Three group matches in the South Group stages of the NatWestT20 Bast, England’s domestic T20 Cricket competition, on Thursday
The format of the competition is as follows:
Teams are split into 2 divisions (North and South) each containing 9 teams for the group stage of the competition. During the group stage (from July to September) each club plays 6 of the other teams in the same division twice, home and away. They play the other two teams only once, for a total of 14 games each. Teams receive two points for a win and one point for a tie or if the match is abandoned. Teams are ranked by total points, then net run rate. At the end of the group stage, the top four teams from each group enter the knockout stage. Northants are the defending champions,
It is a high variance betting format, both in terms of short individual games where single individual performances can be key and outright betting on the competition as a whole where adverse weather can play a part.
All times are BST all prices are with green listed bookmakers Bet365
2.30pm Gloucestershire v Kent
In their first match in this year’s competition Gloucs tied with Middlesex, batting first and nearly defending 182 at Cheltenham. A workmanlike side with one of the smaller playing budgets, they depend heavily on Australian opener Michael Klinger.
Kent won their first game at the small Beckenham out-ground, chasing a below par 166 for the loss of only three wickets to beat Essex
Kent are a talented and powerful batting side with young players up top in Bell-Drummond, Northeast and Billings and finishers down the order in the veteran Darren Stevens and Matt Coles.
At the prevailing prices 4/5 Kent and Evens Gloucs I prefer Kent with their greater firepower
6.15pm Middlesex v Surrey
Middlesex have real star power in the top four of their batting order in Brendon McCullum, Paul Stirling, Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan that tied their first game chasing 182. Middlesex should be one of the strongest teams in the competition but are perennial under-achievers in it
Surrey have a couple of match-winners of their own. Australian opener Aaron Fnch is a destructive T20 batsman, scoring 56 and 61 in the first two games of the competition and setting up two match-winning totals. New England one day bowler Tom Curran meanwhile has become feared bowler at the end of the innings taking 3- 28 and 2-23 to help his side defend scores away at Essex and home to Somerset
Surrey still have Sangakkara, Pietersen and Foakes to come back into this team and in their absence the side lacks some depth away from the star names. This is notable in the fifth bowler and an absence of late order hitting.
Bet365 sees this game as too close to call, pricing it at 10/11 each of two. At home I like Middlesex here, less dependent on a few star names than Surrey are.
7.00pm Essex v Somerset
Essex, one of the favourites headed into the tournament, have played two lost two but have plenty of time in a 14 match a side group stage to recover. Here at Chelmsford, a compact ground with big totals likely they are dangerous opponents. Mohammed Amir, Ravi Bopara and Ryan Ten Doeschate are their “go to” players but there is a weakness in top order firepower in the first power-play where the top three players are very conventional
Somerset lost their first game against Surrey at the Oval. Chasing 181 they subsided to 50-6 before New Zealand all-rounder Corey. Anderson got them close with a great innings of 81 off 45 balls with 7 sixes. If he gets going here, Chelmsford will not be big enough for him
Essex at home have been installed as margin favourites 4/5 to Somerset at Evens. Not a game I a confident enough to select!.
Calculators
