyshire will be lead by Billy Godleman who will give strength to the top-order along with Wayne Madsen. Both Derby players scored 453 and 464 runs respectively to guide their side to the T20 Blast semifinal. The batting is Derbyshire’s major strength but they need to expect the same from the bowling unit. In spin, they have Critchley and in the pace-attack, they rely on Reece, Michael Cohen, Sam Conners, Ed Barnes, and Fynn Hudson-Prentice. Ben Aitchison has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury. The leading wicket-taker of the last season, Rampaul has also been ruled out due to the travel restrictions.
Meanwhile, 3-times Blast winner Leicestershire hope to forget the last season where they finished 7th in the North-Division. Skipper Colin Ackermann would expect the other players to put more effort to support him throughout the season. With the record-breaking 7 for 18, Ackermann was terrific in 2019. Paul Nixon cannot be ignored. Ackermann requires the performance from the bowling unit. Skipper would lead the attack with Parkinson and Lilley to put the opposition under pressure.
Pitch Report
Grace Road, Leicestershire will host the match between Derbyshire vs Leicestershire. Grace Road is a fine batting track and witnessed 255 by Yorkshire in the last season. It offers good help to pacers in first hour. Spin can control the runs in middle but it’s track for the batting in the shorter format.
Final Squads
Derbyshire
Billy Godleman, Luis Reece, Wayne Madsen, Leus du Plooy, Alex Hughes, Harvey Hosein, Matt Critchley, Fynn Hudson Prentice, Anuj Dal, Ben Aitchison, Michael Cohen
Leicestershire
Swindles, Lilley, Ackermann, Delany, Dearden, Mike, Taylor, Parkinson, Griffiths, Davis, Wright
Key Players
Derbyshire
Wayne Madsen
Last Season: M: 14, Runs: 464, Avg: 46.40, SR: 146.83
Billy Godleman
Last Season: M: 14, Runs: 453, Avg: 41.18
Leicestershire
Colin Ackermann
Last Season: M: 13, Runs: 342, Wickets: 13
Parkinson
Last Season: M: 13, Wickets: 12, Avg: 25.75
