Essex have ample match-winners; don't discount Hampshire
Tuesday 19 May 2015 13:32, UK
Birmingham Bears will be confident of retaining their T20 Blast title in 2015 – why wouldn’t they? They’ll have the brutal Brendon McCullum around for much of it!
Add in last term’s half-century merchants Varun Chopra and William Porterfield and the spin threat of canny New Zealander Jeetan Patel and the Midland men could take some stopping.
But who will be the biggest challengers to the Bears’ crown? David Ruse suggests some main contenders…
HAMPSHIRE
The Ageas Bowl boys have really got the hang of this T20 lark, reaching Finals Day in each of the previous five seasons and winning the competition twice, in 2010 and 2012. In thirtysomethings Michael Carberry, Jimmy Adams, Owais Shah and Sean Ervine, they possess proven run-getters – only five players have collected more runs than Carberry in English T20 cricket – while 24-year-old James Vince, the county’s new-one day skipper, is another guaranteed scorer.
Keep an eye on keeper-batsman Adam Wheater also, he is too good not to fire in the shortest form at some point. Danny Briggs, meanwhile has taken to T20 like the proverbial duck to water, snaring 96 wickets in the last five seasons – including 21 in 2014 – to place sixth on the all-time list. Will Smith, Chris Wood and new signing Yasir Arafat, the latter fresh from winning the Big Bash with Perth, are also in tow bowling-wise, so don’t be surprised to see Hampshire reach August’s big day once again.
ESSEX
Overseas players can make a huge impact in the T20 Blast and you feel Essex may have two of the best. Jesse Ryder has been a bombastic batsman for quite some time but his bowling is improving out of sight, as proved by his 44 wickets in last season’s County Championship and excellent start in that competition this time around. Shaun Tait, meanwhile, has jetted in for one of his T20 jaunts and will have opposition batsmen quivering at the prospect of facing his rapid-fire deliveries, something he managed two years ago as Essex made Finals Day.
The consistent David Masters and Reece Topley add to a quality bowling line-up, while Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate will bolster both facets when they wrap up their IPL commitments. Add in Tom Westley – who crunched two T20 tons last term – the hard-hitting Graham Napier, Mark Pettini, a fervent home crowd and the fact the Eagles may not be dented by international call-ups and they could go far.
DURHAM
If momentum matters, then don’t overlook Durham. They failed to make it out of the North Group last term and, to be frank, have flattered to deceive in the shortest form over the years, but they are the reigning Royal London One-Day Cup champions having bested Warwickshire last September. Ben Stokes played a gem of an innings in their semi-final win over Nottinghamshire – plundering 164 from 113 balls – but if England commitments prevent him from figuring regularly for the Jets in the T20 Blast, there are others capable of stepping up.
Australian John Wayne Hastings will take wickets and hit the odd – huge – boundary; Messrs Onions, Rushworth and Wood form a potent seam force; and there is big-shot potential in Phil Mustard and Calum MacLeod. Plus, in Paul Collingwood, Durham have a quality batsman, nagging bowler, gun fielder and worldly captain. Another trophy isn’t out of the question, although the exit of spinner Gareth Breese is a blow.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
This choice may seem a little surprising, given Gloucestershire finished second bottom of the South Group in 2014 but a quarter-final appearance in the Royal London One-Day Cup showed the county’s progression and their array of talented batsmen are ready to make another step. Ian Cockbain scores rapidly, Will Tavare – the nephew of former England man Chris – may get his first taste of T20 cricket, and ex-New Zealand star Hamish Marshall is still about.
The curly-haired supremo is 36 now but has not lost his appetite for boundaries, as testified by his stonking 180 from 70 balls in a pre-season T20 against Somerset. As for the bowling, all eyes will be on 20-year-old Craig Miles, an England player in waiting you feel, but Benny Howell (15 wickets at 19.60 in 2014) and David Payne are canny performers, too. Gloucestershire won a myriad of one-day crowns under Mark Alleyne in the late 1990s and early 2000s and it’s about time they landed another one.
LANCASHIRE
Last term’s runners-up should be in contention again – even though, according to head coach Ashley Giles, Andrew Flintoff is unlikely to be a part of their charge. One quality all-rounder apparently out, then, but another will arrive in the shape of Australia’s James Faulkner, a superb limited-overs performer and one of the many reasons his nation was able to lift the World Cup on March 29.
Lancashire’s batting is powerful, too, with Karl Brown and Ashwell Prince, who scored seven fifties between them in 2014, joined by Alviro Petersen, while the all-round expertise of Steven Croft, Glen Chapple and Tom Smith will also be fundamental. Kabir Ali and Junaid Khan’s departures will leave a hole – they took a combined 39 wickets last time around – but Faulkner, with all his variations, will compensate and seamer Jordan Clark and spinner Stephen Parry should improve on their nine and eight scalps respectively. It won’t be the same without Freddie, though…
Who do YOU think will push for the T20 Blast title? Let us know using the feedback form below (skysports.com only) or via Twitter @SkyCricket.
