Ten games spread across Thursday and Friday as we continue through the group stages of the T20 Blast competition
All times are BST, all prices are Bet365
Thursday
6.00pm Northants v Worcestershire
Northants, defending champions, are in the mix to qualify out of their group again with three wins, one no result and two losses from their six games to date. Worcestershire at home represents a chance to put another win on the board. Worcestershire got their first win of the season, a surprise result at Notts on Wednesday night, scoring over 200 and defending a total for the first time this season
Northants here are 4/6 favourites (Worcestershire 5/4), which is a backable price against a team that has been in poor form.
6.15pm Middlesex v Essex
Two teams who would have been expected to be in the mix at the top of the group table meet at Lords. Unfortunately for both teams, results so far have been mixed. Middlesex are bottom of the table at the half way stage with 2 wins, one no-result and four losses in their seven games. Very reliant on an explosive top 4, when they do not fire the rest of the team has lacked the depth to make up for them
Essex have an identical record, played seven, won two, four losses and one abandonment
This is even more of a surprise than Middlesex struggling as Essex have Mohammed Amir in their bowling ranks and experienced match winners like Bopara and Ten Doeschate in the batting. Again though, outside the star names there haven’t been consistent performances from many of the domestic names
Of course both teams can fire on their day. Odds here are Middlesex 4/5 and Essex Evens. I prefer the underdog for low stakes purely on value grounds
7.00pm Kent v Somerset
This is likely to be a close game between two sides outside the top four and the qualifying positions in the south group at the half way stage.
Kent have just won two of their six games to date. The batting line up is full of talent but the bowling department lacks go to bowlers to defend totals
Somerset have won three games, but had two games rained off in the West Country. They were at home on Wednesday to Hampshire and won by fourteen runs in a high scoring game to move into the top four
At the prices in green listed bookmaker Bet365, Kent 4/5 and Somerset 11/10 we have to back the underdog of two flawed teams
Friday
6.30pm Lancashire v Nottinghamshire
Lancashire lost at Derbyshire on Tuesday night, conceding 211 runs and losing by 30. Not many sides are going to chase 211 to win in T20 and Lancashire now have four wins from seven games and remain second in the table for now
Notts have recovered substantially from their slow start to the competition, winning three games in a row easily, with the batting line up in superb form. For example, This T20 Blast season in the Powerplay phase, the England opener Alex Hales has scored 176 runs off 91 balls (Run rate 11.60; boundary percentage 40.60%). At home to previously winless Worcestershire on Wednesday they had a chance to move into the top four but lost in one of the upsets of the season falling 13 runs short of chasing down 208
Lancashire are 11/10 home underdogs here, Notts 4/5. I like Lancashire at the price in what should be a close game.
6.30pm Leicestershire v Durham
Leicestershire have now lost their last two matches after a four game winning streak to start the competition. Warwickshire beat the by 30 runs on Tuesday night
Durham were abject in their loss to Notts, struggling to 123 and losing with four overs to spare and had to travel to Yorkshire on Wednesday night for another tough contest. They did well to restrict Yorks to 152 but once again fell short only managing 128 in reply.
Out of contention for the knockout stages, with results poor they have now lost seven games in the competition in a row and it is difficult to know what will change their form in this competition
Leicestershire are prohibitively short here, 1-2 with Durham at 9/5 in green listed bookmaker Bet365. No bet, instincitively want to back the underdog in a one off game but can’t here.
6.30pm Glamorgan v Surrey
Glamorgan went top of the South group (and no one would have expected that a month ago) with their win in Bristol on Tuesday night. They now have 4 wins an a no result
from their seven games. The recruitment of David Millar, who scored 50 of their 176 against Gloucestershire, gives them another match winner in a side that now contains four South Africans and its own star quality
Surrey are THE big name team on the competition and began the week top of the group and now have an identical record to Glamorgan. Their strengths are two-fold. Big hitting batsmen like Roy, Finch and Sangakkara and possibly the best death bowling line up in the competition with Tom Curran having made the difference in at least two games this season
Prices here are Glamorgan 6/5, Surrey 4/6. Glamorgan at 6/5 is very tempting, with Ingram and Millar capable of getting the upper hand
6.30pm Gloucestershire v Hampshire
Gloucestershire might have expected to chase down 176 to beat Glamorgan but fell 25 runs short with only their star batsman Michael Klinger making a meaningful contribution with 52. Gloucestershire now have seven points from six games, still in the top four for now
Hampshire at home is a tough prospect for the hosts here. Hampshire played Somerset on Thursday hoping to rebound from two successive losses after winning three from three to start but only managed 190 chasing 204 to fall to another loss and are now outside the top four in the group.
Hampshire are 8/11 favourites here, Gloucestershire 6/5 home underdogs. No bet, I think Hampshire are too good not to be winning games but don’t want to take 8/11 away from home.
7.00pm Derbyshire v Northants
Derbyshire are in the top four of the North Group, with four wins from seven games, having scored 211 batting first to beat Lancashire in midweek with Reece scoring 97 off 55 balls to anchor the total. With Imran Tahir and Viljoen on board, combining with unheralded domestic players really playing well Derbyshire are one of the surprise teams of the season.
Northants in the top four of the group and home to Worcestershire on Thursday will give as good as they get here in what should be a close high scoring contest
Derbyshire are priced as marginal favourites here 9/10 against Evens. Modest preference for Northants as underdogs
7.00pm Warwickshire v Yorkshire
Warwickshire are only outside the top four of the group on run rate after winning at Leicestershire on Tuesday night. They now have four wins from seven games in what began as an inconsistent T20 campaign
Yorkshire have won their last three matches and have five wins out of even, sitting top of the table and look like competition favourites tome with their depth of resources
David Willey is now the leading run-scorer (with 322 runs) & leading six-hitter (with 21 sixes) in the T20 Blast this season. Not bad for a bowling all-rounder!
Warwickshire are 6/5 underdogs, Yorkshire10/11. 10/11 is a perfectly ok price to back Yorkshire here
7.00pm Sussex v Middlesex
Sussex started the competition poorly with three losses but have picked up slightly winning two games. They are still underperforming relative to pre-tournament expectations though and needing a run of results to hit the top four.
The same applies to Middlesex, bottom of the table ahead of Thursday’s game against Essex with just two wins in seven games.
Prices here see another home underdog with Sussex at 11/10, Middlesex 9/10. Sussex have to be preferred for value at the prices.
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