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The Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
County cricket: Northants and Somerset sitting pretty in T20 Blast
After six consecutive wins, Northamptonshire must have been confident of a lucky seventh at Wantage Road when reducing Durham to 77 for five, Ben Raine gone for an eight-ball 17, the fightback stalled almost before it started. But Will Rhodes and Jimmy Neesham have played plenty of T20 cricket (in Neesham's case plenty for Northants) and they set their sights on building a competitive target and, in posting 157 for eight, the visitors were in the game. By the end of the powerplay, with the leaders needing only 102 off 14 overs with nine wickets in hand, it looked like Northants could chalk up another victory. Cue the canny spin of Nathan Sowter and Callum Parkinson, who conceded just one boundary each as their six overs yielded three wickets for just 28 runs, as Durham celebrated a win by 15 runs. It was another example of two truisms of cricket in any format. Firstly, the match is always longer than you might think, and that time gives opportunities for the pendulum to swing, but you have to be in the game to make the game. Secondly, and the transfixing Test match at Lord's bore out this point, boundaries and dizzying run rates can bring the spectacle, but a tight, low-scoring thriller, where every decision is a chance to wrest back the advantage, provides richer fare. Northamptonshire are still sitting pretty at the top of the North Group in the T20 Blast with 24 points, with Durham in a clutch of three teams immediately behind them with 16. That said, high-scoring games can be fun too, with the Birmingham Bears and Nottinghamshire producing a rare close finish – there really should be more of them – at Edgbaston. After a somewhat pedestrian powerplay that yielded just 37 runs and one wicket, teenage spinner Farhan Ahmed the successful bowler having been trusted with bowling two of the six, a pair of international bears, Tom Latham and Dan Mousley got going. Their 116 in 11.3 overs for the second wicket set a platform for Ed Barnard and Moeen Ali to blaze 57 off 20 balls at the death to get Birmingham over 200. Danny Briggs, another slow bowler with a job to do in the powerplay, kept a lid on things, but, in another echo of old-school limited-overs cricket, Nottinghamshire had kept wickets in hand. Opener Lyndon James found a partner in wicketkeeper Tom Moores, and the pair put on 107 in 9.2 overs. There were still runs to get after James was out for 50, but Daniel Sams is as good as they come at six-hitting at the death, though it was Moores who delivered the walk-off home run off the last ball to seal the victory. There's not much to separate them on the field or table, the Outlaws and Bears fifth and sixth on 12 points. Sussex, one of the teams of the season so far, are just two points off first place in the South Group. Their victory in Cardiff was a textbook example of constructing a winning position and then driving it home. Harrison Ward blitzed the powerplay making 55 off 24 balls before handing over to the rest of the top six, who all made scores. Glamorgan then lost wickets at bad times, never landing a punch to be all out in the 19th over, 28 runs short. Australian seamer Nathan McAndrew was the chief destroyer with six for 21; he must enjoy these batters, having taken five for 19 against them last week at Hove. He's never played international cricket, but McAndrew has almost 100 Big Bash and Blast matches under his belt. He knows what he's doing. In a good week for South African cricketers, teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius announced his arrival in England with a scorching 44 off 22 balls as Hampshire posted 63 for one off a rain-interrupted six overs. After Messrs Duckworth, Lewis and Stern had been consulted, Middlesex were obliged to chase 76 for the win. Chris Wood started with a maiden, but Max Holden was only getting his eye in as he went four, four, six, four, four, two, six off the next seven balls he faced. Needing 13 off the sixth over for the win, Kane Williamson and Ben Geddes got 12, Scott Currie limiting them to just the one boundary. So 12 more runs scored by Middlesex, but the points shared – it makes sense in the head if not in the heart. Young Pretorius might not know about his country's exit from the 1992 World Cup. And it's probably best not to tell him. Somerset did a Northants in the South Group, giving up a 100% record with a defeat to Kent but retaining first place in the table. The match was won (but only just, Somerset fell only five runs short) in an opening stand of 158 in 13.2 overs between Tawanda Muyeye (70) and Daniel Bell-Drummond (100). Bell-Drummond's effort was the first ton in the Blast this season, coming as most teams get close to the halfway mark in the 14-game schedule, which goes to show that such landmarks are rare. The Kent veteran, who is somehow still only 31, has not enjoyed a season marked by his usual consistency, his only score of note 223 at Lord's but even that was in a losing cause. The opener was one of this column's five county cricketers of the year in 2023 and one can only hope that his high summer and autumn can help rescue a poor April and May for his team. County cricket needs a strong