Derbyshire vs Kent, County Championship Two, Today Match Prediction

DER vs KENT Match Prediction & Analysis

Derbyshire will take on Kent in their 4th home game of the season. The hosts have been unbeaten so far in the County Championship Division Two. Since their win in the opening game in Derby, 5 of Derbyshire’s matches ended in a draw.

Kent bounced back in their recent match with an improved batting performance in the first innings. Despite a 400+ 1st innings total, Kent ended up suffering a 3rd straight defeat.

Skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond and openers Ben Compton and Harry Finch are out of form. Lack of runs from the top 4 has hurt Kent’s chances in recent matches.

Derbyshire have reliable wicket-takers in their squad. Luis Reece, Blair Tickner, and Zak Chappell will pose the visitors a tough challenge. The home team has the upperhand going into this match.

Kent have not only struggled with the bat, but have also been expensive with the ball, conceding over 400 runs in the first innings of their last two Tests.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Derbyshire Preview

Derbyshire will be confident coming into this match. They have been very competitive at the County Ground in Derby, where they won their opening match of the season. Skipper Wayne Madson replaced Luis Reece with Ben Atichison in the last game in Manchester.

Atichison picked up 3 wickets in the first innings and ended with 1 for 45 from 9 Overs in the second. Reece is an all-rounder who plays a crucial role in the lower middle order.

We reckon he’s a much better choice and will strengthen Derbyshire’s XI. Madson will be hoping for a better outing with the bat in this game. Derbyshire fell behind Lancashire’s 1st innings total and were even worse in the 2nd innings.

They were very close to what could have been their first loss of the season. The batting lineup is deep with Reece and Alex Thomson also scoring fifties at 8 and 9. However, David Lloyd, Caleb Jewell, and Harry Came must find consistency in the top 4 to set a more competitive 1st innings total.

They’ve also got Brooke Guest and Martin Andersson in the middle order. There is a lot of potential in this lineup but they’ve lacked big performances from key players.

Andersson is also quite decent with the ball and will be one to watch out for, along with Anuj Dal and D Lloyd. There is a great variety in the bowling attack, and that will be their biggest strength going into this match.

Derbyshire Predicted Playing XI:

David Lloyd, Caleb Jewell, Harry Came, Wayne Madsen (c), Brooke Guest (wk), Luis Reece, Alex Thomson, Anuj Dal, Martin Andersson, Zak Chappell, Blair Tickner

Kent Preview

Kent have lost 3 matches on the trot. After the first two losses which Kent failed miserably with the bat, the lower order batters staged a comeback in the last game with some brilliant performances to lead Kent to 424 runs in the first innings.

On paper, Kent’s batting order looks much stronger than the opposition. Harry Finch, Ben Compton, and Daniel Bell-Drummond are quality players in the top 3 who can play a big knock.

T Muyeye and Jack Leaning in the middle order are even more promising with their batting abilities. However, it was Chris Benjamin at number 6 and Grant Stewart at number 8 who led Kent’s batting effort in the recent loss.

Scoring 93 and 182 respectively, the two players turned the game around, taking Kent from 137 for 6 to 401 for 7. Benjamin has scored 58, 93, 7, and 94 in his last two matches.

He is a key batter to watch out for in this lineup. Kent need their top and middle order to also step up and deliver to put an end to their losing streak. Nathan Gilchrist, Jake Ball, and Kashif Ali show great promise with the ball, but haven’t been in their best rhythm lately.

The bowling attack has changed a lot in the last three matches. The frequent changes may not be a good idea. They should consider bringing Matthew Parkinson back into the XI for this game.

Kent Predicted Playing XI:

Harry Finch (wk), Ben Compton, Daniel Bell-Drummond (c), Tawanda Muyeye, Jack Leaning, Chris Benjamin, Jaydn Denly, Grant Stewart, Jake Ball, Matthew Parkinson, Nathan Gilchrist

Weather Conditions

It will be cloudy with a high of 19 degrees Celsius on Day 1 of the Test, while light rain is expected on Day 2. The forecast for the remaining days of the match is partly cloudy. Rain could affect the game and might even lose few hours of play on Day 2.

DER vs KENT Pitch Report

It is a fine wicket that offers plenty of help for the batters on Day 1 and 2. The team batting first should look to get as many runs as possible on the first day. The light rain expected on the second day could help the bowlers. The average 1st innings score in the last 3 Tests at this venue is 333 runs. We reckon if the team batting first can score 400 or more, they will have a significant advantage over the other team.

Toss: To Bat

So far this season, there has been only one match in Derby that did not end in a draw, and it was won by the team bowling first. However, considering how the other 4 games at this venue fared, we reckon batting first can be advantageous. Chasing a 300+ total in the fourth innings will not be easy on this ground.