Derbyshire vs Middlesex, ENG DOMESTIC ODI, Today Match Prediction 27 July 2024

DER vs MID Match Prediction & Analysis

The Metro Bank One-Day Cup is finally underway, with the first round of matches completed. Derbyshire and Middlesex face off this Saturday in a pivotal Group A clash. Middlesex have had the upper hand over Derbyshire in recent years, but they have suffered a huge loss in their opening game this season. In contrast, Derbyshire are coming into this game with a thrilling win. The stage is set for an intriguing contest.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Derbyshire Preview

Derbyshire have started the new season with a close two-wicket win against Northamptonshire. Chasing a target of 236 in Northampton, Derbyshire were reeling at 79-7 at point, but an incredible fightback from Ross Whiteley (65 off 99) and Zak Chappell (94* off 87) took them over the line with eight balls to spare.

Derbyshire will be looking for some solid contributions from Luis Reece and Harry Came in this match. Both batters topped the batting charts for the team last season, with over 300 runs each. 

Brooke Guest and David Lloyd have also been consistent for Derbyshire and we are backing them for making some sort of impact in this game.

Among the bowlers, Zak Chappell had a great day with the ball as well against Northamptonshire, taking 4-39 in 10 overs. 

Samuel Conners, who was the leading wicket-taker for Derbyshire last year, will have a big role to play with the new ball. 

Derbyshire Predicted Playing XI:

Luis Reece, Harry Came, Brooke Guest (wk), David Lloyd, Matthew Lamb, Samit Patel (c), Ross Whiteley, Mitchell Wagstaff, Zak Chappell, Harry Moore, Samuel Conners

Middlesex Preview

Middlesex were given a proper thrashing in their season opener against Worcestershire. Their bowlers were first thrashed for 371 runs frim 50 overs and in reply, the batters folded for just 188.

Middlesex can cross this off as a bad day at the office and go back to the drawing board. They still have a pretty solid batting unit. 

Joe Cracknell was their leading run-getter last year with 290 runs in 7 innings at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 100. The opener failed to deliver in the first game, but we are backing him to have a good match here.

Captain Mark Stoneman was the only Middlesex batter to make an impression in the previous match, with a whirlwind knock of 75 off 37 balls. Stoneman was among the runs last year too, and it looks like he is all set for a big season this time.

The bowling unit was all over the place against Worcestershire, but that was probably because they were rusty. A better performance is expected from them in this game, particularly from Ethan Bamber, their most successful bowler in the One-Day Cup last year. 

Keep an eye out for leg-spinner Luke Hollman, too. After Bmaber, he was their most economical bowler in the previous match.

Middlesex Predicted Playing XI:

Joe Cracknell, Sam Robson, Nathan Fernandes, Mark Stoneman (c), Jack Davies (wk), Martin Andersson, Luke Hollman, Henry Brookes, Ethan Bamber, Noah Cornwell, Blake Cullen

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the County Ground in Derby is quite well-balanced, with assistance for both batters and bowlers. Like most venues in England, seamers will get movement here when the ball is new. Batters will have their chance to shine once they have settled down a little. Spinners may struggle due to the pitch's flat nature and the short boundaries.

A drizzle is expected in Derby on Saturday in the evening. This might disrupt the game for a while, but the overall weather will be mostly cloudy and breezy.  

DER vs MID Pitch Report

This is a good venue for batting and once batters get in, runs come in freely. The short boundaries mean that big scores are always a possibility here. Last season, three scores over 300 were posted here, with the highest being 333 by Somerset and Durham.

Toss: To Bowl

Historically, Derby has been a neutral venue for both batting and bowling. However, with rain forecast and breezy conditions expected, captains will likely opt to field first and aim for early breakthroughs.