T20 Blast!
Full preview of Saturday’s 20-over showpiece
EDGBASTON is bracing itself for a Northern invasion tomorrow after the south’s big-hitters failed to crash the party.
Notts Outlaws’ guest of honour will be Andre Russell, after the allrounder was released by West Indies for the finale.
And in a semi-final filled with intrigue, Durham pair Ben Stokes and Mark Wood will go up against Yorkshire’s favourite sons, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, after the quartet were released by England.
Meanwhile Northants will fly under the radar with virtually the same team that saw them reach the final last year – which is just the way they like it.
Based on recent past, the most surprising finalists are Yorkshire; on paper their T20 failings, after a period of County Championship dominance, had been a mystery until this season’s breakthrough.
Apart from Derbyshire and Middlesex, no team has made the knockouts fewer times in the competition’s history than the Vikings and a run to the final in 2012 proved a false dawn ahead of three successive group-stage exits.
They took a while to warm up this summer too – not winning until their sixth game, and even that was a one-run victory over Derbyshire – before the jigsaw fell into place.
Former Northants all-rounder David Willey was arguably the final piece of that puzzle as he thrashed 79 from 38 balls in the quarter-final romp over Glamorgan, his impact having been delayed by injury in the early part of the year.
But White Rose skipper Alex Lees believes his side’s white-ball turning point arrived in the OneDay Cup back in June, after Adam Lyth injected some self-belief with a knock of 125 against Northants.
“He played with real freedom, and that has given the rest of the squad confidence to go out and express themselves,” said Lees.
“I think we’ve been playing some very good cricket for a while now. We’ve obviously got a lot of very talented players and everyone now understands their role in the side.
“We’ve backed ourselves and taken a very positive approach, looking to put as much pressure as possible on the opposition.We will be looking to take this approach in the semi-final on Saturday.”
The Vikings flattened Durham when the two teams last met in July, as Lyth hit a T20 career-best 87 and Usman Arshad’s painful bowling figures (0-63) epitomised the Jets’ struggles with the ball.
It is much to their credit then that despite such a chastening defeat, they sneaked in through the back door to clinch fourth in the North Group before dispatching south winners Gloucestershire in the quarters.
Without a fit-again Wood sending down his rockets, mission improbable would have been impossible – and he cannot wait to unleash a few more against Root and company.
“I suppose we’re going to have to put some friendships to one side,” said the England quick, who in his three Blast games since returning to fitness has maintained an economy rate of six runs per over. “Stokesy is such a big player for us, it will be great to have him around.
“I don’t think we (Durham) have done ourselves justice in T20 cricket in recent years.We’ve had a really good squad, but maybe we’ve just not been getting the mix right.
“Winning the quarter-final at Gloucestershire was like a cup final for us. It’s a younger group this year, with some fresh faces, and we can hopefully try and show off a little bit why we’re there.”
The Outlaws, strugglers in the County Championship all season, have found solace in the Blast – and unsurprisingly so given the firepower at their disposal.
Michael Lumb and Riki Wessels broke a List A record in England by putting on a staggering 342 in the One-Day Cup against Northants in June.
Skipper Dan Christian then scored the club’s fastest-ever T20 half-century from 16 balls, after Lumb had hit the second-fastest off 17, in a demolition of Leicestershire two months ago.
This is still a team that can blow hot and cold – for all their riches, victory over Essex Eagles was their first quarter-final victory in the last five attempts.
But Jake Ball has backed his team to make good on a club record nine T20 wins in a row.
“A big thing that we say is that winning’s a habit and you find ways to win games,” said the England seamer.
“You believe while you’re out there it just takes one over, or one bit of magic, in a T20 game because the game’s so short. Two quick wickets or an unbelievable catch or run out can completely change the game.
“We definitely have the confidence in the team that we have the players to perform in those overs or take those catches.”
Notts have never lost to Northants in seven previous T20 clashes, but the Steelbacks are set to unleash this summer’s star find onto the national stage at Edgbaston.
Richard Gleeson, who was playing Minor Counties cricket for Cumberland this time last year, can touch 90mph and has the best economy rate of any bowler (5.97) to register more than ten overs.