On Saturday we have coming up what is arguably the biggest day on the domestic cricket calendar these days and certainly one of my favourite days of the cricketing year as the domestic cricket carnival heads down to Edgbaston for T20 Finals Day which always sees the 2 semi-finals and final played on the same day along with a host of other entertainment including the famous mascot race. The 4 teams involved this year are Surrey who take on Warwickshire on Warwickshire's home ground which is then followed by Lancashire who have been drawn against Hampshire who have the best record really of all of the county's in T20 in recent years, with the winner of those 2 games then going onto to contest the final later on in the evening in what really is a feast of explosive and exciting cricket.
In my view Hampshire and Surrey are the favourites for the title while Warwickshire in my view have to be big underdogs which makes them incredibly dangerous given the fact that they are playing finals day on their home ground.
What it's time for me to do now is to look ahead to the 2 semi-finals and then rate the chances of the 4 teams before picking my 2 semi-final winners and who I think will be the overall champion:
Semi-Final Preview:
Surrey Vs Warwickshire - Surrey have been incredibly good so far in this competition with both bat and ball, although they did make very hard work of their chase in the quarter-final and since then they have gone on to struggle in the 50 over competition, albeit with a much changed squad at their disposal. What I think that highlights for Surrey is how good their T20 squad is and how impressive they've been in this competition to not even get close to recreating that form in the 50 over competition despite blowing everyone away in the T20 form. The advantage that Surrey have is their experience from top to bottom with England (or at least former England) stars like Kevin Pietersen and Jade Dernbach as well as the spin of Gareth Batty too. Robin Peterson the South African international also offers them a lot of experience and their captain Gary Wilson plays international cricket for Ireland. Their big star this season has been Jason Roy who some people have dubbed as the "Best T20 batsman in England" and while I think other guys like Jos Buttler and particularly Alex Hales are right up there as well, Jason has showed some brilliant form and promise in this form of the game and is the leading run scorer by far in the country this season showing some real maturity with that. Warwickshire meanwhile may be on their home ground but they are massive underdogs in my opinion when it comes to both this match and their prospects of winning the whole competition. Injuries to the likes of Chris Wright, Boyd Rankin and Keith Barker certainly don't help them with the bowling but the return of the experienced Chris Woakes (along with England team mate Ian Bell who will boost the middle order) and the spin of Jeetan Patel has been massive for them in this competition including in the very good quarter-final win over Essex. Their batting has been fronted by the ever impressive Varun Chopra who is also the captain now that Jim Troughton has been forced to retire and I think Varun is dealing well with the added pressure. The experience of the likes of Jeetan Patel, Ian Bell, Chris Woakes and Rikki Clarke will be very important for them and coming in as big underdogs on their home ground can only be an advantage.
Hampshire Vs Lancashire - Hampshire come into this as quite simply the T20 specialists although their team has seen some change to it this year with James Vince the new captain and playing very impressively with those responsibilities. They still have a strong backbone though with the likes of big hitting Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams but the young guns like new signing Matt Coles, death bowler Chris Wood and left arm spinner Danny Briggs have all be very good for them again this season and helped push them along to another finals day despite not playing their best cricket throughout the competition like they have in previous years. Lancashire meanwhile have been incredibly impressive topping the North Group and then having a tight quarter-final after a "2 day clearing shower" down at Old Trafford. Lancashire have been very good as unit and will be thrilled that they can have Jos Buttler who has been of massive importance to them so far in the competition. Steven Croft has been a key man for Lancashire at the top of the innings. With the ball Junaid Khan has been a key man for them at the death but he's not available to play in Finals Day for them and that will be an enormous loss for the Northerners. However, in his place they have a man that is still well capable of performing in T20 Cricket and I was incredibly pleased to see him picked in the Lancashire Finals Day squad and that is Andrew Flintoff. His presence in the team and his experience could go a long way to pushing Lancashire close and Kabir Ali has had a very good season for Lancashire in the T20 Blast so he can take a lot of the strain. Again Lancashire are probably slight underdogs here and that could give them the advantage with Hampshire missing big overseas presence as well in Maxwell so it should be a very close game.
Predicted Semi-Final Winners: Warwickshire and Hampshire
Predicted T20 Blast Champions: Hampshire
Whoever the winners and losers are on Finals Day I'm sure the real winners will be us Cricket fans as we will enjoy a day of absolutely top quality Cricketing excitement and drama as I certainly see both semi-finals and the final going right down to the wire and having fans of all 4 sides and even us neutrals on the edge of our seats.
Friday, 22 August 2014
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
Cricket: England Vs India 4th Test Match Preview
On Thursday the test series between England and India rolls on North to Old Trafford with the series tied at 1-1 after a complete England performance and one of their very best in a long time saw them level the series after they went behind at Lord's with one of their worst performances of the last 12 months which really is saying something. However, they did look a lot better at the Ageas Bowl and that defeat from Lord's does seem to have kicked the team into action and it could well kick them along to a series win if all continues in Manchester after the senior players found form down in Southampton.
The only change that England have had to make is a squad change rather than a team one with the injured Liam Plunkett who missed the 3rd test leaving the squad to be replaced by Steven Finn who, if selected, will do well on a pitch that should have a lot of pace and bounce suiting his style very well and I think he deserves another go in the team. You'd have to say that would probably be at Chris Jordan's expense. Even though he went wicketless in the 3rd test match on debut, I'd like to see Pankaj Singh get another go as a tall bowler like him should also do well on this pitch. I also think someone of Ravi Ashwin's class deserves a pick if the pitch looks like it will turn. He'd probably play as a 2nd spinner at the expense of Rohit Sharma even though I'd say he's a better bowler than Ravi Jadeja.
It all makes for a very interesting test match and these are my thoughts on the 2 sides:
England
Captain Alastair Cook really got the ball rolling last week, leading from the front and seeming to find some of his form as he elected to bat first on day 1 at the Ageas Bowl and made 95, before an unbeaten half-century in the 2nd innings when England were looking to score quickly and set a target. That should give him plenty of confidence and hopefully he'll be able to finish the series well in the next 2 games with all the hard work he's put in. His opening partner Sam Robson could now do with a big score himself to cement his place in the team with a lot of other young openers knocking on the door. He's not really had a big score in this series and it seems a long time ago that he made that century at Headingley against Sri Lanka so the pressure will be on him again. After some poor scores and poor luck it was nice to see Ian Bell back amongst the runs with a big hundred and the middle order is in nice form with Jos Buttler having a good hit on debut while there was another hundred for Gary Balance and Joe Root has been making big scores this summer as well.
Bowling wise I was pleased to see Moeen Ali fulfil promise as a spinning all-rounder by taking 6 2nd innings wickets to win England the game at the Ageas Bowl and having proved himself as a decent spinner he'll be key again if it spins at Old Trafford which it surely will. James Anderson got another man of the match award at the Ageas Bowl for his first innings 5 wicket haul and another great spell on the final morning and having been cleared from allegations made by the Indian team about a run in with Jadeja, he'll want to perform well again on his home patch this week. I think that selectors will probably give Steve Finn a game rather than Chris Jordan who has some issues with his consistency that need sorting out while I was impressed with Chris Woakes despite his lack of wickets as he actually plugged away bowling a consistent line and length unlike the Indian bowlers when they were struggling for wickets.
Key Man: On his home ground, James Anderson the leading wicket taker in the series will want to continue his good work as one of the main and only men that has been getting any wickets for England in this series with Jimmy and Stuart Broad taking a lot of the strain in this series
India
India do have a few problems of their own to solve before this test match and most of them are bowling related. It looks like that if they play Ravi Ashwin that he'll replace Rohit Sharma taking India back down to 6 batsmen which might not be a great move although with a couple of all-rounders and Kumar going well down the order they shouldn't have too many problems. None of the Indian batsmen had a stand out time of it in the 3rd test and it's really about time that Dhawan for one and Virat Kohli for another started pulling their weight in the batting line-up as they're yet to make a decent score between them yet in this series and going down to 6 batsmen will put more pressure on them. Murali Vijay and Pujara have been scoring a great deal of the teams runs and Rahane is also in good form and the Indians will need this to continue now they only have 5 front line batsmen plus wicket-keeper Dhoni who has looked suspect with the bat despite scoring a couple of half-centuries
With the ball I hope they give Pankaj Singh another go as his style of bowling will be better suited to the Old Trafford pitch and at the end of the day a wicket-less debut doesn't reflect all of his potential does it? Kumar will be the pick of the bowlers that will start this test match as it looks as though Ishant Sharma is still injured and I've not been all that impressed with Mohammed Shami. Jadeja certainly isn't India's best spin option so I'd quite like to see Ashwin get a game here as the second spinner.
Key Man: Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is going to be a key man in this test match as the leading Indian wicket taker now that Ishant Sharma is still injured and he is the clear leader of a weak Indian bowling line-up so he needs to go well if they are to have any chance of taking 20 wickets and winning the test.
It will be another cracking test match if the poor Manchester weather can stay away because the winner will then be unable to lose the series while a draw would set up a brilliant shoot-out at the The Oval. As always the toss could be key to the match, but either way it will be 5 fascinating days of Cricket ahead for the fans.
The only change that England have had to make is a squad change rather than a team one with the injured Liam Plunkett who missed the 3rd test leaving the squad to be replaced by Steven Finn who, if selected, will do well on a pitch that should have a lot of pace and bounce suiting his style very well and I think he deserves another go in the team. You'd have to say that would probably be at Chris Jordan's expense. Even though he went wicketless in the 3rd test match on debut, I'd like to see Pankaj Singh get another go as a tall bowler like him should also do well on this pitch. I also think someone of Ravi Ashwin's class deserves a pick if the pitch looks like it will turn. He'd probably play as a 2nd spinner at the expense of Rohit Sharma even though I'd say he's a better bowler than Ravi Jadeja.
It all makes for a very interesting test match and these are my thoughts on the 2 sides:
England
Captain Alastair Cook really got the ball rolling last week, leading from the front and seeming to find some of his form as he elected to bat first on day 1 at the Ageas Bowl and made 95, before an unbeaten half-century in the 2nd innings when England were looking to score quickly and set a target. That should give him plenty of confidence and hopefully he'll be able to finish the series well in the next 2 games with all the hard work he's put in. His opening partner Sam Robson could now do with a big score himself to cement his place in the team with a lot of other young openers knocking on the door. He's not really had a big score in this series and it seems a long time ago that he made that century at Headingley against Sri Lanka so the pressure will be on him again. After some poor scores and poor luck it was nice to see Ian Bell back amongst the runs with a big hundred and the middle order is in nice form with Jos Buttler having a good hit on debut while there was another hundred for Gary Balance and Joe Root has been making big scores this summer as well.
