It is the final night of group matches in the Vitality Blast on Friday evening and while there is only one match day left, there is still a number of things to be determined in what could be a truly dramatic night of 20 over action.
We know the identity of the quarter finalists in the North Group but the order is yet to be determined while in the South Group all but two sides can still make it into the top four so there will be twists and turns galore in that. Understandably that is where the TV action comes from.
North Group
Lancashire have all but secured top spot in the group and they host Leicestershire at Old Trafford looking to guarantee their position. Nottinghamshire can still replace them at the summit if Lancashire do slip up, assuming they can see off Durham at Trent Bridge. Worcestershire are already in the quarter finals but they will finish third is they beat Northamptonshire and will come second should they win and Nottinghamshire lose. The dead rubber in the group comes from Edgbaston as the Birmingham Bears take on Yorkshire with both teams playing purely for pride.
South Group
Everything is on the line in the South Group. The TV match comes from Taunton where Somerset take on Middlesex in what is basically a last 16 tie for both sides. Somerset will be in the last eight with a win while Middlesex need to win and hope another result goes their way to make it in. Hampshire are the other team on the outside looking to make it into the top four to progress. They take on Glamorgan down in Cardiff needing a win and then either Kent or Somerset to lose to qualify for the quarter finals. Kent head to Chelmsford to take on Essex knowing that if they win they are in. Essex need a big win and a number of other results to do their way. Sussex have already secured top spot in this group and they entertain Gloucestershire who look to have done enough to finish second.
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TV Match Betting
I like Somerset in the TV match. Middlesex have gone wrong at the worst possible time losing their last three matches with consummate ease and four of their last five completed matches. The one they won was rain-affected as well which doesn’t inspire confidence. To be fair Somerset have lost two of their last three matches but they were both away from home and in one of those they rain into the very best of Aaron Finch.
Somerset have won their last three at home though and have piled up the runs in those contests and it is that which can serve them well here. Middlesex have been kept to less than 160 in four of their last five completed matches which is not a good statistic at this stage of the tournament. Their bowling, so much a cause of their success, has only taken seven wickets in their last three matches which isn’t ideal either. If Middlesex are up to the task this will be a high scoring match but I’m not sure they will be.
Other Matches
Elsewhere although the Essex batting line up doesn’t convince me and I wouldn’t say I trust it, their bowlers have delivered the goods in recent times with Simon Harmer getting the best out of his attack, led by Mohammad Amir. Despite the reservation over their batting I do think Essex can beat Kent. Kent have hit the buffers at the wrong time. They won their first five matches in this group but have only won one of eight matches since then, losing five of them, with the last two defeats both coming in matches they had under control but failed to get over the line. Losing quickly becomes a habit in this competition and I fear it has set in at Kent. Essex played knockout cricket at Surrey on Thursday and came out on top. That can be good preparation for here.
I always like matches where a side plays for something against a team playing for nothing and we have that with Gloucestershire and Sussex down at Hove. I should firstly state that I’m not a fan of backing teams who played the day before but I wonder what intensity Sussex will have in this match knowing that they have already won the group. They are without a couple of key men in Jofra Archer and Alex Carey while a couple of other key men are injured. They’ve begun rotating their bowling attack which suggests they are looking for their squad ahead of the latter stages of the tournament. Gloucestershire should have a home tie in the next round but they’ll confirm it with a win here. They are overpriced to get that now their best player with the bat is back in form.
Tips
Back Somerset to beat Middlesex for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Coral
Back them here:
WON – Back Essex to beat Kent for a 4/10 stake at 2.00 with Betfred
Back them here:
WON – Back Gloucestershire to beat Sussex for a 4/10 stake at 2.25 with Betway
Back them here:
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