The Vitality Blast has had a day off and it resumes on Tuesday when we head to the South Group for the clash between the leaders Somerset and the team bringing up the rear in Essex in a Taunton tussle.
Somerset will secure a quarter final spot once again with a win in this match and given that Essex have just one win to their name all season, the hosts will be warm favourites to secure it here. Essex showed on Sunday they can be dangerous though.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket channels with the build-up beginning shortly after the women’s match around 6pm. The first ball is 6.30pm.
Somerset
Somerset are becoming one of the reliable sides in the South Group in the T20 format and that remains the case this season. After their last-gasp win over Hampshire on Sunday, Somerset have an eight-point lead at the top of the table and a win here will move them into a position where not only will they nail down a quarter final spot, but would be tough to catch when it comes to stopping them claiming a home quarter final with a top two finish.
Somerset have two major strengths. The first is that they bat a long way down and we saw that at the Vitality Bowl at the weekend when their numbers seven and eight were hitting sixes to get them home. The other thing that they have are three bowlers in the powerplay who are very hard to get hold of and so they are often getting teams behind the game and force them to do things out of their comfort zone. Once that happens opponents crumble under pressure and play into the Somerset hands.
Essex
This has been a wretched campaign from start to finish for Essex but they gave themselves some solace on Sunday when they took care of a Surrey side that was absolutely stacked with internationals. That win has come far too late for them to have a chance of remaining in the competition beyond the group stage but it did highlight what they can do when it all comes together and should give them the confidence to spoil more parties before the season is done.
Essex have failed badly with the bat this term which is why it was a bit of a surprise that they got home against Surrey at the weekend. That batting was undoubtedly helped by it being a reduced game in terms of overs but they still had to belt the ball to the boundary which they did. If it clicks for them with the bat here then they can go toe-to-toe with anyone but it has to be said that with Sam Cook expected to be away with England there is a cannon fodder look to this bowling attack.
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Key Players
Lewis Goldsworthy has been a bit of a revelation for Somerset in this tournament. He has twice contributed strongly to victories with the bat and his left-arm spin has been useful as well, as it will be here on a warm day.
Paul Walter was the catalyst for the win over Surrey at the weekend. He was promoted to open the batting and he did it with brute force and clean hitting. His bowling hasn’t been on point yet but if it can be here he is a dangerman for Essex.
Betting
I don’t think I am hiding any secrets looking at the sixes in a match at Taunton but there is a lot to like about them in this match, not least the low looking line at 14.5. Essex are going to be missing their best seamer in Sam Cook who is away with England so that opens the door for Somerset to get off to flying start and generally when they do that all sorts of carnage ensues with the depth that they have to their batting so that certainly bodes well.
The other thing which supports taking the sixes here is Essex have nothing to play for so their batters can swing from the hip and look to do some damage and on this ground you would imagine that will be effective. Three of the five first innings on this ground this season have been over 200 and in those matches the second innings were all 190 or more so this remains a high scoring ground and over the course of the evening I fully expect more than 14.5 sixes here.
Tips
Back Over 14.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Boylesports
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