Kent; those of us who recall those great sides of the 1970s do for sure. In an age when the orthodoxy suggests it's demanding to expect players to switch formats, Matthew Potts keeps running in. This season, he's played four Championship matches, two ODIs, one T20I and two Blast T20s. And he never gives less than his all. As he proved in his latest outing, snaring five for 17 against Yorkshire, ripping the heart out of the White Rose batting as the home side collapsed from 55 for three to 100 for nine. That the runs were largely knocked off by ex-Tykes, Alex Lees and Will Rhodes, will not have pleased the locals. Potts, his very name suggesting solid reliability, will continue to do a job for Durham and England as required. He's not the most glamorous of players, but fans love a lad whose head never drops, who never sulks when left out and who treats every match like we would had we the talent to play the game at that level. This article is from The 99.94 Cricket Blog
BBC News
7 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
T20 Blast: Anderson helps Lancs close on Northants
Runaway T20 Blast North Group leaders Northamptonshire suffered their first defeat of the season as Lancashire narrowed the gap at the top on Friday table-topping Steelbacks were edged out by 15 runs at home to Durham with Kiwi all-rounder Jimmy Neesham hitting an unbeaten half-century for the visitors before picking up 3-29 with the Jimmy Anderson claimed three wickets as second-placed Lancashire thumped Worcestershire by seven wickets at New Bears overcame Yorkshire by 32 runs at Headingley for their fourth successive win and seventh straight against the White Patel returned to haunt Notts, taking 3-14 as Derbyshire picked up their first win of the campaign with a 46-run thumping at Trent Group leaders Somerset made it five wins from five with a six-wicket derby victory at Gloucestershire to avenge last season's defeat in the final with Lewis Goldsworthy claiming a career-best 4-13 as the defending champions remain Middlesex snatched a last-ball tie against Hampshire in a rain-shortened six-over slog at Southampton while Essex were denied the chance of a first Blast win of the summer as their clash at Sussex was night's scorecards North Group leaders Northants saw their perfect start ended by Durham as Neesham made an unbeaten 50 from 34 balls batting at seven against his former club, though his new side were restricted to a modest Steelbacks were 96-3 in reply after 13 overs, with Matthew Breetzke making 41 but they added 46 runs for the loss of five wickets from the final seven as third-placed Durham closed the gap on the leaders to 12 points with two games in are eight points behind Northants in second after a convincing win at Worcestershire, having bowled the hosts out for Gareth Roderick (35 from 28 balls) resisted for long as the innings failed to recover from early damage inflicted by Anderson (3-32) and Luke Wood (3-34) with the Rapids slumping to 46-5 as early as the seventh Lightning reeled in the target with 15 balls to spare, with Keaton Jennings making 42 while Liam Livingstone finished off the chase with 41 not out from 22 balls including four monster Headingley, all-rounder Ed Barnard's 67 from 40 balls was the cornerstone of Bears' 205-8 before some late fireworks from George Garton, Hasan Ali and Danny Briggs saw 76 added in the final five dropped Yorkshire skipper Dawid Malan in the deep off Briggs on 29 but the spinner eventually got his man for 65 - and Malan's fourth straight half-century was in vain as the White Rose lost for the fourth time in six games, closing on spinner Patel inspired Derbyshire Falcons to their first Blast victory at Trent Bridge since 2013 and consigned Notts to a third straight home defeat as they finished on 153-9 chasing a target of Aneurin Donald's 73 off 34 balls, including five sixes, gave the Falcons a platform before Brooke Guest (37no) and Ross Whiteley (35no) added an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 65 off 33 balls to finish on 199-5. In South Group, Gloucestershire posted a disappointing 135-7 at Bristol, skipper Jack Taylor top-scoring with 43 not out from 29 balls and Goldsworthy taking three wickets in an Smeed scored 51 not out as Somerset triumphed on 137-4 with 14 balls to spare to move six points ahead of nearest rivals Hampshire and Lhuan-dre Pretorius made 44 from 22 balls as Hampshire's innings was restricted to six overs by the weather, closing at a DLS target of 76 to win from six overs, Chris Wood sent down a maiden to start the Middlesex reply but Max Holden clobbered 38 from 18 balls before Ben Geddes hit 10 from the final five deliveries, scampering a single to ensure a hopes of claiming their first win were thwarted by the rain when they were well on top against Sussex at a game reduced to 17 overs per side, Jordan Cox hit four successive sixes off spinner Jack Carson in a 47-ball 82 in an imposing total of Snater then took three wickets before conceding a run as Sussex slumped to 23-3 after 3.1 overs when the rain returned. Saturday's fixtures North GroupDerbyshire v Leicestershire (15:00 BST)Bears v Nottinghamshire (19:00 BST)South GroupGlamorgan v Sussex (18:30 BST)
The Independent
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
T20 Blast Prediction: Will we see a repeat champion?
