Essex v Surrey

The NatWest T20 Blast is back...

The NatWest T20 Blast is back as white leather replaces red under the Friday night lights. We take a look at some of the stats...

Essex

2015: 4^th group stage, quarter-finalists

Captain: Ravi Bopara

Overseas players: Jesse Ryder, Adam Milne (both NZ), Wahab Riaz (Pak)

Team talk...

At Chelmsford the Eagles averaged 178 runs against a general average runs for all teams of 157.82. That home advantage was even more apparent when batting first, Essex averaged 189 when setting a target compared to 156 when chasing.

Ones to watch...

Ravi Bopara

The skipper is fresh from a spell in the Pakistan Super League where he plundered 329 runs at an average just shy of 55 for Karachi Kings. Ravi hit 316 at 31.60 in last year’s competition - top scoring with an unbeaten 81 against Kent; highlights of that one below...

Adam Milne

The rapid New Zealander has regularly clocked 90 plus deliveries for his country. A hamstring injury ruled the young kiwi out of an extended IPL stint but Milne is set to feature in seven group games for the Eagles.

Jesse Ryder

Ryder produced some impressive middle-over thrashing at a strike-rate of 193 in last year’s Blast with a top score of 107 not out. 

Surrey

2015: 7^th group stage

Captain: Gareth Batty

Overseas players: Kumar Sangakkara (SL), Chris Morris (SA), Dwayen Bravo (WI), Aaron Finch (Aus)

Team talk...

With homegrown talent like Jason Roy, the Curran duo and Zafar Ansari blended with some high-tier international talent - South Africa's million dollar man Chirs Morris and West Indies' Dwayne Bravo will also have spells at The Oval - Surrey will be hoping for better things in this year’s competition.

Ones to watch...

Jason Roy

Roy’s skills were on show for the world to see in India with several impressive knocks - a rampant 43 from 16 against South Africa which set-up a record-breaking chase the pick of the bunch.

He may be known for his rapid starts but if he is still there at the death he is equally destructive. He boasted a strike-rate of 200 in overs 14-20 in last year’s competition. When he gets in, back him to go big (as he did against Somerset at The Oval last summer – highlights below). Following a doctrine of all-out attack has its potential risks, but when the blade swings true the notches come thick and fast.

Kumar Sangakkara

How do you quantify the languid brilliance of Kumar Sangakkara? The Sri Lankan maestro consistently looks a cut above the rest in four-day cricket while his T20 contribution is no less impressive. In 2015 Sangakkara scored 331 runs at an average of 41.37 with a strike rate of 150.

He possessed the highest strike-rate (239) against left-arm seamers in the Powerplay while he is ranked fourth overall in the first six overs with a strike-rate of 178.

Surrey will be Sangakkara-less when he departs for the Caribbean Premier League, at which point Australia’s Aaron Finch will step into the fray. Currently ranked No.2 in the T20I rankings, not a bad patch up job....

Both teams will have sights set on Finals Day, Friday night at Chelmsford should be a cracker.