‘Dare to dream’, Arthur tells his quarter-finalists
MICKEY Arthur says Derbyshire are daring to dream as they approach tomorrow’s Vitality Blast quarterfinal away to Somerset.
The county have to go into the game without their talismanic T20 captain Shan Masood, who is now away with Pakistan, but head of cricket Arthur believes his squad have the collective belief to cope.
Arthur has transformed Derbyshire’s approach this season and, after a poor start to the North Group campaign in which they lost four of their first six matches, they won seven of their last eight to qualify for the last eight with a game to spare.
But Arthur also says it is not enough to think that the achievement is reaching the quarter-finals. “We’re daring to dream,” he said. “It’s great to be here and of course you’ve got to be in this position to be able to go all the way and win the competition.
“It’s great to be in the quarter-final but that is just the start for us as a unit.
“We won’t be happy until we go to finals day and go one further. That’s where we sit as a squad at the minute.”
Although they had a 2-4 record after six matches, Arthur says it was the third match of the campaign, a nine-wicket win away to Yorkshire in a game reduced to eight overs a side, which reinforced his belief that the squad had what it takes to qualify.
“In a funny sort of way, we had always plotted a course,” he said.
“When we got on the bus and headed north to play Lancashire and Yorkshire, we knew we had to get one of the two.
“And I thought it was the game at Headingley (which was the turning point).
“I know that was a rain-shortened game but the way we approached that game and the quality that I saw from some of our players told me there was a lot of hope going forwards.
“I remember going back to the hotel room after that game and thinking ‘we can give this a real crack.’ It was that dressing room at Headingley when I knew we had a chance.”
As it happened, Derbyshire lost the next three.
They could not chase down a big 219-6 away to Lancashire, were well beaten at home by Nottinghamshire and the away to Northamptonshire.
The comeback began the night after that loss with a comfortable win on the road against Worcestershire.
“Obviously, it did get to a point where we needed to start winning games and winning them consistently, which we did through some fantastic performances from individuals and the team,” said Arthur.
“We’ve had some special performances. Obviously, Wayne Madsen has been magnificent. His innings the other day (a 47-ball century against Durham) was as good as you’ll ever see in this form of the game.
“Shan has led from the front with his weight of runs. But there have also been some wonderful cameos that go under the radar.
“Mattie McKiernan has been superb for us. I think he’s the best spinner outside of any that will be playing in the 100. Mark Watt’s performances have been exceptional so, along the way, guys have all played their roles. Little performances contribute to wins and, collectively, we’ve been very good.”
Inevitably, Arthur had to field the question about his side’s prospects without Masood but he would not be drawn on who will open the innings in Masood’s place.
“We’ll cope. Shan’s been a colossus, outstanding, with his runs and his presence in the dressing room,” he said.
“But we’ve carried a squad with us all the time. Everybody knows exactly where and how they fit in.
“We weren’t taken by surprise by Shan being gone around now. We planned for that and it presents an opportunity for someone else to come in and make a real mark for himself.”
With group stages divided into north and south and the Championship in two divisions, Somerset will be something of an unknown quantity tomorrow – but that will work both ways.
“Taunton is a wonderful venue, a great place to go and play cricket. I hope our boys will embrace the atmosphere,” said Arthur.
“It’s a different dynamic but we’ve done our homework on them. In the modern world now, there’s a lot of cross-over, with guys playing against each other, so it’s not that daunting.
“By the same token, they don’t know much about us, which is also good.
“But we’ll stay consistent with what our game plan and strategies have been through the whole year.
“You can analyse the other team but in the end it will be about us bringing our A game to Taunton because we know that if we do we’ve got a real good chance.”
Tomorrow: More from Mickey Arthur and Wayne Madsen on coming back from injury.