Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, weather forecast, form, prediction and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the Vitality Blast...
Fixture: Notts Outlaws v Birmingham Bears
Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Date: Friday, June 11, 2021
Start time: 6.30pm
What’s the lowdown?
There will be a few red faces at Trent Bridge after Nottinghamshire conspired to tie a game which looked in the bag. Having restricted Worcestershire to 152, the Outlaws were then 76 for 1 after the powerplay.
A suffocating 14 overs followed with Notts’ unable to go at a rate of more than a run a ball. Home comforts will be welcome for Peter Moores’ charges: Notts were unbeaten on their own patch last year and smashed Birmingham (then Warwickshire) by 71 runs in their last Blast meeting at the ground in 2019.
These omens don’t bode well for a Bears side who, in truth, looked a touch undercooked in an opening round defeat to Yorkshire. Their T20 specialist opening pair of Ed Pollock and Adam Hose were separated in the contest’s first over before skipper Will Rhodes was dismissed without troubling the scorers.
That they were able to recover from 6 for 2 to a total of 144 for 8 was in large part down to Sam Hain, who made a fluent half century, but it was a total which the Vikings made easy work of. The Bears will be hoping for a faster start in Nottingham.
Who’s in form?
The fact that Notts were able to restrict the Rapids to 152 was in large part down to the spin triptych of Samit Patel, Matthew Carter and new signing Calvin Harrison. The slow-left-armer, off-spinner and leg-spinner had combined figures of 2 for 53 from their nine overs.
With the bat, Joe Clarke and Alex Hales came together as a formidable opening duo hitting 45 from 21 and 31 from 18 respectively and seven sixes between them. Expect more of the same under lights in Nottingham.
For the Bears, opener Adam Hose threatened to explode in Leeds with 22 from 12 but it was Hain who was the standout with a well-paced 59 from 41. New signing Danny Briggs enjoyed a fruitful debut for Birmingham taking 2 for 28 from his four overs.
The slow-left-armer, who was one of Sussex’s leading bowlers in last season’s Blast with 12 wickets and an economy rate of less than seven runs per over, has seemingly picked up where he left off.
What’s the team news?
Notts Outlaws are unchanged from the tie with Worcestershire.
Notts Outlaws squad: Jake Ball, Sol Budinger, Matt Carter, Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett, Luke Fletcher, Alex Hales, Calvin Harrison, Lyndon James, Tom Moores, Steven Mullaney, Dane Paterson, Samit Patel, Peter Trego
Birmingham have named an unchanged 13-man squad after defeat by Yorkshire.
Birmingham Bears squad: Will Rhodes, Carlos Brathwaite, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Ethan Brookes, Michael Burgess, Sam Hain, Olly Hannon-Dalby, Adam Hose, Jake Lintott, Craig Miles, Dan Mousley, Ed Pollock
Last five T20 results (most recent first)
Notts Outlaws: WWTWL (as of June 8)
Birmingham Bears: LWLWW (as of June 8)
Head-to-head T20 record
Total matches: 17
Notts Outlaws wins: 10
Birmingham Bears wins: 7
Tied: 0
Abandoned: 4
No result: 0
What’s the weather forecast?
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Nottingham: Click here
Going to the game?
Tickets
Click here to access the Nottinghamshire box office.
Travel
Address: Trent Bridge, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 6AG
By car: From the south, exit the M1 on Junction 24 (A453) or Junction 25 (A52) and take the signs for West Bridgford or the cricket ground. From the north, take Junction 26 (A610) and follow the signs to West Bridgford or the cricket ground.
There are plenty of parking options around the Lace Market and the Ice Arena in the town centre. There are three car parks surrounding the ground, and two further down the Bridgford Road into West Bridgford itself.
By public transport: Nottingham station is well linked by East Midlands Trains, Cross Country and Northern. There are regular buses from the station to Trent Bridge, and a taxi rank on the northern side of the station, but it is only a 20-minute walk via the A60 - passing the nation's only Hooters - or better still along a saunter the Nottingham Canal up to the Trent Bridge itself – past Meadow Lane (Notts County), the City Ground (Nottingham Forest) and plenty of pubs.
How do I follow the match?
Nottinghamshire will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here
All T20 Blast matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: All Vitality Blast fixtures will be available on BBC Local Radio stations with extensive coverage also on 5 Live Sports Extra.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and updates from every Vitality Blast match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Prediction?
Notts Outlaws might not be quite as strong as they were last year, but they should still be too strong for Birmingham. Home win.
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