It's another huge round of T20 Blast action this week as we have about 3 weeks of action left in this seasons group stages and the race for quarter-final spots is really on fire now with fewer and fewer teams left with a chance of reaching the top 4 in both the North and South groups. As always the big games are on Friday night which seems to have worked very well, but the weather hasn't quite been favourable with a large amount of Friday night games being rained out in 2 of the last 3 weeks which is slightly disappointing and has hampered certain teams chances of progressing.
Now it's time for me to take a look at the 8 games coming up on Friday night across the 2 groups:
Friday 11th July:
Leicestershire Vs Lancashire - In this contest we have 2 sides very much at different ends of the table with very differing hopes in this competition. With 3 games to go and following a win last time out in Andrew Flintoff's comeback game against Worcestershire, Lancashire are top of the North group and 6 points clear of 5th placed Durham which practically means that they are into the quarter-finals already and can relax a little bit for this game this weekend. Meanwhile, Leicestershire are 8th in the table with a win last time out against 9th placed Derbyshire only one of 3 that they've managed in their 10 games, and because of the teams between them and 4th placed Yorkshire as well as a 4 point gap, as expected Leicestershire are highly unlikely to qualify and have struggled throughout with a poor squad and I don't expect things to turn around for them soon either.
Prediction: Lancashire
Hampshire Vs Middlesex - This game is a similar tale of 2 sides at very different ends of the T20 Blast spectrum, with Hampshire flying and Middlesex already out and turning to the kids for their remaining games. Hampshire may have played a game or 2 more than the teams around them and they did lose their last game to now 5th placed Somerset, but they are still 5 points clear of them having played a game more and that defeat was one of only 4 in their 11 games, all of which have been completed and not fallen to the weather. It's now officially mathematically impossible for Middlesex to make the quarter-finals with only one win in 11 games for the bottom placed side and the chances of them getting another are pretty slim as they continue to rest their better players for the County Championship and these games will purely be seen as a run out for lesser experienced players and to try some different tactics. Hampshire though will be in full strength and wanting a strong finish in their final 3 games and I think they're almost certain to grab a win here and continue building momentum.
Prediction: Hampshire
Northamptonshire Vs Derbyshire - Northamptonshire and Derbyshire are much closer in the table in terms of position however, when it comes to points there is actually a drastic difference and Northamptonshire still have qualification hopes and although they were skittled for 82 by Leicestershire in their last game before the rain came, Northamptonshire did win their last completed game against Warwickshire and are only a couple of points away from 4th placed Yorkshire if they could have a strong finish they are well in with a chance of making the quarter-finals and continuing their title defence. The fact that they won this last year with a very strong finish to the group stages and their squad is still very similar to that squad will help their confidence. One thing that will boost their confidence is that Derbyshire offer little to no threat at all as a team having won only one of 10 games, losing last time out to Leicestershire by quite a margin really and Leicester aren't much better than themselves. T20 certainly doesn't seem to be Derbyshire's game like it is Northamptonshire's.
Prediction: Northamptonshire
Sussex Vs Kent - This game definetly has the feel of a do or die game in the South group with both sides still having mathematical, but realistically slim chances of qualifying sitting 7th and 8th in the table. A loss last time out in a rain effected match dented Sussex's chances of qualifying pushing them down to 7th and 3 points from Glamorgan with 4 games left, knowing that another loss in this game would see them realistically go out of the competition and with their general inconsistency of the season I can't see them making the cut. Kent were thrashed in their last game against Hampshire and also lost their first game against Sussex earlier in the year as a few injuries to experienced faces have left their young team fairly exposed and now really struggling for form. Their chances of qualifying are low with a 4 point gap between them and 4th place and those chances will be non-existent in my view if they lose here with the games they have to come. Both sides will be giving it their all in this game but that general feeling youth about Kent has them closer to a side like Middlesex in rock bottom than the quarter-final challengers like Sussex.
Prediction: Sussex
Durham Vs Yorkshire - This game is absolutely massive in the context of the North group with Yorkshire sitting in 4th place in the last qualifying spot, while Durham are just a place and a point below them with both sides having an equal 4 games left. Yorkshire had a large number of games last week and it really was a make or break week for them, although in the end it went neither way with a win, a loss to Durham and then a no result on the Friday which Durham also mirrored. As I said Durham did win last time the 2 sides met just last week, but that was on a pretty poor pitch where Yorkshire unexpectedly collapsed. Yorkshire I'd say are marginally that bit stronger than Durham whose squad does look a little bit bare in patches compared to Yorkshire who have big guns from top to bottom and a great deal of experience in there.
Prediction: Yorkshire
Somerset Vs Gloucestershire - There's only a point separating these 2 in 5th and 6th with Somerset being 2 points off of the quarter-final spots and Gloucestershire 3 points away. Both sides have struggled at times in this tournament but they seem to be getting back on track now, with Gloucestershire winning a rain affected match against Sussex last Friday while Somerset beat Hampshire quite well on Sunday to keep them in the hunt. On paper though Somerset are perhaps a little too strong to not be making it to the quarter-finals and I'm sure a lot of people would love to see them there, while Gloucestershire in my opinion are a much weaker side to the extent that they'd look slightly out of place in the last 8. In games like these with the loser left struggling to qualify both sides have plenty of inspiration but I always feel that a home crowd and home advantage really comes into play.
Prediction: Somerset
Warwickshire Vs Worcestershire - This game is another huge North group game in the context of things with Worcestershire having lost their last game to Lancashire and with only 3 games left which is one less than 4th placed Yorkshire and Durham which gives both a realistic chance of passing them as they sit in 3rd but still 4 points clear of 5th placed Durham, but a loss here would certainly leave them sweating in their final couple of games if Yorkshire, Durham and Northamptonshire could keep winning. Meanwhile, Warwickshire are only 1 point behind 4th placed Yorkshire but again they have played a game more and have lost a fair bit of momentum which showed in their Tuesday night loss to Nottinghamshire. Another loss here will make it very tough for them to qualify with only a couple of games left but the momentum is really not with them at the moment as they were in the top 3 only a couple of weeks ago.
Prediction: Worcestershire
Surrey Vs Glamorgan - This game is absolutely huge in the South group for Glamorgan much more than Surrey and for the chasing pack outside of the top 4. With 5 games to go still Surrey are very well placed in 3rd despite a defeat last time out to Essex at Chelmsford which is always a fortress for them, but equally The Oval is always a tough place to go and try and beat a Surrey side full of big guns right the way through the line-up and they will be full of confidence being 3 points clear of 5th with a game in hand and qualification certainly in their own hands. It's a similar story for Glamorgan who have qualification in their hands but a defeat here may well take it out of their hands with Somerset breathing down their necks 2 points behind them in 5th with a superior net run rate. Glamorgan have been well but, Surrey do look like a side in very good form ahead of this game and despite Glamorgan's form they are always a tough side to beat at home.
Prediction: Surrey
As you can see there is so much to play for this week with a lot of sides set to have their quarter-final hopes smashed this week, while others will have there's heavily boosted. Will be incredibly interesting to see how it all pans out and as always it will be good fun too. I'll be back next week to preview some more action as the thermostat is turned up another notch.
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