T20
Vitality T20 Blast Finals Day preview
The T20 Blast Finals Day is this Saturday and fast approaching, where the winner of this summer’s Blast will be crowned.
Edgbaston hosts the final showdown as Surrey face Somerset in the opening semi-final, before Gloucestershire take on Sussex and the winner of each meeting eachother in the final on Saturday evening.
The current betting to win the Blast is Surrey 2/1, Sussex 9/4, Somerset 5/2 and Gloucestershire 9/2.
Bet on the Vitality T20 Blast Finals Day here with William Hill.
Surrey vs Somerset
The first match on Saturday begins at 11am between outright favourites Surrey and Somerset, with Surrey marginally preferred at 4/5 to win the tie, with Somerset EVS. Somerset are looking to retain the trophy after their victory last year and they have a good chance of doing so against a depleted Surrey side here.
Many of Surrey’s star players have been called up to play for England this week, leaving them depleted in some areas. They will be without Will Jacks and Sam Curran this weekend but may have the talents of Ollie Pope and Jason Roy returning, both of whom will provide quality and experience in abundance.
Surrey could also welcome back wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who has been a revelation at Test level since making his England debut earlier this summer and has proved his bludgeoning ability with the bat in the middle order.
Somerset secured their pathway to finals day by seeing off Northamptonshire by 17 runs in the quarterfinals, with a rejuvenated Tom Banton once again leading the way with a scintillating 75 off 43 balls. Banton has endured a quiet couple of years but is beginning to look like the player that was called up to England’s white-ball setup in 2019 having racked up the fourth most runs in this year’s Blast at a strike rate of over 150.
Surrey meanwhile came through their quarter-final against Durham, winning by a comfortable five wickets after a brilliant 67 from 48 from Dom Sibley, including an uncharacteristic reverse scoop for six to bring up his fifty. He is a 16/5 shot to be the top batsman for Surrey again this weekend.
Gloucestershire vs Sussex
Following Surrey vs Somerset is Gloucestershire vs Sussex to see who will make up the T20 Blast Final. Sussex are favoured in the tie at 4/6, with Gloucestershire priced at 6/5.
Sussex will enter the match buoyed by their eight-wicket rout of Lancashire in the quarter-finals, largely against the odds. After bowling key batsman Phil Salt for a platinum duck, Lancashire limped to 114 all out, with James Coles (2-9) the pick of the Sussex bowlers and Jofra Archer (2-20) also back in the wickets.
Gloucestershire also overturned the odds in their quarterfinal by taking a Warwickshire-sized scalp, but their affair was a lot closer after setting a below-par 138 for their opponents to chase and winning by 14 runs to book their place in the semi-final. David Payne was outstanding for his 4-23 off four overs, while Aussie batsman Cameron Bancroft also chipped in with a calculated 43 off 35.
While Gloucestershire will take confidence in defending such a low total last time round, we like the look of Sussex here. Their bowling seems a level higher than their semi-final counterparts – something that goes a long way in the latter stages of tournaments.
