There were signs on Friday night at Edgbaston that this Bears team might just be hitting their straps. After an underwhelming first weekend of the T20 Blast campaign, edition 2025, they made an important breakthrough this week with victory over Yorkshire.

They went again on Sunday, in pleasant conditions, against lowly Derbyshire who were without a win in the competition themselves - and the Bears followed up that important first win with another highly convincing, ruthless victory.
Hassan Ali, who was wicketless on Friday but by no means out of sorts, stole the show with 6/23, figures which included a hat-trick. There were memories of Imran Tahir here, in a Hundred game against Welsh Fire back in 2021, when he too claimed a hat-trick as a part of his 5/25 - and also jetted across the pitch to perform his customary celebration.
The Bears set Derbyshire, who had put them in, 200 to chase down, a tally which never looked more out of reach than at the very beginning of said chase. The Falcons found themselves 1/2 in the early stages after George Garton caught off his bowling and then off Ed Barnard's first delivery.

Alex Davies and Tom Latham, just as they did on Friday, had earlier laid the platform for the Bears innings. The pair breezed through the powerplay and put on 79, before Davies was dismissed, adjudged caught behind off a wider ball from Pat Brown - a decision from the umpire which left the skipper bemused as he took his leave.

Latham was dropped a deep square leg on 40, and he'd take advantage to pass 50 on this occasion in measured fashion. Dan Mousley was unfortunate in the manner of his wicket, having settled in on 13 only for one delivery to dribble behind him and knock the bails off.

Sam Hain, too, was caught deep with batters still to come to the crease and time of the essence, although there was the growing chance this innings could peter out, but Moeen Ali wasn't letting that happen and, ably assisted by the explosive cameo of George Garton, the Bears raced up to 199 with 21 from the final over alone.

Caleb Jewel succumbed first when he pushed Garton's delivery straight back to him, before Aneurin Donald found the safe hands of Garton in the covers, sharply held off Barnard's bowling. The pick, though, came from Barnard himself, off the bowling of Hassan Ali when he took a powerful shot from Martin Andersson at backwards point, above his head.

The Bears fielded brilliantly throughout and held their catches. Garton had a third, off the bowling of Hassan, who deserved these wickets having been denied on Friday night. Just when the experienced pairing of Wayne Madsen and Ross Whiteley were gathering momentum - they put on 75 - Kai Smith was the safe hands in the deep to remove the former and reward Danny Briggs.