Bowling wise I was pleased to see Moeen Ali fulfil promise as a spinning all-rounder by taking 6 2nd innings wickets to win England the game at the Ageas Bowl and having proved himself as a decent spinner he'll be key again if it spins at Old Trafford which it surely will. James Anderson got another man of the match award at the Ageas Bowl for his first innings 5 wicket haul and another great spell on the final morning and having been cleared from allegations made by the Indian team about a run in with Jadeja, he'll want to perform well again on his home patch this week. I think that selectors will probably give Steve Finn a game rather than Chris Jordan who has some issues with his consistency that need sorting out while I was impressed with Chris Woakes despite his lack of wickets as he actually plugged away bowling a consistent line and length unlike the Indian bowlers when they were struggling for wickets.
Key Man: On his home ground, James Anderson the leading wicket taker in the series will want to continue his good work as one of the main and only men that has been getting any wickets for England in this series with Jimmy and Stuart Broad taking a lot of the strain in this series
India
India do have a few problems of their own to solve before this test match and most of them are bowling related. It looks like that if they play Ravi Ashwin that he'll replace Rohit Sharma taking India back down to 6 batsmen which might not be a great move although with a couple of all-rounders and Kumar going well down the order they shouldn't have too many problems. None of the Indian batsmen had a stand out time of it in the 3rd test and it's really about time that Dhawan for one and Virat Kohli for another started pulling their weight in the batting line-up as they're yet to make a decent score between them yet in this series and going down to 6 batsmen will put more pressure on them. Murali Vijay and Pujara have been scoring a great deal of the teams runs and Rahane is also in good form and the Indians will need this to continue now they only have 5 front line batsmen plus wicket-keeper Dhoni who has looked suspect with the bat despite scoring a couple of half-centuries
With the ball I hope they give Pankaj Singh another go as his style of bowling will be better suited to the Old Trafford pitch and at the end of the day a wicket-less debut doesn't reflect all of his potential does it? Kumar will be the pick of the bowlers that will start this test match as it looks as though Ishant Sharma is still injured and I've not been all that impressed with Mohammed Shami. Jadeja certainly isn't India's best spin option so I'd quite like to see Ashwin get a game here as the second spinner.
Key Man: Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is going to be a key man in this test match as the leading Indian wicket taker now that Ishant Sharma is still injured and he is the clear leader of a weak Indian bowling line-up so he needs to go well if they are to have any chance of taking 20 wickets and winning the test.
It will be another cracking test match if the poor Manchester weather can stay away because the winner will then be unable to lose the series while a draw would set up a brilliant shoot-out at the The Oval. As always the toss could be key to the match, but either way it will be 5 fascinating days of Cricket ahead for the fans.
Golf: US PGA Championship Preview
On Thursday we see the start of the final major of the season, but also the final event on the qualifying list for the USA's Ryder Cup team, meaning that by Monday morning we will know 9 of the 12 players in the US team that will travel to Gleneagles in September. The defending US PGA champion is of course Jason Dufner after his 2 shot victory last year over Jim Furyk. This time around we head to the Valhalla golf club which last played host to the PGA Championship in 2000 with Tiger Woods running out victorious but it also hosted the USA's Ryder Cup victory in 2008. With some rather long par 4's and some short par 4's along with 4 par 5's and 4 par 3's the par for the course is 71, but with the monstrous drivers that are currently in the game i'll say that the scoring will be good again this week as it was at the Open Championship and last weeks Bridgestone Invitational, both of which were won by Rory McIlroy who will be a huge contender this week too. There is some big news on the course this week and that is that shoe-in for Septembers Ryder Cup Dustin Johnson announced last week that he would be "taking a break from Golf" to focus on "personal issues" of his which will see him miss this event and the trip to Gleneagles, although there was also talk that he'd been banned for 6 months by the PGA for a failed drug test so it's tough to know what to believe with him. Also, Tiger Woods presence on the course this week is in some doubt after he withdrew during the final round at Bridgestone last week looking to be in some pain and he cancelled his Tuesday press conference neither being able to confirm or deny that he would be playing this week, and it will be a real shame if his back is causing him yet more problems but with age it is an injury that can come and go at any time, even more than ever.
As always the majors bring out some magnificent 3 balls for all of the fans watching at home and on the course, so it's time for me to pick some of those out and see how they'll go:
Pick of the Groupings for Thursday and Friday: (Picks in bold)
Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed and Angel Cabrera - This one was a tough call for me with Matsuyama and Reed playing great golf at the moment and both showing a lot of future potential. Patrick Reed finished in a tie for 4th at the WGC Bridgestone invitational and you know by comments he's made in the past that he has a lot of belief in his ability, but we're yet to see that really shine through in a major which could hold him back again this week. Matsuyama though is a real talent and has done reasonably well in the majors last season but this season his form hasn't quite been as good in them although he did have a strong week at the Bridgestone last week. However, I am confident that we are soon to see the very best of Patrick Reed on the global stage, and it could well be this week.
Rickie Fowler, Victor Dubuisson and Ernie Els - Again you have to say that the winner of this 3 ball has to be between Fowler and Dubuisson. Rickie Fowler has been absolutely sublime in the majors this year with strong finishes in all of the 3 majors so far and his place in the Ryder Cup is as safe as houses because of his performances. Victor performed very well at the Open Championship last month and he's broken through very well this season but he's obviously not yet to the standard that Fowler is now reaching and for me he has to win this 3 ball.
Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and Lee Westwood - Adam Scott is one of golfs most consistent performers in golf right now. Without properly challenging for a major this season he has been around the top 20 in these majors along with winning another PGA Tour event this season and challenging for more events as always. Lee Westwood is certainly one man that in my opinion has lost this consistency to his game and is now really struggling in the majors missing the cut at the Open and having really not challenged for any major this season maybe Lee has had his time and is starting to slowly fade away. One man who certainly hasn't had his time yet is Jordan Spieth who started the season off brilliantly challenging at the Masters and the Players Championship but hasn't really challenged for a major title since then but has been around the top 20 in a lot of tournaments and this wouldn't be a bad week for him to challenge for a title once again, but for me Adam is the most consistent performer out of this group.
Jimmy Walker, Ian Poulter and Jason Day - Jason Day has struggled this season for any consistency since that early season hand injury and it seems that his game hasn't been in the shape that it was before the injury where he was playing well and not far from winning a major, but that injury has set him back a few steps and there are no signs to me that he'll properly challenge this week either. Ian Poulter meanwhile is one guy that you'd love to see win a major but his performances right now don't suggest that he will such are the struggles he seems to be having and the fact is his form right now is nowhere. Jimmy Walker is one man though that has risen very well, is a shoe in for this years Ryder Cup and is playing the golf of his life as he is showing on a regular basis including last month at Hoylake and for me he's playing the best and most consistent golf out of this trio but quite some decent.
Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington - This 3 ball is an odd one to have to talk about with Tiger Woods not yet confirming his place in the event having been given until about 10 minutes before his tee time to confirm his place. If he does play with his injuries the way they are at the moment there is no chance that he will do anything impressive because back injuries won't just go away overnight and are one of the worst injuries you can have as any kind of sportsman. Padraig Harrington's form is absolutely nowhere at the moment and he is absolutely miles off of guys like Phil Mickelson in this 3 ball. Phil though seemed to re find some form in his final round at the Bridgestone invitational and hasn't been totally horrific despite struggling with a lot of aspects of his game but hopefully he can take this form with him now and push for the title this week.
Jim Furyk, Charl Schwartzel and Miguel Angel Jimenez - This should be a really good 3 ball with Miguel who has been in good form on the champions tour and still winning events on the European Tour whilst also finishing right up there at the Masters which is a really good feat at his age, and he seems like a really fun guy to play with so it should be nice for Furyk and Schwartzel. Charl is in good form at the moment with strong performances at the Open Championship and last weeks Bridgestone Invitational, although this is a really recent return to form for Schwartzel it would seem and with form its always tough to know when it's going to come and go and it could just as easily go this week if you're a player that experiences good form in short bursts. However, players like Jim Furyk are very steady and always seem to play consistently which sets him apart from a long list of players and means that he could play well and even possibly challenge at any given event. Jim has played very well in the last few weeks leading up to the Open Championship, at the Open Championship and at the Canadian Open and the WGC since then in the lead up to this. That all puts Jim in a very good position for this event.
Matt Kuchar, Justin Rose and Louis Oosthuizen - Without being unkind to Oosthuizen, he has struggled to compete in the majors this season unlike Justin Rose and Matt Kuchar who are in good form, have been performing consistently and I'm sure this 3 ball will see them on the same side of the coin. Matt Kuchar competed well at the US Open and the Masters making the top 10 at the Masters and top 20 at Pinehurst playing particularly well in April where he lost one PGA Tour event play-off and then won the RBC Heritage the week after the Masters. A large break and his general ability to struggle at the Open meant that he finished poorly at Hoylake but a top 10 at the Canadian Open and a top 20 at the WGC last week should help him return to form. Justin though has been on fire lately winning the Scottish Open and the quicken loans in the lead up to the Open where he also performed well without really challenging for the title as he has done in the majors this season. However, I really think that Justin Rose will be right up there in the hunt for this one and I'd be surprised if both him and Kuchar don't finish in the top 20.
Ryan Moore, Henrik Stenson and Kenny Perry - This 3 ball is of course about Stenson and Moore. Henrik performed really well in the majors last year and carried that on during this years Masters but has fallen away slightly since which of course does not bode well for his title winning chances this week, but I think he is still the type of player that could perform below his best and still finish in the top 20 and have some good early rounds before perhaps falling back on Saturday and Sunday. Ryan Moore though has been performing well recently with one bad round at the Open costing him a very good finish there, and that is a slight worry for him if he is ever going to win a major you can't have that one bad round. At the end of the day you need to be more consistent and that could be the difference between players like him and players like Henrik Stenson.
Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy - This 3 ball is made up of the 3 major winners but there is a subtle difference between each one of them. For Bubba Watson he may have won the Masters quite handsomely but apart from that his form has been poor, especially in the majors and there's no sign of that turning around. Kaymer however, played well for the period around the US Open and the Players Championship which he won both of, but his form hasn't been to the same standard since the break he took after the US Open which will worry him. Rory McIlroy though has been sublime for a long period now and is really hot right now after a victory early in the season at the BMW PGA Championship before then winning the Open Championship as I predicted before then going on to win the WGC Bridgestone Invitational last week to become the new World No.1 and deservedly so as he's the best player in the world right now and probably will be for some time in my opinion.
