NatWest t20 blast 2015

[st_brendy]

Brilliant innings from Whiteley. Always been a clean striker of 6s, but doesn't seem to be able to do it a consistent match-by-match basis.

[Alviro Patterson]

Ross Whiteley, take a bow

[Alviro Patterson]

Same old story from Yorkshire - rubbish death over bowling and can't play spin/pace off the ball. Not even against Daryl Mitchell who bowled absolutely village with 40-50mph bowling and didn't get tonked.

I don't know how Ryan Gibson is above Moin Ashraf in the pecking order, I really don't.

[st_brendy]

Same old story from Yorkshire - rubbish death over bowling and can't play spin/pace off the ball. Not even against Daryl Mitchell who bowled absolutely village with 40-50mph bowling and didn't get tonked.

I don't know how Ryan Gibson is above Moin Ashraf in the pecking order, I really don't.

It'll be interested if Ashraf plays any first team cricket for us over this month, or if it's just second team cricket. By all accounts he first has to prove both fitness and form for the seconds before we consider playing him in the first team (whatever format that might be).

[Alviro Patterson]

Same old story from Yorkshire - rubbish death over bowling and can't play spin/pace off the ball. Not even against Daryl Mitchell who bowled absolutely village with 40-50mph bowling and didn't get tonked.

I don't know how Ryan Gibson is above Moin Ashraf in the pecking order, I really don't.

It'll be interested if Ashraf plays any first team cricket for us over this month, or if it's just second team cricket. By all accounts he first has to prove both fitness and form for the seconds before we consider playing him in the first team (whatever format that might be).

Moin hasn't played a great deal of cricket due to injury. Hope it works out for him because he is far too talented a bowler to be wasted, similar bowling action to Ryan Sidebottom.

[andy]

Essex vs Middlesex is tonight's televised game

[st_brendy]

Heading into the final week of group games:

NORTH GROUP

An important game-in-hand match between Birmingham and Northants. A Birmingham win secures home QFs for themselves and Worcs (both already having secured top four finishes), whilst leaving Northants sweating slightly on a top four place. A Northants win sends them into the QFs, and with a chance of snatching a home QF ahead of either Birmingham or Worcs.

Two days later, Lancs and Notts join the equation. It will either be a straight shoot-out between them for 4th place (Lancs play Worcs, whilst Notts play Leiceseter - Lancs have a comfortable NRR advantage over Notts, so have qualification in their own hands), or a three way fight for 3rd and 4th if Northants lose the above match vs Birmingham. Northants play Durham.

Durham, Leices, Yorks and Derby are all out.

SOUTH GROUP

Kent have won the group. Home QF in the bag. Nevertheless, they don't want to be going into the QFs on the back of two successive defeats.

Somerset and Middlesex are out.

Now the difficult stuff.

If Sussex beat Surrey, they qualify (and get a home QF at the same time). If Gloucs lose to Glamorgan, they are out. If Surrey lose twice (or lose once and have a tie or rain-off in their other match), they are out. Anything else involving Sussex, Surrey, Gloucs, Glamorgan, Hants and Essex is possible.

Sussex, Essex, Hants and Surrey have qualification, effectively, in their own hands. Glamorgan and Gloucs require assistance from others.

Sussex - If they lose to Surrey, they will have to rely on other teams to slip up. They would need two out of Essex, Hants, Glamorgan and Surrey (in their first game) to also lose. As I say, if they win then they qualify.

Essex - If they beat Kent, they will almost certainly qualify because Surrey play Sussex, and Glamorgan's NRR is far, far weaker than Essex's. They would be certain of finishing above Surrey or Sussex, and Glamorgan would need a miracle. Even Hants would need a small NRR miracle to overtake them. If they lose to Kent though, either Glamorgan or Gloucs will overtake them. In that case Essex will need Hants to lose, and Surrey to lose at least once.

Hants - Because Sussex play Surrey, Hants are guaranteed to finish above at least one of those two with a win against Somerset. Realistically, such a Hants win would also result in them finishing above Glamorgan too, due to Glamorgan's poor NRR. So regardless of what Essex do, and what the results are in the Sussex-Surrey and Gloucs-Glamorgan head-to-heads, a Hants win against Somerset effectively secures qualification. But on the flip side, because of those same match-ups (and Essex's superior NRR at present) a Hants defeat against Somerset knocks them out.

Glamorgan - If they beat Gloucs, they will qualify if Hants or Essex lose - again given that Surrey and Sussex play each other. If they lose to Gloucs, they are 99% out. Gloucs would overtake them, and Glamorgan's NRR would do the rest even if Hants, Essex and Surrey all lose themselves too.

Gloucs - They have to beat Glamorgan. They also then need two of Essex, Hants and Surrey to lose.

Surrey - If they win both games, then they will be certain of a top five finish. And it will probably be a top four finish given that their NRR is superior to Hants'. A loss for Hants or Essex would just absolutely cement Surrey's qualification. If they win just one game, then they will need Hants to lose and Gloucs to beat Glamorgan - but at the same time, jump above Gloucs' NRR. Not an easy task if Gloucs are winning their match, and Surrey are losing one of their two matches. Or alternatively, they would also need Essex to lose and for their NRR to jump above Essex's. And as I say, if they lose both games then they are out.

Phew!

The bizarre thing in all of this is that Surrey are down in 7th and yet probably have qualification completely in their own hands. And at the same time, Sussex are sitting up in 2nd but facing a crunch qualification decider.

[ianp1970]

#youbears go by for a home QF this evening against Northampton playing for last 4 place themselves.

Could be a cracker

[Alviro Patterson]

Final round of T20 Blast matches ruined by the rain, Somerset v Middlesex and Surrey v Sussex already abandoned without a toss.

Looks like Yorkshire v Warwickshire is the only match not affected by the rain, get those Sky cameras up to Headingley!

[hopeforthebest]

Jeeten Patel captains Warks in the absence of Chopra.

[hopeforthebest]

Looking at the radar it will be a miracle if Leeds misses this rain.

[Alviro Patterson]

The rain band is meant to go as far north as Sheffield, then sinks southwards towards the North Sea.

[hopeforthebest]

Another failure for McCullum, he's not earned his pay as a batsman that's for sure. On big innings and a host of failures.

[dan08]

Northants finish 3rd, Lancashire come 4th.

Kent play Lancashire at home on Saturday 15th August.

[st_brendy]

Essex, Glamorgan and Gloucs all sweating over the rain. Sussex also, in terms of whether they get a home QF. I guess technically we should be too, but even if play does go ahead, Glamorgan need a miracle to overhaul our NRR.

If Essex's game is washed out, Glamorgan will pip them to 4th if they can get their game on, and win it. If Essex's game goes ahead, then that open up the chance of Gloucs (or Glamorgan) to overtake Essex. But it also opens up the chance of Essex jumping into 2nd and getting a home QF.