The Vitality Blast continues with another bunch of matches on Sunday afternoon as both groups begin to pick up speed in the domestic T20 competition and with the weather good once again we should be set for more good action.
The ODI and the Indian Premier League semi-final have the TV attention on Sunday so if you have a bet and want to follow the progress of it then you’ll need to fire up the live stream which is offered by the home county.
North Group
We have three matches in the North Group on Sunday afternoon and the action begins at Grace Road where two sides who were beaten in their opening match take to the field when Worcestershire host Yorkshire. Two teams who won their opening match meet in the second game to get underway when Northamptonshire host Leicestershire at Wantage Road while in the other match Durham and Lancashire head up to Chester-le-Street looking to build on their wins in their respective outings on Saturday afternoon. That one is a late afternoon start because of the women’s match before it.
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South Group
We have three matches in the South Group in the late afternoon as well. The champions Gloucestershire will be out to bounce back from defeat in their opening match when they travel to Hove to take on a Sussex side who won their first game. Middlesex predictably lost their first game and will be looking to open up their tally for the tournament when they host a Glamorgan side who get their T20 season underway at Northwood. The other match comes from Chelmsford where Essex play host to the 2024 finalists Somerset looking to bounce back from their mauling by Hampshire in their opening game.
Betting
Two bets jump out at me on Sunday, one in each group. In the North Group I am expecting to see plenty of runs when Northamptonshire host Leicestershire. Both these sides showed their power with the bat in their opening game. Northants piled up 237 at Yorkshire while Leicestershire had an opener bang a 15-ball 50 and these two attacks could be the sort of cannon fodder needed to continue the pyrotechnics with the bat. With Rehan Ahmed and Josh Hull away with the England Lions, if you take David Willey out of the equation there isn’t really anything in either bowling unit which is going to trouble the batters on show here. Both sides have aggressive top fours and will be looking to impose themselves on the opposition and with all that in mind, 345.5 runs doesn’t look high enough for a line.
Speaking of low lines, there is another one at Northwood where Middlesex host Glamorgan. Part of me wants to back Glamorgan as the outsiders in this match. Middlesex shouldn’t be favourites against anyone in this format but this is the first game for the Welsh side which puts me off a little. Instead, I’ll take runs. This is a tiny school ground where the wicket is usually very good for batting. There were a couple of matches here two years ago, one of which was between these two where 238/3 played 209/5 and something similar certainly wouldn’t be a surprise. Sussex clobbered this Middlesex attack for 200 on Thursday evening and Glamorgan have the batting quality to do likewise but there is no reason why a Middlesex side with plenty of depth to their batting can’t meet fire with fire so this is the second match of the afternoon where the run line looks low. It is 363.5 here and the over looks good.
Tips
Back Northamptonshire vs Leicestershire – Over 345.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Back Middlesex vs Glamorgan – Over 363.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
