THE BLAST: As we approach the halfway mark of the Vitality Blast, things are starting to become a bit clearer in the Southern division with regards to where teams will finish. The same however can’t be said for the Northern sides, with just four points separating Nottinghamshire in first and Northamptonshire in eighth. We preview three Friday fixtures below, alongside some of our recommended BETDAQ bets.
Yorkshire v Worcestershire – 18:30
Yorkshire have certainly turned around their fortunes in this year’s Vitality Blast by winning their last four games on the bounce, after tasting defeat in their opening three. Their most recent fixture saw them comprehensively beat Leicestershire by 30 runs at Grace Road, brilliantly defending a below-par total of 157 thanks to Jordan Thompson’s 5/21 – the second best figures of any bowler so far. Whilst he didn’t make a meaningful impact on this game, Dawid Malan’s upturn in form has certainly been a catalyst for Yorkshire’s recovery, having now hit 330 runs at an average of 66.00 after seven appearances.
Worcestershire were the Northern division’s table-toppers this time last week, but successive defeats to Northamptonshire and Lancashire – both coming in the final over after batting first – has slightly checked their early season momentum. Their batting card is certainly one of the more potent in the tournament so far – amassing at least 177 in every game they’ve played, but, with the exception of Mitchell Santer, their bowling attack is yet to really hold its side of the bargain in games.
Had this match been played a week ago you’d have probably fancied Worcestershire rise above the White Roses, but we fancy Yorkshire to get a result here. Their ability to defend totals has been particularly impressive in their recent winning streak – with three of those four wins coming after batting first – so we’re backing Yorkshire at 1.76 to make it five wins out of five.
Yorkshire v Worcestershire markets
Glamorgan v Essex – 18:30
This is a very equal matchup on paper, with both sides experiencing four wins and two losses from their opening six fixtures. After winning three on the bounce, Glamorgan fell to a heavy 65-run loss to Surrey in their most recent game on Wednesday, with Laurie Evans’ sparkling 118* helping the away side post 236 from their 20 overs. Only one of the six bowling options used by Kiran Carlson that day went for under 10 runs an over, so the Welsh outfit will need to tighten up their economies if they are to qualify for the latter stages.
Essex have enjoyed a good week in the Blast, winning both of their matches against Sussex and Kent, the former seeing them chase down 148 in less than 15 overs despite losing both openers for ducks. Curiously, Simon Harmer’s men have bowled first in five of their six fixtures and seem to have confidence in their bowlers restricting opposition to chaseable targets, with Daniel Sams impressing in particular having taken 12 wickets in the tournament so far.
Both teams are similarly priced at 2.02 and 1.94 for victory, but we’re going to side with the slight favourites in Essex here. Their ability to chase down scores has been notably impressive in recent fixtures and they arguably find themselves in slightly better form, so backing Essex at 1.94 is the play.
Sussex v Surrey – 19:00
Sussex come into this one on the back of a thrilling 4-run win over Middlesex at Lord’s on Thursday, which saw arguably one of the catches of the summer from James Coles. It was a bright spark in what has been an otherwise disappointing Blast campaign for the Sharks, whose only other victory from their seven fixtures so far also came in London against Friday’s opposition, Surrey, at the Oval. They have been undoubtedly boosted by Shadab Khan’s rising influence on games, with the Pakistan star racking up 59 runs from just 30 deliveries on Thursday evening.
Surrey have predictably been one of the more impressive sides in the Southern division so far, winning five of their seven games and sitting only behind Somerset in the standings as we approach the halfway mark of the group stage. They have certainly seen some of the best individual knocks in the tournament, with Sean Abbott’s record-breaking 110* and Laurie Evans’ more recent 118* making up for a batting card that seems to overly prioritise all-rounders rather than pure batsmen at the top of the order.
Sussex will have their tails up after their conquest of Lord’s on Thursday and their victory in the reverse fixture between these sides, but it’s difficult to look past Surrey here. We’re backing the Brown Caps at 1.41 to further stake their claim for the latter stages of this year’s tournament.
