The English domestic 50 over competition concludes on Saturday when two South Group sides head to Lord’s for the final of the Royal London One Day Cup. Kent take on Hampshire with the first silverware of the county season on the line on what is expected to be a beautiful day for cricket in London.
For much of the group stage these two sides were the top two in the South so it is probably fitting that they are the ones who have made it through to this showpiece occasion. Both have good one day pedigrees so we’re all set for a cracking final.
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Kent
You have to give Kent plenty of credit for making it to this final as they made themselves do it the hard way. By losing their final group match to Essex they lost control of early home advantage so they were made to go and beat defending champions Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in the quarter final and then North Group winners Worcestershire in the semi-final. Both were dispatched in ruthless style.
Kent owe much of their success in this campaign to their batting although that is no surprise. It has been their strongest suit for a while but we saw in the Championship win over Middlesex in midweek that they have the potential to be deadly with the ball too when they need to be. You would think it will be their insanely strong batting line up which will need to get the job done for them here.
Hampshire
The former champions Hampshire have had a couple of lean years in 50 over cricket but they have made their way back to the final and will be considered favourites to land the title. I don’t necessarily think they have been at their best in this tournament, with their lower order having to bail them out too many times for comfort, but they know how to win one day matches which is often invaluable.
One thing which will give Hampshire extreme confidence going into this match is the fact that their batsmen look to be finding form at the right time. They usually always bowl well in limited overs cricket with a host of variety in their midst so when they bat well they are often a force to be reckoned with.
Team News
Kent appear to be at full strength for this final with Sam Billings released from England duty for the match and Matt Henry taking his place in the 15 man squad they have named. Heino Kuhn looks to be their dangerman.
Hampshire are also looking close to full strength although Mason Crane and Brad Taylor could miss out. Liam Dawson and Reece Topley are back from England Lions duty and Dale Steyn will be included after being rested for the Championship match in the week.
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Betting
The group match between these two was high scoring and on a good Lord’s wicket on a beautiful sunny day where the weather in the lead up to the final has been good I expect the runs to flow once again. 296 played 295 when they met at the Ageas Bowl and we saw a high scoring final here last year. These two have sensationally good batting line ups and both bat very deep. It all equates to there being more than 550.5 runs in this match.
Liam Dawson has been on fire for the England Lions recently with four wickets in three of the four matches he has played and scores of 28* and 38 with the bat. He snaffled four scalps in the semi-final and in the other match he played in the tournament against Somerset he made 76 with the bat and took two wickets so he’s in great form in limited overs cricket right now which makes me think his performance line of 49.5 is on the low side.
Rilee Rossouw has been in good touch with the bat for Hampshire in recent times and his century in the Championship in midweek should have primed him up nicely for this final. He’s an international cricketer so he should be a big game player so I’m expecting him to turn up and be counted here. He already has a century and another big 50 in the tournament so the 5/2 on Rossouw to hit 50 and Hampshire to win looks good to me too.
Alex Blake is a regular pain in the backside of Hampshire. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been and watched this fixture in the 50 over or T20 format and watched him tee off successfully and I wouldn’t be surprised if he does it again here. He’s been in good form in this competition. His last six scores have been 41, 30, 59, 44*, 41 and 61 in the semi-final. Form like that and a record against Hampshire like the one he has makes me think he’s worth a small top batsman punt at 8/1.
Tips
WON – Back R.Rossouw to score 50 and Hampshire to win for a 2/10 stake at 3.50 with Ladbrokes
Back it here:
Back A.Blake Top Kent Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 9.00 with Betfair
Back him here:
WON – Back Over 550.5 runs for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Back L.Dawson’s Performance – Over 49.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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