Nottinghamshire vs Derbyshire, VITALITY T20 BLAST 2020, Today Match Prediction 13 Sep 2020

notts vs derby Match Prediction & Analysis

This fixture on paper seems a massive mismatch, given the contrasting form of the two teams. The Notts have been in surreal form, swatting aside opponents effortlessly while Derbyshire is yet to find a winning combination this season. Add to this the fact that this is a home game for the Notts, and the odds seem heavily stacked in their favour. But the uncertainty that T20 brings means that we cannot rule out the visitors just yet, as the game isn’t played on paper. Still, it’s difficult to look past the Notts who have dominated opponents with the sheer force of their batting firepower and depth. They have won all their games chasing and as teams have found out, the Notts are extremely tough to restrict in a run chase. Derbyshire’s best chance of making a game out of this will be if they can win the toss and then opt to bowl, thereby putting the Notts in relatively unknown territory. Not that it ensures a win as it’s quite possible that they would then bat Derbyshire out of the game with their batting ammunition. But at least, the opposition will stand a chance there rather than allowing the Notts to do their favourite act of chasing. Derbyshire’s bowlers are down on confidence at the moment and how they fare against the Nott’s batting will be a massive sub-plot in this fixture.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Nottinghamshire Preview

In international cricket, Virat Kohli is the king of run chases and he might well be interested in the Notts if he wants to ever play the T20 Blast in future. Because such has been their clinical efficiency batting second, that they’ve hardly broken a sweat in chasing down targets, no matter how big or small they have been. The top-order, all either flamboyant stroke players or dangerous power hitters, are all in excellent form and the hitters in the lower middle-order give them such depth that it’s a scary unit to bowl to. Lancashire was the latest casualty as they found out how tough it is to defend a score against the Notts. While Alex Hales hasn’t lived up to his high standards, Joe Clarke has been in tremendous form at number three and he once again rose to the occasion in the previous game. For a change, the lower middle-order got some work and they duly did it, as Tom Moores and skipper Daniel Christian sealed the deal with three overs still left in a chase of 170. That’s how smooth they have rolled. The bowling doesn’t look powerful on paper but the Notts have found a way to work around it, and when the batting is in such strong form, it does take a lot of pressure off the bowlers. The only blip so to speak is that the Notts haven’t batted first in any of the games so far and they would want to try that out before the knockout stages.

Nottinghamshire Predicted Playing XI:

A Hales, C Nash, J Clarke, B Duckett, D Christian(c), T Moores(wk), S Mullaney, S Patel, I Wasim, L Fletcher, J Ball

Nottinghamshire Actual Playing XI:

Alex Hales, Steven Mullaney, Tom Moores, Matthew Carter, SI Wasim, Joe Clarke, Chris Nash, Ben Duckett, Samit Patel, Jake Ball, DT Christian

Derbyshire Preview

Winless in six games so far, Derbyshire have a mountain to climb if they are to even compete in this fixture. Their bowling concerns are huge and with Trent Bridge pitches being the way they have been, the tourists have major headaches. Not that the batting has been great either but they could probably enjoy the surface on view. The non-performance of skipper Billy Godleman and Wayne Madsen, the two big guns, continues to hurt Derbyshire and it now seems too late for the team to turn things around. The duo would still want to show what they are capable of, and if that happens, Derbyshire could get the desired boost they need in facing such a tough opponent. The bowling appears toothless with not much-attacking options or reliable choices, and on flat decks could become easy meat for the batsmen. Godleman will have to come up with plans to curb the Notts, as otherwise, things could get awry. Derbyshire could officially be knocked out if they lose this game although mathematical possibilities could continue even if they lose. Pressure time indeed for Derbyshire.

Derbyshire Predicted Playing XI:

B Godleman(c), L Reece, W Madsen, L du Plooy, M Critchley, M McKiernan, A Dal, H Hosein(wk), M Cohen, E Barnes, S Conners

Derbyshire Actual Playing XI:

Michael Cohen, Wayne Madsen, Anuj Dal, Leus du Plooy, Dustin Melton, Matt Critchley, Harvey Hosein, Alex Hughes, Matt McKiernan, Luis Reece, Billy Godleman

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The surface at Trent Bridge should be another batting beauty with the batsmen likely to have a gala time once again. Weather seems alright with projection of rain, and with a bit of sun also expected at different times.

Venue Details

Trent Bridge remains one of England’s classical venues both for Test cricket and limited-overs cricket, providing contrasting conditions for both.

Toss: To Bowl

Teams have preferred to chase at Trent Bridge due to the extreme batting conditions that are unlikely to change across the 40 overs.