So what sort of challenge will the Championship pose for the Foxes this season, or perhaps more appropriate what challenge will the foxes pose? The first thing to say is how amazing it was to see such a good track produced, for the first game. With the weather we have suffered this 'spring' the prospect of the away side wanting to bat first was quite frankly remarkable; well done Andy Ward & team. Muhammad Abbas looks every inch a quality bowler (England beware) and offers that nagging accuracy so badly missing for long periods of seasons past, just a shame we will have to wait until August to see him again. Lets hope that his replacement Varun Aaron is from a similar mould. The highlight was undoubtedly the batting on Saturday & Sunday of Colin Ackermann. We only saw glimpses of this mans talent last year, lets hope that in his 2nd season he feels more at home both with the schedule and the regime now in place, because this was an early season innings of the highest quality. Cozzie was, well Cozzie. I am sure everyone breathed a big sigh of relief that he looks to have returned showing no ill effects from the Captaincy saga at the end of last season. Do we have the resources to bowl sides out twice and actually win a match, on flat pitches in the summer maybe not. Oh hold on a minute we don't play Championship cricket in the summer any more do we. So with early and late season movement we may just have enough to take 20 wickets. It was clear to see Matt Mason's influence on both Gav Griffiths and Parky who both bowled with a greater maturity than we have seen before. I remain nervous about our batting and the ability to consistently make big scores. If anything disappointed a little about game 1 it was our reluctance to press on for an additional batting point when the opportunity presented itself. And so to round 2 and a Derbyshire side flush with the success of a first home win since 2014. We have named 12 and with Ned Eckersley fit again I suspect the choice will come down to playing an extra batter in Hill with Klein missing out or Klein plays and Lewis is the one to carry the water.
With the forecast as depressing as anything seen to date I suspect we will have to wait until saturday for that decision and I wouldn't expect anything other than the foxes being 'invited' to bat, leaving the way clear for our old friend Wayne Madsen to get his customary 100 when conditions improve a little. Pack you blankets, flasks of hot soup and hand warmers, put on your fleece lined long johns as when it does dry up expect it to be a good 10 to 15 degrees colder than last Saturday Well its wet, not just wet but sodden, dripping; it feels more like November than April and those of us counting down the days to the start of another season will have to wait a bit longer for the action to start. So what can we expect when the sun finally comes out and play gets under way? With the first 3 championship matches at home there is a fair bet that we will be asked to bat first. Perhaps someone will emulate the achievements of C.J.B Wood that revered opening bat of a hundred years ago. In 1911 he created (a then unique) record becoming the first player to carry his bat through both innings and score a hundred in each innings. The 9th Duke of Rutland, later to become president of the Club sent good old Cecil a telegram which read: "Many congratulations to you on your wonderful achievement. I hope the rest of the Xl will put their backs into the game and help to win a match soon" A sentiment all followers of our beloved Foxes will echo 107 years on ! Did we get any clues from the 2 and a bit days of practice so far, well not many. The coach writing in this weeks 'TheCricket Paper' suggests that he is pretty much decided on the 13 man squad for Sussex next week. If so then its probably fair to say that the batting is going to centre around Carberry, Horton, Dexter, Cosgrove & Ackermann and the bowling around Chappell, Raine, Griffiths, & Klein. Of course we have not yet seen our overseas wizz Muhammad Abbas but I would expect him to feature. Nico looks to be keeping us guessing over the wicketkeeping slot with both Ned Eckersley and Lewis Hill sharing the duties in the practice games. He is one of the most naturally gifted players we have in the squad and with his cultured 85 against Notts I would be disappointed if Lewis Hill were to miss out. So what of new recruit Ateeq Javid and Parky. I guess with things being so wet you could argue there is no place for a spinner but I really hope not. We suffered so much last season through a lack of variation in the bowling dept that I would like to think we build some sort of strategy around getting Parky as much game time as possible. He proved last season in August & September that he is a real wicket taker. I just hope that the selection lottery of last season is a thing of the past and we show some consistency from the off. For what its worth and a week away from that first game, I would go with 1. M.Carberry 2. P.Horton 3. N Dexter 4. M.Cosgrove 5. C.Ackermann 6. L Hill 7. B.Raine 8. Z Chappell 9. C.Parkinson 10. G.Griffiths 11. M.Abbas It's the 20 year anniversary of our last winning of the trophy for 'proper cricket' but I find professional sports people are not big on history & records they perform in the here and now. Preferring to focus on the moment not the past.
Its the older times like me that live on the memories, each year I dust off the commemorative plate from 1998 and wonder what might be, I know languishing in the 2nd tier that past glories are some way off but with a new coach fresh optimism 2018 might just be a step in the right direction. |
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September 2023
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