While most of the attention for the next few weeks is on The Hundred, the 18 counties get down and dirty in some 50 over action as the Metro Bank One Day Cup begins on Wednesday with the aim for all to get to Trent Bridge and try to win the title.
Leicestershire did exactly that in a pretty dramatic final a year ago and they will be looking to make a successful defence of the competition but there are a few counties in particular who will fancy their chances of coming out on top.
Recent Winners
2023 – Leicestershire
2022 – Kent
2021 – Glamorgan
2019 – Somerset
2018 – Hampshire
2017 – Nottinghamshire
2016 – Warwickshire
2015 – Gloucestershire
2014 – Durham
2013 – Nottinghamshire
The Format
The 18 counties are split up into two groups which this year are a bit of a mish mash rather than the North and South that we saw used in the Vitality Blast. Each team plays the other eight in their group once in the first stage of the tournament and then when that has concluded the top side in each table progress straight through to the semi-finals. The second team plays the third in the other group in a pair of quarter finals with the winners going through to meet one of the table toppers in the semi-finals. The final is at Trent Bridge on Sunday 22 September.
Group A
The beaten finalists Hampshire will look to go one better than they managed last year from Group A when they headline the group although the 2022 champions Kent will look to show that despite all the players they will be missing to The Hundred they can still land the title once again. Northamptonshire are one of those teams who you look down their squad for this competition and thing they should be in the mix but it never seems to happen for them. Durham, Lancashire and Somerset have all made the last eight of the Vitality Blast and they’ll be looking to back that up in this competition while Derbyshire, Worcestershire and Middlesex will be out to have much better 50 over campaigns than their 20 over ones.
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Group B
This is the group where Leicestershire will look to defend their title from. The Foxes have lost more players to The Hundred than last year but they are one of the few counties who have two overseas players. If their bowling can stand up they could go very well. Three big counties are in this group too with Surrey, Warwickshire and Yorkshire all looking to progress from this section while the 2021 winners Glamorgan are also in it as are Vitality Blast quarter finalists Gloucestershire and Sussex. Essex flattered to deceive in the 20 over competition and will want to go much better in the 50 over one with the same applying to Nottinghamshire as well.
Betting
The Vitality Blast campaign didn’t go as well as Yorkshire would have wanted it to but pretty much their whole bowling attack from that competition, with the exception of Jordan Thompson, will be available for them in this one so I fancy that even from the trickier of the two groups on paper, that the White Rose county could be the ones to beat here even though they are priced as one of the outsiders in the outright betting market.
My first thing in this tournament is I want an overseas player involved as it shows a statement of intent and Shan Masood will be around for the group phase. Were Yorkshire to get to the final they could have some big players back from The Hundred too. The other thing I like in this competition is a decent spin attack because often it is played on outgrounds and as the weather hots up the pitches get drier. Yorkshire tick that box. There are plenty of runs in their top six and their bowlers have been playing first team cricket all summer. At 16/1 I think they are a good bet here.
Tips
Back Yorkshire to win Metro Bank One Day Cup (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 17.00 with Bet365 (1/2 1-2)
