Derbyshire vs Lancashire, VITALITY T20 BLAST 2020, Today Match Prediction 31 Aug 2020

derby vs lancs Match Prediction & Analysis

Having enjoyed a largely successful campaign in last year’s Vitality Blast, Derbyshire’s 2020 season hasn’t started auspiciously. They split points in their tournament opener and then endured a heavy loss to Yorkshire in their next encounter.

More than the defeat, the manner in which it came might have shaken up the Derbyshire camp. They face the Lancs who started their campaign with a convincing win before sharing points due to rain in their second game. Still, early days in the competition and both sides will want to start creating some sort of momentum.

Lancashire’s batting unit, their top-order to be precise, was in excellent touch in their tournament opener and their duel with Derbyshire’s seemingly inefficient bowling attack will be a huge matchup in the context of this game. Derbyshire’s batting isn’t as much of a concern as they have some solid names in there, especially their skipper Billy Godleyman and Wayne Madsen. There are also some all-rounders in the side that lends extra balance to the squad.

The batting should take care of itself but against an explosive unit like Lancashire, Derbyshire’s bowlers have to be on their money or else another caning could be on the cards.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Derbyshire Preview

After the 99-run thrashing at the hands of Yorkshire, Godleman’s men will surely be hurt. Not only was it a fixture that Derbyshire were favourites to win but also the fact that they went down without a fight would have given a bitter feel to the camp. But things can turn around quickly in T20 cricket and that’s what Derbyshire will be eyeing in this fixture.

The bowling definitely needs a makeover though, and there could be some changes for this game in that department. The batting did fail totally in the previous game but that can happen when you have a target of 221 to chase. It’s either boom or bust and Derbyshire certainly fell apart.

There is a lot of assurance in the batting and that’s one area they won’t be concerned about. But to win games consistently, the bowling needs to perform and Godleman will have to weave a plan to maximise the limitations he has with this bowling squad. Edward Barnes is almost certain to get into the playing XI while there could be more alterations as well.

The skipper remains the team’s main man in the batting with Madsen being the other key component. However, the form of the others would also be vital if Derbyshire wants to go deep in the tournament.

Derbyshire Predicted Playing XI:

B Godleman(c), L Reece, W Madsen, A Hughes, L du Plooy, M Critchley, F Hudson-Prentice, M McKiernan, B Guest(wk), M Cohen, E Barnes

Derbyshire Actual Playing XI:

Wayne Madsen, Anuj Dal, Leus du Plooy, Matt Critchley, Edward Barnes, Harvey Hosein, Alex Hughes, Matt McKiernan, Luis Reece, Billy Godleman, Sam Conners

Lancashire Preview

Keaton Jennings stunned everyone with his sublime century in Lancashire’s opening fixture against Durham. That he produced the goods without being overtly agricultural in his approach augurs well for the opener. His presence lends stability to an otherwise ultra-aggressive top order that has Alex Davies, Steven Croft and skipper Dane Vilas in the mix.

The batting might be a bit top-heavy but if they do the job more often than not, Lancashire won’t be complaining at all. At the same time, they would be mindful of that wobbly middle order which does have depth in terms of batting potential but isn’t intimidating names out there. During the tourney, there will be times when the top order could be removed early and it’s on those days that Lancashire’s temperament as a batting unit will be tested.

As of now, they appear to be bubbling with confidence and will be raring to pick up maximum points from this fixture as well. The bowling does have too many all-rounders in there and while all of them are utility customers, there aren’t outright attacking options barring leg-spinner Matt Parkinson who is clearly their trump card in the bowling. The onus will be on the batsmen to set things up so that the bowlers can feed off that impetus and finish things off. Lancashire is likely to go with the same XI that played the opening game.

Lancashire Predicted Playing XI:

A Davies(wk), K Jennings, S Croft, D Vilas(c), J Bohannon, R Jones, D Lamb, T Hartley, T Bailey, L Hurt, M Parkinson

Lancashire Actual Playing XI:

Matt Parkinson, Steven Croft, Liam Hurt, Tom Hartley, Tom Bailey, Alex Davies, Rob Jones, Dane Vilas, Danny Lamb, Keaton Jennings, Josh Bohannon

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The weather has played spoilsport in many games of the T20 Blast this season but the forecast for this game looks better with no rain forecast. It could be a highly overcast day though, and the hope is that the forecast stays true because it can’t be said with certainty when it comes to English weather.

The pitch at Headingley usually favours the seamers when overcast but also remains dry with the surface expected to slow in the second half. All in all, a sporting deck.

Venue Details

Headingley is one of England’s iconic venues, having played the host to some of cricket’s most historical games. The crowd will be missed, given the flavour it generates but the venue is known to produce exciting games more often than not.

Toss: To Bat

With the rains expected to stay away, it’s advisable to bat first with the pitch predicted to be on the drier side. There should be a lot of runs in it but chasing could get tough if the surface slows down a lot.