Three more matches take place in the NatWest T20 Blast on Sunday with the tournament reaching the halfway stage for some sides. With games beginning to run out and the tables taking shape now these games are important for all the teams.
We have a TV match on Sunday which is Birmingham Bears vs Lancashire while there are two others away from the cameras – Somerset vs Hampshire and Yorkshire vs Derbyshire. As ever we’ll begin this preview with the TV game.
Birmingham Bears vs Lancashire
This is a repeat of the 2014 final which the Bears won by just four runs and having started the season much the stronger they will be looking to win this match as well but Lancashire have shown occasional signs of coming to life so this one is nicely set up.
Birmingham have been going along nicely in this tournament but they rely an awful lot on their top two. They are the only ones for the tournament who have more than 100 runs to their names with the only other person having more than 50 being Varun Chopra and he only played when Sam Hain didn’t play.
We saw shades of that when Birmingham were on the box against Worcestershire. They were going along nicely and then lost their openers and fell in a heap so if Lancashire can get an early breakthrough then they might have plenty of joy in this one.
Lancashire have plenty of batsmen in the runs in this tournament. Three men have more than 100 and three more are approaching that tally so they look to have the better batting and I don’t think their bowling attack is that far behind especially if it is a sticky wicket which it might be with all the weather than has been around.
I’ll go with Lancashire to take this one back on a ground where they have good memories having won the tournament here last season.
Somerset vs Hampshire
Chris Gayle plays his final game for a Somerset side who are improving all the time in this competition. They welcome a stuttering Hampshire team to town but with all of their powerful batsmen back fit and in the squad this is a dangerous Hampshire side which will be making the trip to Taunton.
Sadly the weather forecast for this match isn’t great which puts me off getting involved in the game as the side who bats second are likely to have even more of a chance of winning the game than they normally do here.
Yorkshire vs Derbyshire
Two of the poorer sides in the North Group collide in this one but this isn’t a match for me to get involved in really. Yorkshire are still looking for their first win of the season and while it should come here they are plenty short enough to get it.
Derbyshire began the competition pretty well but have just started faltering in recent times and might be reverting to type which would be a side who have barely threatened to make it out of the group in the last few years. I’m not getting involved here.
Tips
Back Lancashire to beat Birmingham Bears for a 4/10 stake at 2.00 with Ladbrokes
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