Vitality Blast Preview: Derbyshire Falcons v Somerset
THE MATCH
Somerset take on Derbyshire Falcons at the Our Coop County Ground, Derby tomorrow (July 8th).
Tickets for this match are available now:
Somerset are currently sixth in the Central & West Group with 16 points from nine Blast matches.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
You can keep up to date using the dedicated Match Centre on this website.
There will be a live stream of this match provided by Derbyshire County Cricket Club.
In-play updates will also appear on our X feed (formerly Twitter).
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
Captain: Aneurin Donald
Overseas players: Caleb Jewell (Australia, all), Akif Javed (Pakistan, all), Mohammad Ghazanfar (Afghanistan, second half)
Finals Day appearances: One (2019)
Titles: None
2025 finish: 9th in North Group
2025 leading run-scorer: Anuerin Donald (449 runs)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar (16 wickets)
Key winter moves: Javed was a late replacement for leg spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, who was signed for the first half of the tournament but withdrew after his call up by Pakistan. Matt Montgomery’s move from neighbours Nottinghamshire will strengthen the batting and provide another spin option while Shoaib Bashir could play a part, England commitments permitting.
The big question: Do the Falcons have the bowling firepower to challenge for the knock-outs? Injuries to Harry Moore and Pat Brown have reduced the seam bowling options although Javed will bring pace and left-arm variety to the attack. Ghazanfar was one of the stars of last year’s Blast and his arrival for the second half of the tournament could be crucial.
Wildcard watch: Amrit Basra delivered some eye-catching innings in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup last season and has the potential to be a destructive force in the middle order. The 23-year-old all-rounder could also play an important role with his lively medium pace.
Final thought: The Falcons have proven T20 match-winners in Donald, Ghazanfar and Wayne Madsen but need to put together consistent performances as a team to compete. After last summer’s disappointing campaign, the only way is up and the Falcons will hope the arrival of Javed and Montgomery will give them momentum.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset are without Tom Abell (hand), Lewis Gregory (hamstring), Migael Pretorius (pectoral) and Tom Banton (international duty).
A starting XI will be named from the following squad:
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “It was a really comprehensive performance on Sunday. We talked before the game about going there and showcasing how good we actually are. Obviously, it’s been a relatively disappointing campaign in some respects, but that’s taken the pressure off a little bit. We know that every game now is a must-win and that’s quite a nice place to be with the pressure off.
“You could say that we went from one of our most disappointing performances up at Worcester to one of our better performances at Northants. I’ve never doubted the character in the dressing room, that’s for sure. There’s no doubt that belief has taken a little bit of a hit this year, but the way the players adapted to the game at Northampton was just incredible. Hopefully, that gives them a huge amount of confidence for the remainder of the competition. There’s still a huge amount of belief within the individuals and it’s about bringing that together collectively.
“We’ve not played a Blast game at Derbyshire, so it’ll be a new adventure for us. They’ve got a dangerous side, and we’ve had to do a little bit of a homework but it’s an exciting opportunity and we know what we’ve got to do. It’s about going out there, executing our skills really well, enjoying ourselves and trying to get the right result.”
CLASSIC MATCH
The only time the two sides have met in T20 cricket was in the Vitality Blast quarter final in 2022.
It was a match that saw Somerset come out on top by 191 runs thanks to an astonishing innings of 93 off just 36 balls from Rilee Rossouw.
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
If you are planning to attend the match, all the information you need can be found on the official Derbyshire CCC Website.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset are next in action on Friday (July 10th) when we take on Northants Steelbacks in the Vitality Blast at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton .
A limited number of tickets are available for this fixture.
