The English domestic T20 tournament – the T20 Blast – begins on Wednesday evening with the counties embarking on a month of the shortest format of the game in what promises to be one of the best renewals of the event that there has been.
Nottinghamshire won the title on finals day at Edgbaston last year and they will be out to defend their title but a number of counties are concentrating on this competition so we are set for a competitive campaign.
Recent Winners
2017 – Nottinghamshire
2016 – Northamptonshire
2015 – Lancashire
2014 – Birmingham Bears
2013 – Northamptonshire
2012 – Hampshire
2011 – Leicestershire
2010 – Hampshire
2009 – Sussex
2008 – Middlesex
The Format
The 18 counties are split into two groups of nine – North and South – just like in the Royal London One Day Cup with each team playing the others in their groups once and then six more a second time to form 14 matches for each side. Once the group phase is over the top four in each group go into the knockout stages.
After the quarter finals have taken place the semi-finals and final take place on the best day of the year – finals day – at Edgbaston which this year will be held on September 15.
North Group
It is now five winners on the trot from the North Group with four different sides in that time winning the event. Both of last year’s finalists were from the North too. The nine teams in this group are Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Birmingham Bears, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Durham and Worcestershire. This is a really strong section all of a sudden.
South Group
It wasn’t too long ago that the South Group would dominate this competition and having had both finalists in the Royal London One Day Cup this season it might do again. Hampshire beat Kent in that final and they will be joined by Sussex, Middlesex, Gloucestershire, Glamorgan, Surrey, Somerset and Essex in what appears a very strong section on paper at least.
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Outright Betting
I’m going to take a team in each group outright as I so often do in this competition. In the North I am sticking with the Birmingham Bears. I backed their proper name Warwickshire for the One Day Cup and I’m still a bit disappointed they never made it through the group but I think they are ripe for a real good run at this competition. They have a wonderful blend of youth and experience, of power and class or touch, of seam and spin and as ever if they make it to finals day they play at home. I really like the squad that Ashley Giles has put together at Edgbaston and at 12/1 they are my main bet.
Kent may have lost the final of the One Day Cup but I’m expecting that to only act as motivation when they compete in this tournament. To be fair since they won the tournament their record has been patchy at best in this competition but they look to have an excellent squad this year with good overseas selections and a decent set of home grown talents. The South Group looks tougher to come through this year but they’ve done it in the 50 over competition and I’m expecting them to do it here which will make them genuine contenders.
Top Batsman
We have a couple of firms who have priced up the top batsman market and there are two standout picks in it. I said last year that Colin Ingram was the best one day batsman in the country and while he’s been caught up a little he’s still right up there so the 25/1 on him top scoring this season is massive. He will have seven matches on those short straight boundaries at Cardiff and then a number of good pitches in the South to bat on. We’ve seen him go well in the Ram Slam and the Big Bash in recent times and he can go well here too.
Sam Hain is one of the brightest talents in the country and his one day form this season for Warwickshire and England Lions has seen him bump his List A average over 70. He isn’t quite as eye catching in the average department in T20 but it is only a matter of time before his 50 over form is transferred into the 20 over sphere. If that is this season then he’ll be a big price at 25/1 to be the top batsman in the tournament.
Top Bowler
Given the summer we are having I’m expecting the spinners to have more of a say in this tournament than perhaps they normally might and one of the best of those in the country right now is the Lancashire leggie Matt Parkinson. Parkinson led the wicket taking charts in the One Day Cup despite Lancashire not making it out of the group stages and in the T20 Blast last year he only played nine times but still took 14 wickets at a strike rate of 13.7 balls per wicket. Those numbers make him a leading contender here and with Lancashire having the players to get out of the group his chances should only increase should they do so.
I will take one bowler as well because I think Olly Stone could make a real breakthrough in this tournament. It seems in the modern game that T20 is the route through to bigger and better things in terms of international honours and with Birmingham expected to go deep in this event I’m expecting Stone to really announce himself onto the world stage with his pace and quality.
Team Bets
Bet365 have priced up bets on the top batsmen and bowlers for each county so it would be wrong not to get stuck into them. I’ll begin with Essex where Ravi Bopara looks a great price to top score for them over the course of the tournament at 4/1. Bopara is a class act and can be the one they all bat around or the big hitter to launch an innings. He has experience around the world and is one of the best players of spin in the country which will be key in this weather. With that in mind I’ll take him to top score.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore announced himself on the scene in this tournament when he smoked an opening day ton in Worcestershire colours and he has had a good run in the One Day Cup this season too so the 5/2 on him top scoring for Yorkshire looks good. Kane Williamson’s game time keeps getting reduced while Yorkshire won’t see enough of the likes of David Willey, Joe Root or Jonny Bairstow. That makes Adam Lyth the danger but I’ll take TK-C to cover him.
Rashid Khan is a massive favourite to be the top Sussex bowler in this tournament but he isn’t playing many games so the bookmakers have that one all wrong. It should pay dividends to take him on with Jofra Archer who came of age in the winter and has picked up plenty of T20 experience in various tournaments. Archer will bowl in the key overs and injuries permitting will play the whole tournament. His extra games can see him cover Rashid Khan over the entire course.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman will probably miss the end of the tournament but he is a complete unknown at county level and could still lead Hampshire’s wicket taking. We saw good players of spin have no answer to him in the IPL and so English batsmen who are poor players of spin could be in a right twist facing him. He may only play 10 or so games but with Hampshire having a number of injuries in their attack I don’t expect many to play every game. That can keep Mujeeb in front when it comes to the wicket taking.
Tips
Back Birmingham Bears to win NatWest T20 Blast (e/w) for a 2/10 stake at 13.00 with 888sport (1/2 1-2)
Back them here:
Back Kent to win NatWest T20 Blast (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 17.00 with Boylesports (1/2 1-2)
Back them here:
Back C.Ingram Top Tournament Batsman (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with BetVictor (1/4 1-4)
Back S.Hain Top Tournament Batsman (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with BetVictor (1/4 1-4)
Back them here:
PLACED – Back M.Parkinson Top Tournament Bowler (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Bet365 (1/4 1-4)
Back O.Stone Top Tournament Bowler (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Bet365 (1/4 1-4)
Back R.Bopara Top Essex Tournament Batsman for a 2/10 stake at 5.00 with Bet365
Back T.Kohler-Cadmore Top Yorkshire Tournament Batsman for a 2/10 stake at 3.50 with Bet365
WON – Back J.Archer Top Sussex Tournament Bowler for a 2/10 stake at 4.33 with Bet365
Back M.Ul Rahman Top Hampshire Tournament Bowler for a 2/10 stake at 4.00 with Bet365
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