Ahead of T20 Blast Finals Day, The Cricketer provides you with all the crucial bits of information you need to enjoy the showpiece event
Lancashire, Worcestershire, Somerset and Sussex will do battle on Finals Day to determine the T20 Blast winners in 2018
T20 Blast Finals Day is back for another year as the final four remaining counties left in the competition vie for the crown of T20 Blast champions.
The four sides meet in two semi-finals during the day before the showpiece final takes place in the evening.
Edgbaston is once again the host venue, for the 10th time running, for the county calendar’s showpiece event. After welcoming a record 24,426 fans last year, the Birmingham ground will be aiming to go even better this time round to continue the rapid growth of the event.
Lancashire Lightning, Worcestershire Rapids, Somerset and Sussex Sharks are the final four teams all looking to be victorious come Finals Day.
In the opening semi-final, Lancashire face Worcestershire, beginning at 11.00 BST while Somerset later face Sussex at 14:30 BST to the determine the line-up of the final which begins at 18:45 BST.
Lancashire, with eight wins and five defeats, finished third in the north group and they reached Finals Day with a commanding six-wicket victory over Kent Spitfires in the quarter-finals.
Their semi-final opponents, Worcestershire, have been one of the teams of the competition after topping the north group with 19 points and following that up with a five-wicket win over Gloucestershire, Callum Ferguson starring with 64 not out.
Somerset topped the south group with 20 points after 10 wins and four defeats in the group stages. The county then defeated reigning champions Nottinghamshire by 19-runs at Taunton in the quarter-finals.
Sussex, who possess the deadliest bowling unit in the tournament, finished third in south group with 18 points and then booked their place at Edgbaston with a five-wicket win over Durham in the quarter-finals.
For Lancashire, England have allowed Jos Buttler and Keaton Jennings to take part, albeit James Anderson will only be commentating on the event for BBC’s Test Match Special.
England duo Jos Buttler and Keaton Jennings are available for Lancashire
Worcestershire, similarly, have Moeen Ali back from England duty. Johann Myburgh is fit to make his final appearance for Somerset while Sussex will still be without leg-spinner Rashid Khan but, otherwise, expect to name an unchanged team from their quarter-final triumph.
Sky Sports will have live coverage of the entire day.
Lancashire’s semi-final contest with Worcestershire is on Sky Sports Cricket (Sky 404, Virgin 504, TalkTalk 405) from 10:30 BST while Somerset’s clash with Sussex can be found on Sky Sports Cricket (Sky 404, Virgin 504, TalkTalk 405) and Sky Sports Main Event (Sky 401, Virgin 501, BT 402, TalkTalk 402) from 14:15 BST.
Coverage of the final, beginning at 18:15, can be watched on Sky Sports Cricket (Sky 404, Virgin 504, TalkTalk 405) and Sky Sports Main Event (Sky 401, Virgin 501, BT 402, TalkTalk 402).
Test Match Special will be providing ball-by-ball radio coverage of the day too via BBC Radio 5 live sports extra (DAB: 12B Freeview: 706 Freesat: 706 Sky (UK only): 0144 Virgin Media: 908 Virgin Media Ireland: 928).
The Cricketer will provide updates through social media alongside coverage of the matches on our website.
Lancashire’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament, Matt Parkinson, told the official Finals Day programme: “It’s a proud moment for the lads who were involved (in the 2015 win) and there’s still a core group of those players here. But there are the younger players who weren’t, and we want to create our own history.”
Worcestershire’s Ross Whiteley told the official Finals Day programme: “We’ve said all along we want to win it. The quarter-final was just a stepping stone to getting towards that goal. That is something Mo [Moeen Ali] has pushed and it’s been a real good focus point for everyone involved. We’ve played here in front of 15,000 against Birmingham Bears. This is going to be a full house and a lot of guys have never played in front of crowds like that.”
Edgbaston plays host to the big day
Sussex’s Laurie Evans told the official Finals Day programme: “Overall, we’re probably a much younger side (than Birmingham's title-winning side in 2014) but we do have that big-match experience. Chris Jordan, Luke Wright and Danny Briggs have all played international cricket and Jofra Archer loves the big stage.”
Somerset’s Lewis Gregory told the official Finals Day programme: “At the start of the season, we sat down and took the decision to pack our side with batting, right down to No.10 or 11. That has given me freedom to play my shots. Usually the foundation of the innings has been laid before I go in at No.7 and whatever the situation, I know there are players like Roelof van der Merwe and Jamie Overton – who can both clear the ropes – waiting with their pads on.”
The weather is set fair for Finals Day on Saturday with a high of 18 degrees and partly cloudy conditions forecast.
South group representatives Somerset and Sussex are favourites at 5/2 to lift the trophy while Lancashire are at 11/4 and Worcestershire are 3/1 for the outright tournament victory.
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