After seven rounds of County Championship action, the speed is about to increase with the start of the T20 Blast tournament this evening. Despite the main event of The Hundred this summer, the Blast remains a thrilling and highly-contested tournament, with 13 of the 18 counties winning at least once. Last summer’s winners Somerset play tomorrow where they take on runners up Essex.
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The T20 Blast
Eighteen teams will battle it out over 133 matches across the next couple of months. With the teams being divided into two groups, North and South. each will play 14 group matches before the break between the group and knockout stages.
While the T20 World Cup will impact some of the squads, the tournament is still shaping up to be highly competitive with teams from both groups keen on taking the top prize. In the Southern group, holders Somerset (8.50) and runners-up Essex (8.00) are preferred picks to go far. Nottinghamshire are the number one pick in the whole tournament at 7.00. However, our choices for group and potentially tournament winners are Surrey (7.50) and Sussex (19.00).
Surrey, captained by England fast bowler Chris Jordan, haven’t won the tournament since 2003 so may be a wildcard pick. However, their winter signing of Aussie international Spencer Johnson gives them additional firepower that will help push them further than they’ve been able to in recent years. Forgotten England man Jason Roy will be keen to remind fans of his quality and will likely be a deciding factor for Surrey in this campaign. While Surrey, like many teams, will be hit by absences caused by the World Cup they have a famously strong squad – and their talent pool with names such as Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith will be keen to seize the opportunity to impress.
Sussex will also look to lean on their Aussie imports for a cutting edge when they face Gloucestershire tomorrow. Experienced left-hander Daniel Hughes will be joined by compatriot Nathan McAndrew, who represented Sussex seven times in 2023. The pressure on Blast first-timer Hughes is amplified by the absence of the Sharks’ two top scorers from 2023, Ravi Bopara and Michael Burgess. James Coles, still only 20, is also tipped to make a statement this year. After learning from a disappointing tournament last time around, the clearly-talented youngster has a point to prove. With a notoriously poor home record at Hove, coach Paul Farbrace will be hoping Sussex can make a quick start when the tournament gets underway.
T20 Blast Odds
Nottinghamshire – 7.00
Surrey – 7.50
Essex – 8.00
Somerset – 8.50
Lancashire – 9.00
Birmingham – 10.00
Hampshire – 11.00
Worcestershire – 13.00
Kent – 17.00
Yorkshire – 17.00
Sussex – 19.00
Northants – 19.00
Durham – 26.00
Glamorgan – 26.00
Leicestershire – 29.00
Derbyshire – 41.00
Gloucestershire – 41.00
Middlesex – 41.00
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