Now onto the main event of things, and the players I think will be in contention for the title this weekend:
8 players to watch for the US PGA Championship:
Rory McIlroy - As I mentioned earlier, new world number 1 McIlroy is the hottest player in the game now and could quite easily turn up and win any tournament he enters as he has done in the last month taking home the Open Championship to win 3 of the 4 majors by the age of 25 and then win the WGC Bridgestone invitational coming from behind on the final day. The fact is Rory now has the game to win anywhere on any given week and his full concentration is on winning as many golf tournaments as he can which makes him an incredibly dangerous player for the future now and could be the reason that he could possibly dominate the game for a generation. The most dangerous aspect of his game is monster driving and coupled with good putting form he really is someone who can run away with a title.
Justin Rose - I have no doubt that before his career is over Justin Rose will be a multiple major champion. He's quite simply too good not to be. His form over the last few months makes it a heavy possibility that this could be the week he wins his 2nd major as he always seems to be around at the majors but with confidence high after those victories that led him into the Open and some good performances since then he has every chance this week. One of Justin's great strengths is that he knows exactly what he is capable of and goes out believing in himself and he'll know that he is right up there to win this title and I'd be amazed if he doesn't make at least the top 20 this week.
Rickie Fowler - Rickie Fowler has been absolutely superb this season and really seems to have come of age under the coaching of Butch Harmon which was a brilliant decision of Rickie's. He's competed brilliantly at all 3 of the majors so far this season and he's always near the top of the leaderboard in the big competitions. He's clearly been working very hard and a major championship that would fulfil at least part of his potential shouldn't be too far around the corner. He's shown that he has the game to tackle all sorts of courses so he shouldn't have a problem again this week after a season that will give him full confidence and he's going to be an absolutely vital player for USA in the Ryder Cup next month if you ask me. I was particularly impressed by Fowlers temperament in the majors so far as he doesn't seem to let too much get on top of him and that will make him a champion in the near future.
Graeme McDowell - The GMac will be a long shot for this weeks title at Valhalla in many peoples eyes but looking at his form and his potential as a man that has already got major championships under his belt points to him as a real contender. That form I refer to is that he's had 3 consecutive top 10 finishes to build up for this event including a tied 9th finish that he secured at Hoylake which he then followed up with a tied 9th finish at the Canadian Open where he played nicely and another good performance at last weeks WGC where he came tied for 8th and he only had one bad round at the US Open championship even if he did finish tied for 28th after starting the event very well, so if he does have another strong finish this week and make a top 10 or top 20 no-one would be surprised and if he were to take the title and his 2nd major you could've easily seen it coming. The message here: don't rule out McDowell.
Sergio Garcia - Sergio has had an incredibly solid season on tour and in the big competitions without walking away with a title, despite being in the running for around 5 titles since April finishing in the top 5 on every occasion including in each of the last 3 events he's entered. Sergio did fall away on the final day of last weeks WGC which you could say he should've won but in the end he finished 2nd to Rory. He also finished 2nd with Rickie Fowler to Rory at the Open last month also finishing tied for 2nd at the Travellers Championship a month earlier. It was 3rd place that he managed at the Players Championship and again at April's Houston Open so you can clearly see that he's been putting himself in the position to win titles on an array of courses in an array of conditions so nothing that this week throws up should be a problem with the confidence he has. The problem for Sergio has not been how he's started tournaments but how he's finished them buckling under pressure at times of last weeks WGC and in the end at the Open as well so to have any chance of winning this week he needs to get any nerves he has under control when he thinks he has a real chance of winning if that is what's been happening.
Matt Kuchar - Matt Kuchar has been one of my contenders for each major this year simply because I think he can't be far from winning one. He definetly performs at his best in the US which shows from the fact that he made the top 10 at the Masters, top 20 at the US Open but struggling for the top 50 at Hoylake. He has been consistent over the season making lots of top 10's and top 20's as he has done since the Open with a top 10 in Canada and a top 20 at the WGC last week. With such consistency you know he's likely to challenge a lot, and the more you challenge the more chance you have of winning an event, which is exactly what he did in April when he won the RBC Heritage and exactly what he could do here at Valhalla. He just needs to be more consistent throughout a round to make it happen.
Adam Scott - It's been a really good few months for Adam Scott without anything exciting really happening. His results in the majors of tied 13th at the Masters, tied 9th at the US Open and tied 5th at the Open would suggest that Scott has challenged well for at least one major this season, but despite those 3 good results he never looked at any stage like he would win any of those titles. His form has also been brilliant on the PGA tour and really does explain why he has only just been knocked back down to world no.2. In May Scott he won the Crowne Plaza, before finishing tied for 4th at the Memorial Tournament and then tied for 8th at least weeks WGC to add to those. The only area of weakness you can easily spot in Adam's game is the putting with him having to use a belly putter which is suppose is unusual for someone of such a high class and ranking because the use of a belly putter would usually suggest quite great problems with putting but he clearly gets on with it nicely, but it will be interesting to see how he goes once those type of putters are outlawed. Still none of that will effect his performance this week and once again he is right up there to win this championship.
Jim Furyk - Old Jim Furyk is an incredibly steady golfer, who seems to perform well at most of the majors on the calendar and seems to be player that is in form a lot more than he isn't. My reason for picking him as a contender for this tournament is simple. As an incredibly steady golfer, his only problem is getting over the line and, but if he can get far enough in front you'd expect him to eventually close out a tournament as he really should've done in Canada 2 weeks ago. He has been playing well and striking the ball well though since the lead up to the Open championship a couple of weeks ago and if Jim is striking the ball well there is no reason why he can't go on a strong run this week and possibly walk off with the title.
Michael's 3 picks for the US PGA Championship:
Rory McIlroy
Rickie Fowler
Jim Furyk
What it means is that we have a brilliant weekend of Golf ahead of us and it should be an entertaining major as well as tense and thrilling as always not just because of the feat of winning a major championship but as Ryder Cup places will become a lot closer for some and a lot further away for others if they have good or bad weekends at Valhalla.
As always the majors bring out some magnificent 3 balls for all of the fans watching at home and on the course, so it's time for me to pick some of those out and see how they'll go:
Pick of the Groupings for Thursday and Friday: (Picks in bold)
Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed and Angel Cabrera - This one was a tough call for me with Matsuyama and Reed playing great golf at the moment and both showing a lot of future potential. Patrick Reed finished in a tie for 4th at the WGC Bridgestone invitational and you know by comments he's made in the past that he has a lot of belief in his ability, but we're yet to see that really shine through in a major which could hold him back again this week. Matsuyama though is a real talent and has done reasonably well in the majors last season but this season his form hasn't quite been as good in them although he did have a strong week at the Bridgestone last week. However, I am confident that we are soon to see the very best of Patrick Reed on the global stage, and it could well be this week.
Rickie Fowler, Victor Dubuisson and Ernie Els - Again you have to say that the winner of this 3 ball has to be between Fowler and Dubuisson. Rickie Fowler has been absolutely sublime in the majors this year with strong finishes in all of the 3 majors so far and his place in the Ryder Cup is as safe as houses because of his performances. Victor performed very well at the Open Championship last month and he's broken through very well this season but he's obviously not yet to the standard that Fowler is now reaching and for me he has to win this 3 ball.
Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and Lee Westwood - Adam Scott is one of golfs most consistent performers in golf right now. Without properly challenging for a major this season he has been around the top 20 in these majors along with winning another PGA Tour event this season and challenging for more events as always. Lee Westwood is certainly one man that in my opinion has lost this consistency to his game and is now really struggling in the majors missing the cut at the Open and having really not challenged for any major this season maybe Lee has had his time and is starting to slowly fade away. One man who certainly hasn't had his time yet is Jordan Spieth who started the season off brilliantly challenging at the Masters and the Players Championship but hasn't really challenged for a major title since then but has been around the top 20 in a lot of tournaments and this wouldn't be a bad week for him to challenge for a title once again, but for me Adam is the most consistent performer out of this group.
Jimmy Walker, Ian Poulter and Jason Day - Jason Day has struggled this season for any consistency since that early season hand injury and it seems that his game hasn't been in the shape that it was before the injury where he was playing well and not far from winning a major, but that injury has set him back a few steps and there are no signs to me that he'll properly challenge this week either. Ian Poulter meanwhile is one guy that you'd love to see win a major but his performances right now don't suggest that he will such are the struggles he seems to be having and the fact is his form right now is nowhere. Jimmy Walker is one man though that has risen very well, is a shoe in for this years Ryder Cup and is playing the golf of his life as he is showing on a regular basis including last month at Hoylake and for me he's playing the best and most consistent golf out of this trio but quite some decent.
Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington - This 3 ball is an odd one to have to talk about with Tiger Woods not yet confirming his place in the event having been given until about 10 minutes before his tee time to confirm his place. If he does play with his injuries the way they are at the moment there is no chance that he will do anything impressive because back injuries won't just go away overnight and are one of the worst injuries you can have as any kind of sportsman. Padraig Harrington's form is absolutely nowhere at the moment and he is absolutely miles off of guys like Phil Mickelson in this 3 ball. Phil though seemed to re find some form in his final round at the Bridgestone invitational and hasn't been totally horrific despite struggling with a lot of aspects of his game but hopefully he can take this form with him now and push for the title this week.
Jim Furyk, Charl Schwartzel and Miguel Angel Jimenez - This should be a really good 3 ball with Miguel who has been in good form on the champions tour and still winning events on the European Tour whilst also finishing right up there at the Masters which is a really good feat at his age, and he seems like a really fun guy to play with so it should be nice for Furyk and Schwartzel. Charl is in good form at the moment with strong performances at the Open Championship and last weeks Bridgestone Invitational, although this is a really recent return to form for Schwartzel it would seem and with form its always tough to know when it's going to come and go and it could just as easily go this week if you're a player that experiences good form in short bursts. However, players like Jim Furyk are very steady and always seem to play consistently which sets him apart from a long list of players and means that he could play well and even possibly challenge at any given event. Jim has played very well in the last few weeks leading up to the Open Championship, at the Open Championship and at the Canadian Open and the WGC since then in the lead up to this. That all puts Jim in a very good position for this event.
