Pete Steindl won’t panic as Scots ‘are improving’

Peter Steindl: Improving side. Picture: SNS

The Saltires have still to break their YB40 duck after Tuesday’s defeat against Lancashire – and have a further chance to do so when they face Derbyshire under the floodlights at the County Ground this evening.

But coach Steindl is convinced his young side are heading in the right direction, saying: “The important thing is that the players are improving and we saw evidence of that at Old Trafford.

“We were on the back of a poor performance at Durham when we were dismissed for 91.

“But the captain still had the confidence to bat after winning the toss and two of the guys [Freddie Coleman and Calum MacLeod] responded by scoring half-centuries.

“It was frustrating that we didn’t take advantage of a good position but a few of the players showed that they are winning their personal battles.”

Steindl’s men had reached 190-3 going into the four batting power-play overs and looked on course to score at least 250, especially with big-hitting Neil Carter waiting to bat.

Instead they lost six wickets for just 24 runs and, amazingly, Carter did not appear until the ninth wicket had fallen, coming in to face just one delivery as the total limped to 217-9.

Steindl defended that decision saying: “Neil has opened a couple of times and it didn’t come off. We also have guys further down who have pretty settled positions in the order and know their roles and we didn’t want to interfere with that.

“Nobody could have foreseen we would lose so many wickets the way we did and that was the most disappointing thing about the Lancashire game.

“But the pleasing aspect was the way we got the Durham game out of our system and we are looking to take that on against Derbyshire.

“The players must only focus on their performance – if they do that then results will come.”

Steindl may give Glamorgan teenager Ruaidhri Smith a second taste of YB40 action despite a difficult debut against Durham.