12 Jun 2019
This Saturday sees the conclusion of this year’s Vitality T20 Blast, with two semi-finals being played before the last two teams standing go head-to-head in the main event for the final.
Worcestershire v Lancashire
It’s Worcestershire’s first appearance in a Finals Day, though many people fancy them to go all the way this year. They will need to do so without overseas player Callum Ferguson though, who has returned to South Australia. The 33-year-old batsman notched up 390 runs in the competition, making him the team’s top run scorer. In Ferguson’s absence, the returning in-form skipper, Moeen Ali, will need to step up. We’ve got Ali to be Worcestershire’s top run scorer available at 14/5. Fortunately, Worcestershire boasts a stellar bowling line-up as well - led by Pat Brown, the leading wicket-taker in the competition.
The team standing in the way, Lancashire, has Jos Buttler and Keaton Jennings available for selection after the pair were made available following England duty. Even though James Anderson will not feature for Lancashire, Jos Buttler is a genuine game winner and if selected will add another dimension to the batting line-up, wherever he’s deployed in the order. Backing Buttler to be Lancashire’s top run scorer at 5/2 is well worth consideration. In the bowling department, Lancashire boast two crafty spinners in Matt Parkinson and Zahir Khan. With a typically spin friendly wicket at Edgbaston, could Lancashire’s slow bowlers prove to be the difference?
Sussex v Somerset
In the second semi-final, pre-tournament favourites Sussex face a Somerset side who have struggled to contain batsmen in this year’s competition. On eight occasions, opposition teams have put 170+ runs on the board against them. To account for that, Somerset have played to their strengths by often choosing to bat second when they’ve won the toss, electing to chase down whatever total they’ve been set. If Captain Lewis Gregory can repeat his semi-final heroics, where he hit 60 from 24 balls, he could offer good value to be Somerset’s top run scorer at 12/1.
Sussex looked down and out at one point during the group stages and faced an uphill battle to qualify for the knockouts, eventually doing so with a comfortable win over Durham. The side will again be without star all-rounder Rashid Khan, who is gearing up for the Asia Cup. In his absence the experienced Laurie Evans could be Sussex’s hero. The 30-year-old batsman has returned 554 runs from 12 innings at an average of 79. We have Sussex as slight favourites in this one, but it could be a tight run chase in this one.
Watch live cricket action in your local Genting casino. Find your nearest casino here.