Matt Kuchar, Justin Rose and Louis Oosthuizen - Without being unkind to Oosthuizen, he has struggled to compete in the majors this season unlike Justin Rose and Matt Kuchar who are in good form, have been performing consistently and I'm sure this 3 ball will see them on the same side of the coin. Matt Kuchar competed well at the US Open and the Masters making the top 10 at the Masters and top 20 at Pinehurst playing particularly well in April where he lost one PGA Tour event play-off and then won the RBC Heritage the week after the Masters. A large break and his general ability to struggle at the Open meant that he finished poorly at Hoylake but a top 10 at the Canadian Open and a top 20 at the WGC last week should help him return to form. Justin though has been on fire lately winning the Scottish Open and the quicken loans in the lead up to the Open where he also performed well without really challenging for the title as he has done in the majors this season. However, I really think that Justin Rose will be right up there in the hunt for this one and I'd be surprised if both him and Kuchar don't finish in the top 20.
Ryan Moore, Henrik Stenson and Kenny Perry - This 3 ball is of course about Stenson and Moore. Henrik performed really well in the majors last year and carried that on during this years Masters but has fallen away slightly since which of course does not bode well for his title winning chances this week, but I think he is still the type of player that could perform below his best and still finish in the top 20 and have some good early rounds before perhaps falling back on Saturday and Sunday. Ryan Moore though has been performing well recently with one bad round at the Open costing him a very good finish there, and that is a slight worry for him if he is ever going to win a major you can't have that one bad round. At the end of the day you need to be more consistent and that could be the difference between players like him and players like Henrik Stenson.
Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy - This 3 ball is made up of the 3 major winners but there is a subtle difference between each one of them. For Bubba Watson he may have won the Masters quite handsomely but apart from that his form has been poor, especially in the majors and there's no sign of that turning around. Kaymer however, played well for the period around the US Open and the Players Championship which he won both of, but his form hasn't been to the same standard since the break he took after the US Open which will worry him. Rory McIlroy though has been sublime for a long period now and is really hot right now after a victory early in the season at the BMW PGA Championship before then winning the Open Championship as I predicted before then going on to win the WGC Bridgestone Invitational last week to become the new World No.1 and deservedly so as he's the best player in the world right now and probably will be for some time in my opinion.
Now onto the main event of things, and the players I think will be in contention for the title this weekend:
8 players to watch for the US PGA Championship:
Rory McIlroy - As I mentioned earlier, new world number 1 McIlroy is the hottest player in the game now and could quite easily turn up and win any tournament he enters as he has done in the last month taking home the Open Championship to win 3 of the 4 majors by the age of 25 and then win the WGC Bridgestone invitational coming from behind on the final day. The fact is Rory now has the game to win anywhere on any given week and his full concentration is on winning as many golf tournaments as he can which makes him an incredibly dangerous player for the future now and could be the reason that he could possibly dominate the game for a generation. The most dangerous aspect of his game is monster driving and coupled with good putting form he really is someone who can run away with a title.
Justin Rose - I have no doubt that before his career is over Justin Rose will be a multiple major champion. He's quite simply too good not to be. His form over the last few months makes it a heavy possibility that this could be the week he wins his 2nd major as he always seems to be around at the majors but with confidence high after those victories that led him into the Open and some good performances since then he has every chance this week. One of Justin's great strengths is that he knows exactly what he is capable of and goes out believing in himself and he'll know that he is right up there to win this title and I'd be amazed if he doesn't make at least the top 20 this week.
Rickie Fowler - Rickie Fowler has been absolutely superb this season and really seems to have come of age under the coaching of Butch Harmon which was a brilliant decision of Rickie's. He's competed brilliantly at all 3 of the majors so far this season and he's always near the top of the leaderboard in the big competitions. He's clearly been working very hard and a major championship that would fulfil at least part of his potential shouldn't be too far around the corner. He's shown that he has the game to tackle all sorts of courses so he shouldn't have a problem again this week after a season that will give him full confidence and he's going to be an absolutely vital player for USA in the Ryder Cup next month if you ask me. I was particularly impressed by Fowlers temperament in the majors so far as he doesn't seem to let too much get on top of him and that will make him a champion in the near future.
Graeme McDowell - The GMac will be a long shot for this weeks title at Valhalla in many peoples eyes but looking at his form and his potential as a man that has already got major championships under his belt points to him as a real contender. That form I refer to is that he's had 3 consecutive top 10 finishes to build up for this event including a tied 9th finish that he secured at Hoylake which he then followed up with a tied 9th finish at the Canadian Open where he played nicely and another good performance at last weeks WGC where he came tied for 8th and he only had one bad round at the US Open championship even if he did finish tied for 28th after starting the event very well, so if he does have another strong finish this week and make a top 10 or top 20 no-one would be surprised and if he were to take the title and his 2nd major you could've easily seen it coming. The message here: don't rule out McDowell.
Sergio Garcia - Sergio has had an incredibly solid season on tour and in the big competitions without walking away with a title, despite being in the running for around 5 titles since April finishing in the top 5 on every occasion including in each of the last 3 events he's entered. Sergio did fall away on the final day of last weeks WGC which you could say he should've won but in the end he finished 2nd to Rory. He also finished 2nd with Rickie Fowler to Rory at the Open last month also finishing tied for 2nd at the Travellers Championship a month earlier. It was 3rd place that he managed at the Players Championship and again at April's Houston Open so you can clearly see that he's been putting himself in the position to win titles on an array of courses in an array of conditions so nothing that this week throws up should be a problem with the confidence he has. The problem for Sergio has not been how he's started tournaments but how he's finished them buckling under pressure at times of last weeks WGC and in the end at the Open as well so to have any chance of winning this week he needs to get any nerves he has under control when he thinks he has a real chance of winning if that is what's been happening.
Matt Kuchar - Matt Kuchar has been one of my contenders for each major this year simply because I think he can't be far from winning one. He definetly performs at his best in the US which shows from the fact that he made the top 10 at the Masters, top 20 at the US Open but struggling for the top 50 at Hoylake. He has been consistent over the season making lots of top 10's and top 20's as he has done since the Open with a top 10 in Canada and a top 20 at the WGC last week. With such consistency you know he's likely to challenge a lot, and the more you challenge the more chance you have of winning an event, which is exactly what he did in April when he won the RBC Heritage and exactly what he could do here at Valhalla. He just needs to be more consistent throughout a round to make it happen.
Adam Scott - It's been a really good few months for Adam Scott without anything exciting really happening. His results in the majors of tied 13th at the Masters, tied 9th at the US Open and tied 5th at the Open would suggest that Scott has challenged well for at least one major this season, but despite those 3 good results he never looked at any stage like he would win any of those titles. His form has also been brilliant on the PGA tour and really does explain why he has only just been knocked back down to world no.2. In May Scott he won the Crowne Plaza, before finishing tied for 4th at the Memorial Tournament and then tied for 8th at least weeks WGC to add to those. The only area of weakness you can easily spot in Adam's game is the putting with him having to use a belly putter which is suppose is unusual for someone of such a high class and ranking because the use of a belly putter would usually suggest quite great problems with putting but he clearly gets on with it nicely, but it will be interesting to see how he goes once those type of putters are outlawed. Still none of that will effect his performance this week and once again he is right up there to win this championship.
Jim Furyk - Old Jim Furyk is an incredibly steady golfer, who seems to perform well at most of the majors on the calendar and seems to be player that is in form a lot more than he isn't. My reason for picking him as a contender for this tournament is simple. As an incredibly steady golfer, his only problem is getting over the line and, but if he can get far enough in front you'd expect him to eventually close out a tournament as he really should've done in Canada 2 weeks ago. He has been playing well and striking the ball well though since the lead up to the Open championship a couple of weeks ago and if Jim is striking the ball well there is no reason why he can't go on a strong run this week and possibly walk off with the title.
Michael's 3 picks for the US PGA Championship:
Rory McIlroy
Rickie Fowler
Jim Furyk
What it means is that we have a brilliant weekend of Golf ahead of us and it should be an entertaining major as well as tense and thrilling as always not just because of the feat of winning a major championship but as Ryder Cup places will become a lot closer for some and a lot further away for others if they have good or bad weekends at Valhalla.
Thursday, 31 July 2014
Cricket: T20 Blast Quarter-finals Preview
It's quarter-finals time of the English Domestic T20 Blast competition with 8 teams battling away for 4 places on the best day of the cricketing year in my opinion, T20 Finals day. Lancashire, Surrey, Essex and Nottinghamshire are the 4 sides that finished in the top 2 of their respective groups and gained home advantage against their opponents who finished lower down in the top 4 and are Glamorgan, Worcestershire, Warwickshire (or the Birmingham Bears if you must) and Hampshire which did come at some surprise as they always seem to do brilliantly and secure a home draw. I do have to take my hats off to Glamorgan and Worcestershire who are the 2 surprise packages of the South and North groups in making the quarter-finals and it just signals to me how well they play as a team and how much they've improved over the last year or so, especially Glamorgan who made the final of what was the 40 over competition last year. Essex have been particularly impressive despite losing their last 3 games they still finished top of the group such was their early dominance and Surrey finished a place below Essex and are an absolute powerhouse of a team especially at home so they are huge favourites to make finals day once again. I'm always very impressed by Nottinghamshire who I'm going to stick my neck out and say are the best one-day side in the country with the likes of Michael Lumb, Alex Hales, James Taylor, Samit Patel, Harry Gurney and possibly one of the most underrated county cricketers in Steven Mullaney who is a massive player for them. Finally, Lancashire were equally as impressive in running away with the North Group and to be honest with the sides there I expected them to qualify but not necessarily in such an emphatic way, though that may be the influence that Jos Buttler had for them in part and it will be interesting to see how they play without their newest premier finisher.
Now it's time to have a look ahead to each of the quarter-finals which are taking place over the weekend and are all on Sky Sports.
Friday 1st August: (Evening)
Lancashire Vs Glamorgan - This to me looks like one of the closest of the quarter-finals with Lancashire dominating in the North group with a good squad that was able to pick up a lot of momentum and perform pretty consistently throughout and home advantage for them is both fully deserved and will be fully utilised as I'm sure they'll prepare a pretty favourable pitch and their fans will be out in full force to try and cheer them to victory. At home Lancashire have been very solid and they are consistent performers in the one-day format making the quarter-finals last year too. Glamorgan meanwhile have been one of the surprise packages of T20 to come through a South group where to be honest there are probably 2 or 3 stronger teams on paper that finished below them. However as a team they've played very well and that's the important thing and often a team of top individuals won't always do as well because they won't have the same togetherness. They're also a very confident side and that probably stems from the Lord's final they made last year but came up short in and I think given the consistency of their performances throughout the south group they do have a good chance of victory here. The one time they seemed to fall short was when they played the really top and strong one-day sides like Essex or Surrey and Lancashire are in that same bracket which may give them a slight edge.
