The first county will book their spot at Lord’s on Friday when Essex host Nottinghamshire in the opening semi-final of the Royal London One Day Cup at Chelmsford. These two were two of the favourites for the competition heading into it but only one will make the final next month.
Essex qualified automatically for this semi-final by virtue of winning the South Group while Nottinghamshire were forced to play a quarter final against Somerset which they survived in thrilling fashion.
Essex
Essex are in the middle of an incredible season. They won seven of their eight matches in the group stage of this competition with only Glamorgan good enough to beat them and that took a wonder knock from Colin Ingram and they sit top of the County Championship too so they will be flying heading into this match.
Essex have been a good one day side for a long while but haven’t had the silverware they should have to show for it. They have been guilty in the past of freezing in knockout matches and that is something they will need to guard against but they have plenty of top level experience in their squad which should help.
Nottinghamshire
It remains to be seen how the nerves are for Nottinghamshire. They are another side who don’t fare as well as they should in knockout cricket and even 430 was only just enough for them to defend at Somerset in the quarter final on Tuesday. While winning was good there must have been a lot about the win that concerned them.
The one thing that you know about Nottinghamshire is that runs are almost guaranteed with their powerful batting line up but their success very much depends on how their bowling attack performs. It might be full of internationals but that doesn’t mean it can’t go around the park as Somerset showed on Tuesday.
Team News
Essex will be without Matt Quinn which is a blow but Neil Wagner is back having missed some of the group stage. Alastair Cook is available at the top of the order for the Eagles.
Nottinghamshire will benefit by England’s Champions Trophy exit as it means they have Alex Hales and Jake Ball back for this match. Stuart Broad is also available for the game. Billy Root could miss out.
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Betting
We have the County Championship Division One and Division Two leaders going against each other in what should be a cracking contest here. These two sides are very good one day teams and there won’t be a lot between them. I suspect the side who handles the occasion the best will win but we are guessing at who that would be as both have shown frailties in big matches.
With that in mind my bets are going to come from the side markets. I expect Nottinghamshire to start this match strongly. They are usually fast starters and having Alex Hales back will only assist that. Their first 10 overs line is 52.5 but I expect Nottinghamshire to cover that on what is a tiny ground. They really go after the bowling from the off and with Hales, Lumb and Wessels in the top three they don’t lack for firepower to make it to 53 after the initial powerplay.
I’m expecting to see plenty of boundaries in this match. Both sides bat deep and have some brilliant batsmen. Nottinghamshire have just piled on the runs on one small ground and can do likewise here while Essex are batting well this season so a boundaries line on 61.5 may still be a little on the low side in perfect scoring conditions.
I didn’t think there would be a lot of value around in the top batsmen markets but Paddy Power have come up trumps for us with their 16/1 quotes about Ryan ten Doeschate. He already has a ton in the competition against Sussex this season and while the likes of Alastair Cook and Tom Westley are in great nick RtD is a class act in one day cricket and is a master of pacing an innings. If this international attack can get through Cook or Westley early the Essex skipper could be huge value to take advantage.
Tips
WON – Back Nottinghamshire 1st 10 Overs – Over 52.5 runs for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Coral
Back it here:
WON – Back Over 61.5 boundaries for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with William Hill
Back it here:
Back R.ten Doeschate Top Essex Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 17.00 with Paddy Power
Back him here:
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