Worcestershire vs Derbyshire, County Championship Divison Two, Today Match Prediction

wor vs derby Match Prediction & Analysis

Worcestershire have had a pretty decent start so far in this year’s County Championship Division Two. After seven matches, they are in fourth place with two wins, two losses, and three draws. They have 78 points in the bag and will next be clashing against Derbyshire, who continue to flounder at the bottom. Derbyshire are yet to win a game this season and are rooted in eighth place with three losses and three draws from six games, for a total of 40 points. They can still make a turnaround, as there are many games left in the season.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Worcestershire Preview

Worcestershire's most recent trio of matches has seen them secure one draw, suffer one loss, and claim one victory. What’s worked for them is their batting. Jake Libby has climbed to the top of the team’s batting charts this season after smashing 198 and 97, respectively, in their previous game against Sussex. The opener now has 536 runs from 10 innings at an average of 59.55, with two hundreds and one fifty.

Azhar Ali is another batter who has had a terrific season for Worcestershire. The No. 3 batter scored a fluent 101 in the second innings of the drawn match against Sussex, taking his tally to 438 runs from 14 innings at an average of 33.69.

Another player worth keeping an eye out for is all-rounder Matthew Waite. He’s been a crucial No. 7 batter for the team, scoring 375 runs in 13 innings at an average of 37.50. As a fast-medium bowler, he’s grabbed 19 wickets at an average of 27.47.

The standout bowler for the team this year, however, has been Joe Leach. The right-arm fast bowler has picked up 32 wickets from 13 innings at a really good average of 25.96.

Worcestershire Predicted Playing XI:

Azhar Ali, Jake Libby, Gareth Roderick (wk), Jack Haynes, Adam Hose, Brett D’Oliveira (c), Matthew Waite, Usama Mir, Joe Leach, Adam Finch, Ben Gibbon

Derbyshire Preview

Derbyshire haven’t had a lot going for them this season. After managing to draw two games in a row, they were thumped by 3 wickets by Yorkshire in Queen's Park, Chesterfield. It was their poor performance with the bat in the first innings, where they were shot out for just 111, that cost them the game. 

However, Derbyshire will take confidence from the way they came back in the second innings, by putting up 453 on the board despite being 17-4 at one point. Captain Leus du Plooy yet again came to their rescue with a brilliant 170 off 294 balls. He’s by far the team’s leading run-getter, with 560 runs in 10 innings at an average of 80. Du Plooy was involved in a 278-run partnership with Haider Ali, who was dismissed for a well-made 146. Ali now has 303 runs in 11 innings at an average of 30.30.

Derbyshire’s top-order has failed them this year and that’s one area they would need to address in the second half of the season.

Derbyshire’s bowling hasn’t been too great either. Among the notable performers are fast bowler Zak Chappell (13 wickets in 7 innings at an average of 35.69) and left-arm spinner Mark Watt (13 wickets in 5 innings at 27.53).

Derbyshire Predicted Playing XI:

Harry Came, Haider Ali, Brooke Guest (wk), Wayne Madsen, Leus du Plooy (c), Luis Reece, Matthew Lamb, Mark Watt, Alex Thomson, Ben Aitchison, Zak Chappell

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The track at the New Road Stadium in Worcester usually favors the batters but also provides considerable assistance to the seam bowlers on the first two days. In the last County Championship match played here, Leicestershire and Worcestershire were dismissed for 173 and 83 runs, respectively, in their first innings. The pitch does ease out as the game moves along and the last two days are the best for the batters to cash in.

The weather in Worcester during the game is expected to be mostly cloudy, with showers expected at different intervals. This should again help the seam bowlers get movement off the air. 

Venue Details

The average first innings score at New Road in the County Championship is 285 while the average fourth innings total here is 250. Surprisingly, the average third innings score here is the lowest – 194. The highest total posted at New Road in the County Championship is 580-6 by Durham against Worcestershire in 2022. The highest total posted here this year is Sussex’s 373 in the first innings of their match against Worcestershire. The team batting first here must look to post a score in the range of 350 runs at least.

Toss: To Bowl

Out of the three matches played at New Road in Worcester, two have been drawn and one has been won by the team bowling first. Worcester has usually favored the fielding side more and the team winning the toss should look to bowling first.