Prediction: Lancashire
Saturday 2nd August: (Afternoon)
Surrey Vs Worcestershire - Surrey, as I said earlier, have a team full of top class players who all seem to have come together in this competition and turned Surrey into complete powerhouses. Batting wise they've been brilliant and Jason Roy has been a stand out player for them in doing so. They have a lot of international and really good experienced players, with the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Gareth Batty adding a lot along with their overseas players. In my opinion they are a side that has performed very well at home and can easily run Worcestershire ragged in this match as The Oval is a really big ground and home advantage will play a huge role here as they are far more experienced in defending every corner of it. Worcestershire have been another surprise package with the help of Saeed Ajmal as their star player but in my view they will have to be right at the top of their game to have any chance of qualifying given their opponents. Like Glamorgan, Worcestershire aren't filled with stars but are confident and have played very well as a consistent unit but have also struggled against those big sides that just have something extra over them and that is exactly what Surrey have here.
Prediction: Surrey
Saturday 2nd August: (Evening)
Essex Vs Warwickshire - Following that Surrey/Worcestershire game is another intriguing game between Essex who qualified with a home draw so early thanks to a stunning run in the middle that they were able to get away with losing their last 3 games while Warwickshire only just managed to sneak into the top 4 with good wins in their last games while Yorkshire missed 2 golden opportunities to book their place in the next round. Essex in my opinion are one of the best one day, and particularly T20, sides in the country. It's hard to find too much of a weakness in their side to be honest and at Chelmsford they are usually top class although they have lost some form recently which they need to get back, but they will certainly be up for this big game which is far far more important than any game they've had to play recently. Warwickshire do have a mixed line-up where it's easier to pick out possible holes or weaknesses unlike Essex and they have certainly not been as consistent this season in the one-day formats. In my opinion the way this match could go could depend on whether Chris Woakes is allowed to play. If the answer is no that probably just creates too many weaknesses for Warwickshire without at least one or two being exploited.
Prediction: Essex
Sunday 3rd August: (Afternoon)
Nottinghamshire Vs Hampshire - This is comfortably in my opinion the tightest of the quarter-finals to try and call. Nottinghamshire and Hampshire are probably 2 of the top 3 one-day sides in the country right now with both sides having plenty of top class batsmen, plenty of power hitters and the top class bowling to match. Nottinghamshire always seem to get off to great starts with the bat when they have Hales and Lumb to kick things off and with Taylor and Patel to come in the middle and Mullaney to finish off the innings it's easy to see why they consistently build good totals. With the ball again Mullaney shines out as his medium pace is always economical while Harry Gurney's performances over the last year have earned him an England call-up while Ajmal Shahzad, Samit Patel and of course Luke Fletcher who's come in half way through the season and turned out to be a fantastic death bowler. As you can see there is very in terms of weakness in Nottinghamshire's T20 team and at Trent Bridge they are possibly the hardest team to beat. Hampshire are equally as strong but they are much better at the Ageas Bowl than away from home which gives Notts an early edge. Compared to previous years Hampshire seem to be lacking in the bowling a little bit more which could be due to the retirement of Dimi Mascarenhas. With Chris Wood as a death bowler though they won't ever concede too many runs at the death while Danny Briggs allows them to keep things tight in the middle. Michael Carberry, Jimmy Adams and James Vince have all been brilliant this season along with the overseas signing of Glenn Maxwell which insures that they have plenty of batting. As I mentioned earlier Notts are great at home and have no obvious weakness while Hampshire do have a slight bowling weakness and another slight weakness away from their favourable Ageas Bowl pitches.
Prediction: Nottinghamshire
I really like the way that the ECB has scheduled the matches so that they can all be televised and so that as many spectators can get down over the course of the weekend. Not only do I expect to see plenty of full houses, we should be treated to 4 very close games with plenty of entertainment and looking at the line-up whoever makes finals day will fully deserve it.
Now it's time to have a look ahead to each of the quarter-finals which are taking place over the weekend and are all on Sky Sports.
Friday 1st August: (Evening)
Lancashire Vs Glamorgan - This to me looks like one of the closest of the quarter-finals with Lancashire dominating in the North group with a good squad that was able to pick up a lot of momentum and perform pretty consistently throughout and home advantage for them is both fully deserved and will be fully utilised as I'm sure they'll prepare a pretty favourable pitch and their fans will be out in full force to try and cheer them to victory. At home Lancashire have been very solid and they are consistent performers in the one-day format making the quarter-finals last year too. Glamorgan meanwhile have been one of the surprise packages of T20 to come through a South group where to be honest there are probably 2 or 3 stronger teams on paper that finished below them. However as a team they've played very well and that's the important thing and often a team of top individuals won't always do as well because they won't have the same togetherness. They're also a very confident side and that probably stems from the Lord's final they made last year but came up short in and I think given the consistency of their performances throughout the south group they do have a good chance of victory here. The one time they seemed to fall short was when they played the really top and strong one-day sides like Essex or Surrey and Lancashire are in that same bracket which may give them a slight edge.
Prediction: Lancashire
Saturday 2nd August: (Afternoon)
Surrey Vs Worcestershire - Surrey, as I said earlier, have a team full of top class players who all seem to have come together in this competition and turned Surrey into complete powerhouses. Batting wise they've been brilliant and Jason Roy has been a stand out player for them in doing so. They have a lot of international and really good experienced players, with the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Gareth Batty adding a lot along with their overseas players. In my opinion they are a side that has performed very well at home and can easily run Worcestershire ragged in this match as The Oval is a really big ground and home advantage will play a huge role here as they are far more experienced in defending every corner of it. Worcestershire have been another surprise package with the help of Saeed Ajmal as their star player but in my view they will have to be right at the top of their game to have any chance of qualifying given their opponents. Like Glamorgan, Worcestershire aren't filled with stars but are confident and have played very well as a consistent unit but have also struggled against those big sides that just have something extra over them and that is exactly what Surrey have here.
Prediction: Surrey
Saturday 2nd August: (Evening)
Essex Vs Warwickshire - Following that Surrey/Worcestershire game is another intriguing game between Essex who qualified with a home draw so early thanks to a stunning run in the middle that they were able to get away with losing their last 3 games while Warwickshire only just managed to sneak into the top 4 with good wins in their last games while Yorkshire missed 2 golden opportunities to book their place in the next round. Essex in my opinion are one of the best one day, and particularly T20, sides in the country. It's hard to find too much of a weakness in their side to be honest and at Chelmsford they are usually top class although they have lost some form recently which they need to get back, but they will certainly be up for this big game which is far far more important than any game they've had to play recently. Warwickshire do have a mixed line-up where it's easier to pick out possible holes or weaknesses unlike Essex and they have certainly not been as consistent this season in the one-day formats. In my opinion the way this match could go could depend on whether Chris Woakes is allowed to play. If the answer is no that probably just creates too many weaknesses for Warwickshire without at least one or two being exploited.
Prediction: Essex
Sunday 3rd August: (Afternoon)
Nottinghamshire Vs Hampshire - This is comfortably in my opinion the tightest of the quarter-finals to try and call. Nottinghamshire and Hampshire are probably 2 of the top 3 one-day sides in the country right now with both sides having plenty of top class batsmen, plenty of power hitters and the top class bowling to match. Nottinghamshire always seem to get off to great starts with the bat when they have Hales and Lumb to kick things off and with Taylor and Patel to come in the middle and Mullaney to finish off the innings it's easy to see why they consistently build good totals. With the ball again Mullaney shines out as his medium pace is always economical while Harry Gurney's performances over the last year have earned him an England call-up while Ajmal Shahzad, Samit Patel and of course Luke Fletcher who's come in half way through the season and turned out to be a fantastic death bowler. As you can see there is very in terms of weakness in Nottinghamshire's T20 team and at Trent Bridge they are possibly the hardest team to beat. Hampshire are equally as strong but they are much better at the Ageas Bowl than away from home which gives Notts an early edge. Compared to previous years Hampshire seem to be lacking in the bowling a little bit more which could be due to the retirement of Dimi Mascarenhas. With Chris Wood as a death bowler though they won't ever concede too many runs at the death while Danny Briggs allows them to keep things tight in the middle. Michael Carberry, Jimmy Adams and James Vince have all been brilliant this season along with the overseas signing of Glenn Maxwell which insures that they have plenty of batting. As I mentioned earlier Notts are great at home and have no obvious weakness while Hampshire do have a slight bowling weakness and another slight weakness away from their favourable Ageas Bowl pitches.
Prediction: Nottinghamshire
I really like the way that the ECB has scheduled the matches so that they can all be televised and so that as many spectators can get down over the course of the weekend. Not only do I expect to see plenty of full houses, we should be treated to 4 very close games with plenty of entertainment and looking at the line-up whoever makes finals day will fully deserve it.
Saturday, 26 July 2014
Cricket: England Vs India 3rd Test Preview
Tomorrow (yes that's right tomorrow being Sunday) starts the 3rd test match of the 5 match series between England and India at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. India are now 1-0 up in the series after a defeat which was quite a poor one for England down at Lord's and was India's first test match win at Lord's for around 28 years. On the last afternoon down at Lord's on Monday England's batting collapsed once more just as it did in their innings at Trent Bridge, although this time with some ridiculous shots as Ishant Sharma blew England away. The calls for Alastair Cook to be sacked as captain continue as Cook continues to lack cutting edge as a leader but also severly lack runs with the bat as well. Matt Prior though has decided to give the rest of the summer a miss admitting that he has been playing with injury in the first 2 test matches, handing a Test debut to young wicket keeper Jos Buttler who is a massive prospect for the future and could be one of the great wicket keeper-batsmen in years to come. There could also be one unforced change on each side as Chris Jordan is likely to come in for the unimpressive Ben Stokes after Jordan played very well again for Sussex last week. For India, Stuart Binny as the medium paced all rounder is likely to miss out as the Indian's switch back to 4 bowlers after 2 poor matches for Binny and Rohit Sharma will be the first batsman in line to replace him.
The pitch at the Ageas Bowl is likely to be one that has a good amount of pace in it and a decent covering of grass as pitches down there usually are and i'd be surprised if anything different was prepared.
