Derbyshire vs Yorkshire, VITALITY T20 BLAST 2020, Today Match Prediction 20 Sep 2020

derby vs yorks Match Prediction & Analysis

Both teams were eliminated a few days back and head into this fixture with nothing but the cliched pride to play for. Yorkshire have once again been hit by the loss of key players to national duties and that situation was worsened by losing a few more big guns to suspected COVID19 cases. It’s no surprise that they have been unsettled badly and are on a losing streak.

Derbyshire’s campaign never really took off and for a side that made the quarterfinal last year, this was a stark contrast from the outset. Nothing has gone right for them through the season and are placed at the bottom of the table. A win won’t change much in terms of their position but will at least give them a minor consolation if at all. For Yorkshire, it’s pretty much the same as well along with the added bonus of being a home game and all teams love to finish on a high at their own ground. Apart from these minor sub-plots, there isn’t much context in this game.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Derbyshire Preview

Like every Blast season, Yorkshire were aware that they would miss their gun players to national duties. Joe Root’s availability was a boost in such circumstances and he’s made an impact in all the games he’s played. However, the rut started once he left for the England-Australia ODIs, and by the time he returned, the damage was already done. Furthermore, skipper David Willey and Tom Kohler-Cadmore were among the players who were moved away from the squad due to suspected COVID19 cases.

All this deflated the team’s resources and the Yorks couldn’t recover at all from these body blows. Their batting has been extremely thin as a result and the bowling was never that strong to win games on its own. Adam Lyth has been the stand-in captain due to these turn of events and he has had to fight a losing battle. Going into the last game of the season, Yorkshire will like to end things on a high. They have had to deal with a lot of uncontrollables in the season and therefore, they are unlikely to be too bothered with the way the campaign has gone.

Derbyshire Predicted Playing XI:

A Lyth(c), D Malan, J Root, H Brook, W Fraine, J Tattersall(wk), J Thompson, M Revis, D Olivier, J Shutt, S Wisniewski

Derbyshire Actual Playing XI:

Wayne Madsen, Anuj Dal, Leus du Plooy, Dustin Melton, Thomas Wood, Matt Critchley, Alex Hughes, Brooke Guest, Luis Reece, Billy Godleman, Sam Conners

Yorkshire Preview

Unlike their opponents, Derbyshire haven’t faced issues of player availability but it’s been a collective failure that’s seen them endure a dismal season. Skipper Billy Godleman and Wayne Madsen have been below-par in the season, and that has been a let-down after the duo’s exploits last year. That had a major say in Derbyshire’s fortunes last year and it’s no surprise that things have nose-dived this season. Rest of the team has been mediocre as well, putting way too much pressure on their gun players. The batting has often misfired and while bowlers may win you tournaments, the games need to be set up the batters. That’s where Derbyshire have struggled and they will have a hard look at themselves once this season ends. There is definitely potential but perhaps they need some new additions going into next season. The lower middle order needs some juggling around and it shall be interesting to see the route Derbyshire take after this shocking season

Yorkshire Predicted Playing XI:

B Godleman(c), W Madsen, L du Plooy, L Reece, M Critchley, A Hughes, A Dal, B Guest(wk), M McKiernan, M Cohen, D Melton

Yorkshire Actual Playing XI:

Joe Root, Sam Wisniewski, Duanne Olivier, Adam Lyth, Ben Birkhead, Will Fraine, Dawid Malan, Ben Coad, Matthew Revis, Harry Brook, Jordan Thompson

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Forecast is for a rain-free day with plenty of sun expected as well. The surface will be on the drier side and slow with some help for the spinners.

Venue Details

Headingley has been an iconic venue over the years both for the pitches and the crowd atmosphere. While this game won’t see crowds, another balanced surface is on the cards.

 

Toss: To Bat

Teams would want to bat first at this stage of the tournament due to the dying nature of the decks, especially those like Headingley which were already on the drier side.