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Paul Allott, Dominic Cork and Robert Croft preview Friends Life t20

Image: Hampshire: can they defend their FL t20 title?

The Friends Life t20 competition gets underway this week, with 18 first-class counties vying for a spot in the knockout rounds.

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Robert Croft on Midlands/Wales/West Division

Pick to top group: I think we will see some excellent cricket again this season and the Midlands/Wales/West Division will be one to watch - especially for me as a former Glamorgan/Welsh Dragons player. Somerset topped the division last year and went all the way to the semi-finals before losing to eventual champions Hampshire and I'm sure the bookies will be backing them to do well because of their batting line-up, which includes Marcus Trescothick, Jos Buttler, and Craig Kisewetter. Other contenders: All the teams have players that can punish bowlers and we should see plenty of boundaries being hit and I am hopeful that Welsh Dragons can be competitive - even though they haven't got out of the group stage since 2008. We have a good mix of experience and youth in the side, and I know we will enter every match in a positive frame of mind, play attacking cricket and try to win. Every game will be a cup final and we will be looking to win all of them. Overall winner: It is very difficult to predict who might win a T20 competition before it starts and you can only really make an assessment once you are two or three games in. Teams who are flying in other competitions can struggle, while teams who are not doing so well can find their form; Leicestershire, for example, won the Friends Life t20 in 2011 but only managed to win one County Championship match and two in the CB40! Leicestershire have also proved that the smaller sides can outdo some of the bigger counties in the shorter format, so that will give sides confidence that it could maybe be their year and every team will be desperate to get to Finals Day, which is one of the best days of the season. Ten years of T20: Twenty20 cricket has kept cricket in the UK going for a very long time and it was only a matter of time before it made its way into the professional game. Players love playing it, and over the 10 years of domestic Twenty20 cricket, standards have constantly improved.

Dominic Cork on South Division

Pick to top group: Hampshire can repeat their success of last season. They've got the right balance in their team, know how to play T20 and how to win sticky games. That's what makes them a good team. They also have big-match players, such as Neil McKenzie, Dimitri Mascarenhas with Michael Carberry, James Adams, James Vince and the all-round ability of Liam Dawson and Sean Ervine - players who can single-handedly win a game on their own. Other contenders: I think the southern division is the hardest division because there are so many good teams in it who can even win the whole competition. Sussex will be up there with Hampshire and Middlesex could join them in the quarter-finals as they always have one competition where they go well. There's a lot of transition at Surrey, which could affect them either way, while Kent might find it hard to get into a qualifying position. Essex aren't playing well in the Championship but you have always got to worry about going to Chelmsford because they've got a very strong home record. They've been to finals day twice and you can never write them off. Overall winner: They're my former team but Hampshire know how to win one-day cricket tournaments. They have so many talented, big-match players, who I mentioned above, and I think they'll defend their title and will be lifting the trophy at Edgbaston. Ones to watch: Dimitri Mascarenhas leads from the front with his bowling for Hampshire. People think he's innocuous because of his pace but he knows how to take wickets and he's got a very good record. Their other danger man and one to watch is Neil McKenzie. He's Mr Cool under pressure and can turn a game. That's why Hampshire keep having him back. Ten years of T20: I remember the first T20 game I played at Headingley against Yorkshire. A lot of people thought 'is it going to last?'. For people who don't like cricket, this is as close to a football atmosphere as you can get. You get the razzamatazz, music, floodlights, white ball and an array of different shots, as well as the slower balls and different deliveries we're now seeing. It's been brilliant and helped cricketers and cricket in general. Click here for details of Sky Sports' Friends Life t20 coverage.

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