So then, here's how I see this Test match panning out:
England
England need desperate and drastic improvement from all corners of their side really as the batsmen have been too prone to a middle order collapse so far this summer while the bowlers have been unable to clean up the tail really in all series in the last couple of years which has really added about 50 or more to the oppositions total unnecessarily. At the top Alastair Cook hasn't managed a half-century since the middle of the winter and the added pressure of the media and captaincy is really getting to him as England haven't won a test match since the 4th test Vs Australia last August at Durham. Ian Bell has also struggled this summer and he along with Cook are the 2 experienced batsmen of this line-up. As the first player who would go if England wished to play 5 full time bowlers Moeen Ali wouldn't be harmed by putting some innings together to back up the hundred he made at Headingley against Sri Lanka. Joe Root seems like he is starting to add more consistency to his game though which is exactly what England needed with him making 2 big innings already this summer along with Gary Balance who has settled into the job at No.3 really well and Sam Robson has also been pretty decent in my view. Jos Buttler on debut I expect to do well at some point during these last 3 test matches, especially as a man who can push things on with the tail at the end but also but also I think he could hold things together in a crisis which is a good trait to have.
Bowling wise James Anderson will be key again so it's important he's rested and ready with this being he 3rd test match in quick succession as the leader of the attack and clearly the best bowler of the series for England. Chris Jordan will provide a fresh set of legs if selected which may be one massive reason for selecting him after Ben Stokes has been poor and looking tired at times to be fair as well, Jordan will offer a new option to the attack. Stuart Broad has been struggling and he will need to be used well if England want to play him for all 5 matches as he's starting to struggle after 2 and it's been showing in his performances with not much flowing from Broad right now. Liam Plunkett has been good though on his international renaissance acting as more of an options man for Cook who he can employ to bowl a good length and line but also bully the batsmen with some effective short stuff which has been just as good.
Key Man: Alastair Cook really needs to start pulling his finger out this summer with no half-century since mid winter and no century since the start of last summer which is appalling and that's starting to affect his captaincy and the confidence of the England side as a whole which is then coming back to affect his own performances. Cook has the rest of the summer in my view to save his captaincy and place in the side so now wouldn't be a bad time to perform.
India
India have been pretty good in this series, while their tail enders may have gotten them out of trouble on a couple of occasions they've still been pretty solid at the top, while their bowling has been brilliant with some good spells from Ishant Sharma and Kumar to put England's top order in big trouble at times.
Murali Vijay has been by far the star man for India batting wise making a sack full of runs so far in this series and he is currently the leading run scorer on either side by quite a distance with one big hundred and another near miss of 95. Pujara and Rahane in the middle order have showed signs of decent form with the bat. However, while Jadeja can push things on further down the order MS Dhoni is having big struggles with his technique which in my view is massively faltering. Virat Kohli's start to the series has been shocking with nothing to show for it at all yet and he's made me look quite silly for giving him the title of one of the best and most exciting batsmen in world Cricket right now. Dhawan hasn't dealt well at the top of the order and he'd like to have an innings where he settles in and makes some big runs at the top.
If India switch to 4 bowlers, Ravi Jadeja will be a key player in holding up and end and bowling economically to allow Dhoni to keep Shami, Sharma and Kumar fit and firing at the other end and taking wickets which is why Graeme Swann was so effective for England as he built pressure which the seam bowlers could then use to get their wickets so effectively and then leave Swann to clear up the tail. Shami hasn't been the pick of the bowlers so far by any stretch with 4 wickets but Ishant Sharma has bowled 2 brilliant spells both on day 3 of the first test and day 5 of the second test which have put India into strong positions both times while the 2nd leading wicket taker is Kumar who has also been vital and did bowl a very good spell in England's first innings at Lord's whilst also picking up other big wickets at key times which has been vital for their cause.
Key Man: Murali Vijay has really set the tone nicely and led from the front as India's star batsman and opening batsman in this series so far, and his is the wicket England will want to get early if they are to keep India down to a low total, particularly in the first innings.
We should be all set then for another quality 5 days of test match cricket with the sides shaping up nicely and the hosts now needing to strike at the Ageas Bowl to square up the series. One little niggle from me and that's that I find it very disappointing that this test starts on a Sunday meaning we won't see any Cricket on the Friday or Saturday which could be a really bad error in scheduling and possibly lose Hampshire CCC some money on this test, much like their heavily rain affected first ever test match in 2011.
The pitch at the Ageas Bowl is likely to be one that has a good amount of pace in it and a decent covering of grass as pitches down there usually are and i'd be surprised if anything different was prepared.
So then, here's how I see this Test match panning out:
England
England need desperate and drastic improvement from all corners of their side really as the batsmen have been too prone to a middle order collapse so far this summer while the bowlers have been unable to clean up the tail really in all series in the last couple of years which has really added about 50 or more to the oppositions total unnecessarily. At the top Alastair Cook hasn't managed a half-century since the middle of the winter and the added pressure of the media and captaincy is really getting to him as England haven't won a test match since the 4th test Vs Australia last August at Durham. Ian Bell has also struggled this summer and he along with Cook are the 2 experienced batsmen of this line-up. As the first player who would go if England wished to play 5 full time bowlers Moeen Ali wouldn't be harmed by putting some innings together to back up the hundred he made at Headingley against Sri Lanka. Joe Root seems like he is starting to add more consistency to his game though which is exactly what England needed with him making 2 big innings already this summer along with Gary Balance who has settled into the job at No.3 really well and Sam Robson has also been pretty decent in my view. Jos Buttler on debut I expect to do well at some point during these last 3 test matches, especially as a man who can push things on with the tail at the end but also but also I think he could hold things together in a crisis which is a good trait to have.
Bowling wise James Anderson will be key again so it's important he's rested and ready with this being he 3rd test match in quick succession as the leader of the attack and clearly the best bowler of the series for England. Chris Jordan will provide a fresh set of legs if selected which may be one massive reason for selecting him after Ben Stokes has been poor and looking tired at times to be fair as well, Jordan will offer a new option to the attack. Stuart Broad has been struggling and he will need to be used well if England want to play him for all 5 matches as he's starting to struggle after 2 and it's been showing in his performances with not much flowing from Broad right now. Liam Plunkett has been good though on his international renaissance acting as more of an options man for Cook who he can employ to bowl a good length and line but also bully the batsmen with some effective short stuff which has been just as good.
Key Man: Alastair Cook really needs to start pulling his finger out this summer with no half-century since mid winter and no century since the start of last summer which is appalling and that's starting to affect his captaincy and the confidence of the England side as a whole which is then coming back to affect his own performances. Cook has the rest of the summer in my view to save his captaincy and place in the side so now wouldn't be a bad time to perform.
India
India have been pretty good in this series, while their tail enders may have gotten them out of trouble on a couple of occasions they've still been pretty solid at the top, while their bowling has been brilliant with some good spells from Ishant Sharma and Kumar to put England's top order in big trouble at times.
Murali Vijay has been by far the star man for India batting wise making a sack full of runs so far in this series and he is currently the leading run scorer on either side by quite a distance with one big hundred and another near miss of 95. Pujara and Rahane in the middle order have showed signs of decent form with the bat. However, while Jadeja can push things on further down the order MS Dhoni is having big struggles with his technique which in my view is massively faltering. Virat Kohli's start to the series has been shocking with nothing to show for it at all yet and he's made me look quite silly for giving him the title of one of the best and most exciting batsmen in world Cricket right now. Dhawan hasn't dealt well at the top of the order and he'd like to have an innings where he settles in and makes some big runs at the top.
If India switch to 4 bowlers, Ravi Jadeja will be a key player in holding up and end and bowling economically to allow Dhoni to keep Shami, Sharma and Kumar fit and firing at the other end and taking wickets which is why Graeme Swann was so effective for England as he built pressure which the seam bowlers could then use to get their wickets so effectively and then leave Swann to clear up the tail. Shami hasn't been the pick of the bowlers so far by any stretch with 4 wickets but Ishant Sharma has bowled 2 brilliant spells both on day 3 of the first test and day 5 of the second test which have put India into strong positions both times while the 2nd leading wicket taker is Kumar who has also been vital and did bowl a very good spell in England's first innings at Lord's whilst also picking up other big wickets at key times which has been vital for their cause.
Key Man: Murali Vijay has really set the tone nicely and led from the front as India's star batsman and opening batsman in this series so far, and his is the wicket England will want to get early if they are to keep India down to a low total, particularly in the first innings.
We should be all set then for another quality 5 days of test match cricket with the sides shaping up nicely and the hosts now needing to strike at the Ageas Bowl to square up the series. One little niggle from me and that's that I find it very disappointing that this test starts on a Sunday meaning we won't see any Cricket on the Friday or Saturday which could be a really bad error in scheduling and possibly lose Hampshire CCC some money on this test, much like their heavily rain affected first ever test match in 2011.
Thursday, 24 July 2014
Cricket: T20 Blast final group games preview
As we head into the final group games in the T20 Blast there is still a reasonable amount to play for in both the North and South groups which means we will at least have a couple of games with some meaning in this final group round. In the South group Essex, Hampshire and Surrey are all through to the quarter finals with Essex having a home draw secured while Surrey should be the other side with a home draw. Anything other than a defeat for Glamorgan coupled with a big win for either Somerset or Kent will see Glamorgan join them. Heading Northwards, Lancashire and Nottinghamshire are into the quarter-finals and Lancashire have the home draw secured while Nottinghamshire's is practically in the bag as well. Worcestershire should be through barring a collapse from them in their game and wins for both Yorkshire and Warwickshire, who are battling for 4th place with just a point between them but it's in Yorkshire's hands.
So then, there is still a little bit to be decided tomorrow so it's time to look at those all important games:
Friday 25th July:
Durham Vs Northamptonshire - This match is a complete dead rubber with neither defending champions Northamptonshire or Durham being able to qualify. So they're just playing for pride here and Northamptonshire lost their last game on Wednesday to Nottinghamshire while Durham were beaten tonight by Lancashire and have had a very mixed season. I still think Northamptonshire are the better side of the 2 and a poor middle of the campaign for them is the main reason they aren't challenging or already in the last 8. Durham though have been far too inconsistent and that's been the reason for their failings and that is never a positive thing.
Prediction: Northamptonshire
Essex Vs Sussex - This match is a thorough dead rubber with Sussex in with no chance of qualifying while Essex are pretty much guaranteed top spot in the South group despite losing their last 2 games to Hampshire and Gloucestershire while resting a few players for the quarter's but also suffering a couple of injuries. Sussex though are just playing for pride and will want to go out with a bang in this tournament, but with Essex playing well with a good unit and looking to pick up another win at Fortress Chelmsford to boost their momentum for the knock-out stages.
Prediction: Essex
Worcestershire Vs Derbyshire - Again this is another dead rubber with Worcestershire already being through and Derbyshire having been unable to qualify for some time. Derbyshire have been so poor in this competition only winning the one game in the whole tournament while a win last time out for Worcestershire against Northamptonshire secured their quarter-final place and they'll be wanting to build the momentum for that big knock-out match and they have the perfect chance to do it against a weak Derbyshire side that are very unlikely to win this game after such a poor season.
