The second semi-final of the NatWest T20 Blast sees two of the best limited overs sides in the country going at it for a place in the final later in the evening. Hampshire take on Nottinghamshire in the afternoon match at Edgbaston with both looking to make another showpiece final.
Hampshire are twice winners of this competition but have never won it at the Birmingham venue while Nottinghamshire have surprisingly never got their hands on this trophy but are looking for a limited overs double having claimed the Royal London One Day Cup earlier in the season.
Hampshire
This hasn’t been a vintage Hampshire campaign. Usually they are pretty dominant in the South Group and qualify for finals day in red hot form. They have not always produced their best this season but we saw in the quarter final that when they do click they remain a formidable outfit in this format.
This will be the sixth time in seven years that Hampshire have been to Finals Day so the experience of the occasion in their squad should give them plenty of confidence going in here even if they have lost all three semi-finals they have played on this ground. If their bowling attack fires this could be their day.
Nottinghamshire
It has been a very high scoring campaign for Nottinghamshire. They have played on some pretty short boundaries but their intent and their philosophy is clear for all to see. Go hard from ball one and keep on going hard. So far that has worked but one indifferent passage of play, especially with the bat, could be so costly.
One issue the One Day Cup winners might have is that their bowling attack has been carted far too often this season. In a knockout match if they bat first and don’t put up the seismic totals they have been doing can they defend a moderate score? Time will tell on that of course but it is a pertinent question for sure.
Team News
Hampshire have the services of Mason Crane for the day which means they are likely to be unchanged from their quarter final unless they go for more experience over Callum Dickinson.
Nottinghamshire will be able to call on Stuart Broad after England released him for the day. Dan Christian has remained around to captain against his former side and the club he won the tournament with in 2010.
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Betting
I see no reason why the sixes are not going to flow in this match. We’ve seen all summer that Nottinghamshire bat in only one way and that is to pin the ears back and let it fly but their bowling attack ships sixes at a pretty hefty rate.
I believe this will be a high scoring match but with the amount of spin overs likely to be bowled I think taking the sixes is the way forward rather than the boundaries or even the total runs. A dozen isn’t that many with the firepower that is on show with these two sides so that is my first bet.
Tom Alsop has had a decent season with the bat for Hampshire and at 11/1 he could be overpriced to top score for them here. There is the potential that he drops down the order if Afridi is sent up to open but at the same time Afridi could open with Vince which would keep Alsop in a decent position. At the price it is worth paying to see how he goes.
It is also worth paying to see how Samit Patel does in this semi-final. We know he will open the bowling and if he gets someone like Vince or Afridi early on then that will be a big moment in the game. He is also in sublime form with the bat and with England’s middle order anything but secure a performance on this stage could have big implications on the future. For a guy who will be in the game a lot 14/1 that he top scores is too big to ignore.
Tips
WON – Back 12 or more sixes for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Back it here:
Back T.Alsop Top Hampshire Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 12.00 with Betfair
Back him here:
Back S.Patel Man of the Match for a 1/10 stake at 15.00 with 888sport
Back him here:
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