Robert Croft says Glamorgan will be prepared for a \'battle\' when they travel to face Derbyshire on Sunday.
The Glamorgan Head Coach says his team need to be ready to talke on an improved Derbyshire team, who drew at Gloucestershire last week.
Derbyshire, now captained by Billy Godleman, have recruited two fast bowlers: loanee Luke Fletcher and ex-Glamorgan man Andy Carter from Nottinghamshire, as well as New Zealand batsman Hamish Rutherford.
And Croft believes Glamorgan will be in for another tough match in the Specsavers County Championship at Derby.
He said: "There are no such thing as weak teams in this division anymore. If you look at Leicestershire’s signings and the way they’ve strengthened their squad, I think Derbyshire have done the same.
“Every game in this league is going to be very competitive, only one team can get out of the division and every team is gunning for that position. It’s going to be a battle either way.”
After picking an all-seam attack against Derbyshire, Croft said he would consider the balance of his bowling lineup, with Andrew Salter and Harry Podmore likely to be added to the squad.
He added: “We will look at the surface we’re going to play on and how the ground has performed in the past and then select a side that we think can win.
"If that means not picking a spinner or picking two spinners, then that’s what we’ll do."
Glamorgan's second game in the County Championship starts at 11am on Sunday.
Team News
Hamish Rutherford, the New Zealander whose century frustrated Glamorgan in a drawn match at Chesterfield last summer, will continue as Derbyshire’s captain in place of the injured Billy Godleman in the first match of the season at the 3aaa County Ground in Derby.
Glamorgan will again be missing Colin Ingram, the South African who missed their opening defeat by Leicestershire with a knee injury. Harry Podmore, on loan from Middlesex, and off-spinner Andrew Salter could come into their squad.
Stats (courtesy of Opta)
- Derbyshire have gone three games without a win against Glamorgan (D2 L1).
- Glamorgan have failed to claim victory in their last eight attempts away at Derbyshire (D4 L4).
- The Welsh side have gone nine matches without a win (D4 L5); having gone eight games unbeaten immediately before that run (W4 D4).
- Hamish Rutherford’s first County Championship ton came when these sides last met (July 2015).
- Derbyshire’s Wayne Madsen has scored 15 runs from reverse sweeps so far this season; seven more than anyone else.