Prediction: Worcestershire
Somerset Vs Middlesex - Somerset will be after a victory in this game should Glamorgan falter being 2 points behind and able to qualify on net run rate which would be huge for them after the season they've had. As that suggests it's been a mixed bag for them including a loss last time out to Kent. Middlesex though have been appalling this season and they've been dead and buried for a long time in this tournament and haven't really provided anyone with much of a challenge though they did beat Somerset earlier in this season as one of their 2 wins this season after another loss to Surrey tonight. Somerset haven't been playing as well this season after some injuries and of course the loss of Jos Buttler to Lancashire but they should still finish strongly with a win here.
Prediction: Somerset
Warwickshire Vs Leicestershire - This is a must win game for a Warwickshire side that are 1 point behind 4th placed Yorkshire who are playing Nottinghamshire tomorrow night and there is every chance that Yorkshire can slip up there and open the door for Warwickshire who have much easier opponents in Leicestershire. Last time out Leicestershire were bowled out for 90 chasing just 122 to win which really is quite poor. Warwickshire though have the momentum and the confidence staying in this competition by beating Yorkshire in their last game and that sort of confidence booster will help them here and so will the fact that they are just a much stronger team than Leicestershire and they will be well aware of that without taking any liberties.
Prediction: Warwickshire
Kent Vs Surrey - Kent have the slimmest of slim chances here to qualify for the quarter-finals and with their net run rate as it is it means that an inconsistent campaign that was always bound to happen when you have a large mixture of youth and experience in the side, especially when they had injuries to their experienced guys in the middle of the campaign which cost them. That infact really is the key difference between them and Surrey who are a much stronger side and are full of experience in their team from top to bottom which is why the likelihood is they will qualify in the top 2 of the South group with a home draw. When you look at things like that it points at Surrey doing really well in the competition and probably making finals day.
Prediction: Surrey
Yorkshire Vs Nottinghamshire - This is probably the biggest match of the round with Yorkshire needing to win to get their quarter-final place secure after a set back losing last week to Warwickshire when they could've won through then. In Nottinghamshire though they have incredibly tough opponents who have won their last couple of games on Sunday and Wednesday to secure their knock-out phase place and 99% secure a home draw. Nottinghamshire's batting may fail at times but they have such a strong bowling line-up to the extent that I could easily see them winning this tournament and knocking Yorkshire out tomorrow if Warwickshire get their win. As the holders of the 4th position all the pressure will be on Yorkshire to win while Warwickshire won't be as pressured and there will certainly be no pressure on Notts to perform either which could be a telling factor.
Prediction: Nottinghamshire
Glamorgan Vs Gloucestershire - Here Glamorgan are looking to absolutely confirm their place in the knock-out stages with Somerset and Kent still possibly being able to qualify on net run rate although Glamorgan would need to lose quite badly for that to happen. Glamorgan did lose though last time out to Essex when they would've guaranteed a place beyond doubt while Gloucestershire have been no push overs in this tournament actually inflicting a rare defeat on Essex in their last game and they have played a little better at times than 8th place would suggest. Glamorgan though have been good in this tournament and haven't lost many games against poorer opposition like Gloucestershire and their home form and home advantage will help them to the quarter-finals here in my opinion.
Prediction: Glamorgan
There may be some dead rubber games out there, but at least half of the games have some interest in them for one of the teams involved if any of the sides poised in 4th lose out and the guys in 5th can pounce so it should be a nervy, tense and incredibly close finish to the group stages of this years T20 Blast competition and I'm excited to see how it plays out.
So then, there is still a little bit to be decided tomorrow so it's time to look at those all important games:
Friday 25th July:
Durham Vs Northamptonshire - This match is a complete dead rubber with neither defending champions Northamptonshire or Durham being able to qualify. So they're just playing for pride here and Northamptonshire lost their last game on Wednesday to Nottinghamshire while Durham were beaten tonight by Lancashire and have had a very mixed season. I still think Northamptonshire are the better side of the 2 and a poor middle of the campaign for them is the main reason they aren't challenging or already in the last 8. Durham though have been far too inconsistent and that's been the reason for their failings and that is never a positive thing.
Prediction: Northamptonshire
Essex Vs Sussex - This match is a thorough dead rubber with Sussex in with no chance of qualifying while Essex are pretty much guaranteed top spot in the South group despite losing their last 2 games to Hampshire and Gloucestershire while resting a few players for the quarter's but also suffering a couple of injuries. Sussex though are just playing for pride and will want to go out with a bang in this tournament, but with Essex playing well with a good unit and looking to pick up another win at Fortress Chelmsford to boost their momentum for the knock-out stages.
Prediction: Essex
Worcestershire Vs Derbyshire - Again this is another dead rubber with Worcestershire already being through and Derbyshire having been unable to qualify for some time. Derbyshire have been so poor in this competition only winning the one game in the whole tournament while a win last time out for Worcestershire against Northamptonshire secured their quarter-final place and they'll be wanting to build the momentum for that big knock-out match and they have the perfect chance to do it against a weak Derbyshire side that are very unlikely to win this game after such a poor season.
Prediction: Worcestershire
Somerset Vs Middlesex - Somerset will be after a victory in this game should Glamorgan falter being 2 points behind and able to qualify on net run rate which would be huge for them after the season they've had. As that suggests it's been a mixed bag for them including a loss last time out to Kent. Middlesex though have been appalling this season and they've been dead and buried for a long time in this tournament and haven't really provided anyone with much of a challenge though they did beat Somerset earlier in this season as one of their 2 wins this season after another loss to Surrey tonight. Somerset haven't been playing as well this season after some injuries and of course the loss of Jos Buttler to Lancashire but they should still finish strongly with a win here.
Prediction: Somerset
Warwickshire Vs Leicestershire - This is a must win game for a Warwickshire side that are 1 point behind 4th placed Yorkshire who are playing Nottinghamshire tomorrow night and there is every chance that Yorkshire can slip up there and open the door for Warwickshire who have much easier opponents in Leicestershire. Last time out Leicestershire were bowled out for 90 chasing just 122 to win which really is quite poor. Warwickshire though have the momentum and the confidence staying in this competition by beating Yorkshire in their last game and that sort of confidence booster will help them here and so will the fact that they are just a much stronger team than Leicestershire and they will be well aware of that without taking any liberties.
Prediction: Warwickshire
Kent Vs Surrey - Kent have the slimmest of slim chances here to qualify for the quarter-finals and with their net run rate as it is it means that an inconsistent campaign that was always bound to happen when you have a large mixture of youth and experience in the side, especially when they had injuries to their experienced guys in the middle of the campaign which cost them. That infact really is the key difference between them and Surrey who are a much stronger side and are full of experience in their team from top to bottom which is why the likelihood is they will qualify in the top 2 of the South group with a home draw. When you look at things like that it points at Surrey doing really well in the competition and probably making finals day.
Prediction: Surrey
Yorkshire Vs Nottinghamshire - This is probably the biggest match of the round with Yorkshire needing to win to get their quarter-final place secure after a set back losing last week to Warwickshire when they could've won through then. In Nottinghamshire though they have incredibly tough opponents who have won their last couple of games on Sunday and Wednesday to secure their knock-out phase place and 99% secure a home draw. Nottinghamshire's batting may fail at times but they have such a strong bowling line-up to the extent that I could easily see them winning this tournament and knocking Yorkshire out tomorrow if Warwickshire get their win. As the holders of the 4th position all the pressure will be on Yorkshire to win while Warwickshire won't be as pressured and there will certainly be no pressure on Notts to perform either which could be a telling factor.
Prediction: Nottinghamshire
Glamorgan Vs Gloucestershire - Here Glamorgan are looking to absolutely confirm their place in the knock-out stages with Somerset and Kent still possibly being able to qualify on net run rate although Glamorgan would need to lose quite badly for that to happen. Glamorgan did lose though last time out to Essex when they would've guaranteed a place beyond doubt while Gloucestershire have been no push overs in this tournament actually inflicting a rare defeat on Essex in their last game and they have played a little better at times than 8th place would suggest. Glamorgan though have been good in this tournament and haven't lost many games against poorer opposition like Gloucestershire and their home form and home advantage will help them to the quarter-finals here in my opinion.
Prediction: Glamorgan
There may be some dead rubber games out there, but at least half of the games have some interest in them for one of the teams involved if any of the sides poised in 4th lose out and the guys in 5th can pounce so it should be a nervy, tense and incredibly close finish to the group stages of this years T20 Blast competition and I'm excited to see how it plays out.
Thursday, 17 July 2014
Cricket: T20 Blast Preview
It's another massively important week of T20 Blast cricket coming up with another 8 Friday games as the sides all close in on the end of the group stages with a lot of sides still looking for a place in the top 4 and the quarter-finals with about 6 sides still in contention in the South group and 7 in the North group with a lot of teams around there still having 3 games left but most teams only have a couple of games to go as the final group games take place next Friday and you can expect another massive preview there. It's been another mixed week of results from last Friday and in a couple of games since then heading into this week so it's another case of perhaps expecting the unexpected in some games as we have a lot more tough calls.
On we go then as I look ahead to this weekends games:
Friday 18th July:
Gloucestershire Vs Surrey - Here in Gloucestershire we have a side that are basically out with 3 games to go and will be confirmed as out if they do lose this game but I think we can consider them out already having lost their last game to Somerset last week and sitting 8th in the table means there are much better teams ahead of them with a better chance of making the quarters. That could see them rest a few players as they have struggled with injuries in this campaign and they won't want to risk many more players. Surrey though are in a great position having beaten Somerset in mid-week and while not having their quarter-final place secured they do have 3 games left, an incredibly strong side and a nice 3 point cushion sitting in 2nd place, and they'll be looking for that home draw so will certainly be looking to keep the momentum up in this game, and I'd expect them to as well.
Prediction: Surrey
Leicestershire Vs Durham - Leicestershire haven't been too useful so far in this competition and their chances of qualifying are no more after a loss last week to Lancashire, while Durham do still have hope with 3 games left and a 4 point gap between them and 4th place but they do have to win this game, of that we can be sure of. That means with Leicestershire perhaps looking to re-shuffle the team while Durham have a clear objective and motivation although things didn't go great in the last game where they were thrashed by Yorkshire so they clearly have a lot to work on before this game but Leicestershire having only won 3 games have been consistently weak all season and that points to a clear prediction in my mind.
