In a new series for this year's Vitality Blast, an expert eye will provide a deep dive into each of The Blaze and Notts Outlaws' Trent Bridge opponents.
The Outlaws' fourth home showdown of 2025 sees arch-rivals Derbyshire Falcons visit Trent Bridge, and the profile of Notts' nearest neighbours is provided by club photographer, historian, and long-time follower of Derbyshire, David Griffin.
Secure your seats to an unmissable clash of rivals here...
What have you made of Derbyshire’s start to the Vitality Blast this season?
“It’s been poor. It is not the way we expected the campaign to start.
“A really promising first half of the season in the Rothesay County Championship had raised confidence amongst members and supporters, and there was a genuine expectation that Derbyshire would do well in the short form of the game.
“Having said that, the defeat to Northants Steelbacks – by six runs – was a close one, and on another night might have brought us a victory.
“But the other matches have been lost by fairly large margins unfortunately.”
Ross Whiteley and Mohammad Ghazanfar lead the way with bat and ball, but alongside that duo, who are the key players?
“Well, Samit Patel is such a dynamic cricketer, and we definitely missed him at Edgbaston last Sunday. But his 83 off 50 balls against the Steelbacks was a magnificent knock and he generally keeps the runs down when he bowls.
“Ghazanfar, from Afghanistan and only 18 years old, has started well. He’s written as a right-arm off-break bowler but bowls a huge variety of deliveries, and has a very cool head on young shoulders.
“Caleb Jewell has impressed in both forms of the game so far this summer. The Tasmanian is a powerful left-handed opener who scored 232 against Kent in a Championship game last month and a very impressive 71 against the Steelbacks in the first T20 match.
“Aneurin Donald smashed a 21-ball fifty last Friday at Derby, an innings which included five sixes and when he’s in form, he’s really destructive and very entertaining.
“And of course, Wayne Madsen, despite being 41 is still a superb cricketer; he reached 5,000 career runs in T20 cricket earlier in the competition and has also become the first Derbyshire player to hit 100 sixes in this form of the game.”
Who are the young up-and-coming players worth keeping an eye on?
“Other than Ghazanfar, the side is largely made up of experienced players.
“However, Harry Moore, who is a very promising and highly-rated teenaged all-rounder was expected to feature, but has been suffering from injury.”
Based on what you’ve seen so far, what do you think Derbyshire need to do to put themselves back in contention?
“Win! A 14-game tournament does give teams the opportunity to recover from a poor start, but the wins need to come quickly and consistently. Hope springs eternal!”