Prediction: Durham
Kent Vs Somerset - Again this looks like a real mixed bag as Kent realistically can't qualify for the quarters after their latest defeat to Essex in what was a real rout last weekend, and with a squad that is now packed with youth and has been struggling with injuries their attention will now turn to the upcoming 50 over competition. Somerset though have 2 games to go and are only a couple of points behind Glamorgan and also importantly only the one place off of the quarter-finals although they did receive a dent by losing out to Surrey in mid-week they have picked up their momentum and started building up some pace in this competition after what certainly seemed like a very slow start. One team of experience against a team with a lot of youth, a team struggling and out against a team with high ambitions really points to one winner in this game in my mind.
Prediction: Somerset
Yorkshire Vs Warwickshire - Yorkshire should have their place in the quarter-finals secure after a couple of thrashings they handed out last week, and on top of that they are 3 points clear of 5th placed Warwickshire and actually sat in 2nd place which also leaves them further room for manoeuvre and with their momentum and home advantage in this game they'll be confident of securing the one win that would seal the deal. Warwickshire's win last week against Worcestershire keeps them well and truly in the hunt with the gap being 2 points with both having 2 games to play but Warwickshire do have to win this game and I'd put them as slight outsiders given the strength of both sides and Yorkshire's other advantages coming into the game but it'll be a game that is decided on moments of brilliance.
Prediction: Yorkshire
Hampshire Vs Sussex - This game to me looks like one where we have one side who are almost into the quarter-finals in Hampshire who are in 3rd place in the South Group and are 3 points clear of 5th place with a win here confirming that place although they could've had it secured by now if it wasn't a heavy defeat to Middlesex last time out. Sussex kept their hopes alive last time out against Glamorgan with a very nice victory but the fact is that they are still 3 points behind 4th place with only 2 games to go and they are now relying on other results going massively their way which is never what you want. With Hampshire having a supposedly strong batting line-up and Sussex's bowling seeming like a weak area and this being at the Ageas Bowl which Hampshire have made pretty close to a fortress over the last few years, Sussex's qualification hopes may have just taken a further hit.
Prediction: Hampshire
Lancashire Vs Derbyshire - This is definetly a tale of 2 sides with massively differing fortunes as Derbyshire are bottom of the table having only won one game, and are certainly out of the competition as well after a huge defeat last time out against Yorkshire so it may not be a bad time for them to start resting players as they know they can do nothing in this competition. Lancashire though have been at the other end of the spectrum having only lost 2 out of 12 games and their quarter-final place is confirmed but they will want to keep their momentum going after several games unbeaten including their last against Leicestershire as they big to go into the quarter-finals on a hot streak and with that important home draw that they missed out on last season. I really can't see them slipping up and losing this game either so it should be another routine win with confidence high.
Prediction: Lancashire
Glamorgan Vs Essex - This game is a huge game in the South Group with 4th placed Glamorgan really looking for 2 wins from their remaining 2 games to keep hold of their 4th placed spot with them currently sitting 2 points clear of 5th. However, when you need to win both of your remaining games you don't want to be starting off against a side that is top of the table having lost just the one game in the whole competition and that was some time ago. Essex in my opinion look to have the strongest team in this years competition across both of the groups and it shows from the fact that they still have 4 games left and yet they're already into the quarter-finals and it would take a dramatic collapse in these last games for them to not have a home draw at fortress Chelmsford which would always have been their aim. Glamorgan on the other hand did lose last time out to Sussex and in my view the actual body of their team doesn't look horrendously strong but they've clearly gelled very well as a team. Essex though look a monstrous team to try and beat right now with no obvious weaknesses in my opinion.
Prediction: Essex
Northamptonshire Vs Worcestershire - This game is going to be an incredibly tense one with the winner certainly having the best chance of qualification. Northamptonshire are 3 points behind Worcestershire in 4th place being sat in 6th place themselves with a game in hand on them and if they were to win their 3 remaining games they would certainly finish above Worcestershire. Worcestershire did start really well in this competition but successive loses will have left them under huge pressure and their momentum would've gone while Northamptonshire's is coming back to them with successive victories. As the home side here and defending champions as well knowing exactly what they're capable of in this format now with very much that same team I think they have a slight edge in this game but this easily one that could go either way.
Prediction: Northamptonshire
Sunday 20th July:
Nottinghamshire Vs Leicestershire - Preview to follow Friday's games
Gloucestershire Vs Essex - Preview to follow Friday's games
As I say it will be another tense week of Cricket but also incredibly exciting stuff as it's a make or break week for a lot of teams in both groups as the chances of many to make the top 4 will be dashed and others will guarantee qualification and finally it will be completed in the group stages next Friday with some thrilling games in store there too and i'll be back again to preview those.
On we go then as I look ahead to this weekends games:
Friday 18th July:
Gloucestershire Vs Surrey - Here in Gloucestershire we have a side that are basically out with 3 games to go and will be confirmed as out if they do lose this game but I think we can consider them out already having lost their last game to Somerset last week and sitting 8th in the table means there are much better teams ahead of them with a better chance of making the quarters. That could see them rest a few players as they have struggled with injuries in this campaign and they won't want to risk many more players. Surrey though are in a great position having beaten Somerset in mid-week and while not having their quarter-final place secured they do have 3 games left, an incredibly strong side and a nice 3 point cushion sitting in 2nd place, and they'll be looking for that home draw so will certainly be looking to keep the momentum up in this game, and I'd expect them to as well.
Prediction: Surrey
Leicestershire Vs Durham - Leicestershire haven't been too useful so far in this competition and their chances of qualifying are no more after a loss last week to Lancashire, while Durham do still have hope with 3 games left and a 4 point gap between them and 4th place but they do have to win this game, of that we can be sure of. That means with Leicestershire perhaps looking to re-shuffle the team while Durham have a clear objective and motivation although things didn't go great in the last game where they were thrashed by Yorkshire so they clearly have a lot to work on before this game but Leicestershire having only won 3 games have been consistently weak all season and that points to a clear prediction in my mind.
Prediction: Durham
Kent Vs Somerset - Again this looks like a real mixed bag as Kent realistically can't qualify for the quarters after their latest defeat to Essex in what was a real rout last weekend, and with a squad that is now packed with youth and has been struggling with injuries their attention will now turn to the upcoming 50 over competition. Somerset though have 2 games to go and are only a couple of points behind Glamorgan and also importantly only the one place off of the quarter-finals although they did receive a dent by losing out to Surrey in mid-week they have picked up their momentum and started building up some pace in this competition after what certainly seemed like a very slow start. One team of experience against a team with a lot of youth, a team struggling and out against a team with high ambitions really points to one winner in this game in my mind.
Prediction: Somerset
Yorkshire Vs Warwickshire - Yorkshire should have their place in the quarter-finals secure after a couple of thrashings they handed out last week, and on top of that they are 3 points clear of 5th placed Warwickshire and actually sat in 2nd place which also leaves them further room for manoeuvre and with their momentum and home advantage in this game they'll be confident of securing the one win that would seal the deal. Warwickshire's win last week against Worcestershire keeps them well and truly in the hunt with the gap being 2 points with both having 2 games to play but Warwickshire do have to win this game and I'd put them as slight outsiders given the strength of both sides and Yorkshire's other advantages coming into the game but it'll be a game that is decided on moments of brilliance.
Prediction: Yorkshire
Hampshire Vs Sussex - This game to me looks like one where we have one side who are almost into the quarter-finals in Hampshire who are in 3rd place in the South Group and are 3 points clear of 5th place with a win here confirming that place although they could've had it secured by now if it wasn't a heavy defeat to Middlesex last time out. Sussex kept their hopes alive last time out against Glamorgan with a very nice victory but the fact is that they are still 3 points behind 4th place with only 2 games to go and they are now relying on other results going massively their way which is never what you want. With Hampshire having a supposedly strong batting line-up and Sussex's bowling seeming like a weak area and this being at the Ageas Bowl which Hampshire have made pretty close to a fortress over the last few years, Sussex's qualification hopes may have just taken a further hit.
Prediction: Hampshire
Lancashire Vs Derbyshire - This is definetly a tale of 2 sides with massively differing fortunes as Derbyshire are bottom of the table having only won one game, and are certainly out of the competition as well after a huge defeat last time out against Yorkshire so it may not be a bad time for them to start resting players as they know they can do nothing in this competition. Lancashire though have been at the other end of the spectrum having only lost 2 out of 12 games and their quarter-final place is confirmed but they will want to keep their momentum going after several games unbeaten including their last against Leicestershire as they big to go into the quarter-finals on a hot streak and with that important home draw that they missed out on last season. I really can't see them slipping up and losing this game either so it should be another routine win with confidence high.
Prediction: Lancashire
Glamorgan Vs Essex - This game is a huge game in the South Group with 4th placed Glamorgan really looking for 2 wins from their remaining 2 games to keep hold of their 4th placed spot with them currently sitting 2 points clear of 5th. However, when you need to win both of your remaining games you don't want to be starting off against a side that is top of the table having lost just the one game in the whole competition and that was some time ago. Essex in my opinion look to have the strongest team in this years competition across both of the groups and it shows from the fact that they still have 4 games left and yet they're already into the quarter-finals and it would take a dramatic collapse in these last games for them to not have a home draw at fortress Chelmsford which would always have been their aim. Glamorgan on the other hand did lose last time out to Sussex and in my view the actual body of their team doesn't look horrendously strong but they've clearly gelled very well as a team. Essex though look a monstrous team to try and beat right now with no obvious weaknesses in my opinion.
Prediction: Essex
Northamptonshire Vs Worcestershire - This game is going to be an incredibly tense one with the winner certainly having the best chance of qualification. Northamptonshire are 3 points behind Worcestershire in 4th place being sat in 6th place themselves with a game in hand on them and if they were to win their 3 remaining games they would certainly finish above Worcestershire. Worcestershire did start really well in this competition but successive loses will have left them under huge pressure and their momentum would've gone while Northamptonshire's is coming back to them with successive victories. As the home side here and defending champions as well knowing exactly what they're capable of in this format now with very much that same team I think they have a slight edge in this game but this easily one that could go either way.
Prediction: Northamptonshire
Sunday 20th July:
Nottinghamshire Vs Leicestershire - Preview to follow Friday's games
Gloucestershire Vs Essex - Preview to follow Friday's games
As I say it will be another tense week of Cricket but also incredibly exciting stuff as it's a make or break week for a lot of teams in both groups as the chances of many to make the top 4 will be dashed and others will guarantee qualification and finally it will be completed in the group stages next Friday with some thrilling games in store there too and i'll be back again to preview those.
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