T20 Blast tips: The Vitality Blast returns on Thursday, aiming to be bigger and better than ever and, as always, we're expecting big hitting, lots of boundaries and players making a real name for themselves. This is the first time the men and women have played side by side in the competition with the Women's Finals Day at the Kia Oval on July 27 and Men's Finals Day at Edgbaston on September 13. All 18 first-class counties will host at least one women's and men's Vitality Blast double-header during the season, starting this weekend. The men's competition is entering its 22nd year, and each team plays 14 group-stage matches against the counties in their regional section, with the draw split into north and south. The top four teams in each group progress to the quarter-finals, with those winners then qualifying for Finals Day in September. Gloucestershire, who are the reigning champions, have set their intent for the season with the signing of D'Arcy Short, who is a two-time Big Bash League player of the tournament. He previously played in the competition with Durham in 2019 and Hampshire in 2021, and he will play alongside his Western Australia teammate Cameron Bancroft. Durham have themselves strengthened with the signing of New Zealander Jimmy Neesham, who will link up with his compatriot Zak Foulkes. Who will come out on top in the south? Essex will be hoping the return of Pakistan bowler Mohammad Amir can help them return to their glory days. The left-arm spinner is back for his third spell at the club, but his last in 2019 saw him take 24 T20 wickets in 21 matches as they won the County Championship and Blast Final. Another player who will be hoping he can roll back the years is James Anderson, who signed a contract with Lancashire to feature in the tournament for the first time since 2014. He took four wickets in four matches then and he will be hoping for a bigger impact this time around. Cricket betting sites have Surrey as the favourites for the tournament outright at 6/1, just ahead of Somerset at 7/1. Somerset were the runners-up last season and the winners the season before, so they definitely know what this tournament is all about, but can they reach the final for the third campaign in a row? New Zealand international Matt Henry will be key to their success after returning to the club for the season. He was previously at the club in 2023, was the leading wicket taker in the competition and claimed the Player of the Match award in the final as Somerset beat Essex to lift the trophy. Bears the standouts up north? When it comes to the northern teams, Birmingham Bears are the best placed at 15/2 to win the tournament outright. With Moeen Ali playing his swansong, plus the prospect of having Jacob Bethell and Chris Woakes in their line-up as well as Barbadian fast bowler Che Simmons, it's no surprise that the Bears are among the favourites, betting sites offering 3/1 to win their group. They last won the tournament in 2014 and were runners-up in 2017. A first placed finish in 2024 did justice to their abilities but they'll face stiff competition from Nottinghamshire, who will hope to come back strongly after finishing last in the group, while northern stalwarts Lancashire and Yorkshire can always be counted on to provide a fierce test. Gloucestershire to go back-to-back? One of the quirks of the T20 Blast is just how difficult a tournament it is to win in consecutive years. Since its inception in 2003 the no winner of the competition has won it again the following year and 2025 will see Gloucestershire attempt to end that. They finished fourth in the South Division in 2024 and were a surprising team to reach finals day. Yet, they hammered Somerset in the final with an eight-wicket win and should they get to Edgbaston again they'll have a chance. At 16/1 with betting apps confidence is low but they provided a blueprint of how to win last season. Only occasionally does winning a division lead to winning the tournament. Somerset achieved it in 2023 and reached the final again in 2024. They will get to finals day this season too barring a shockingly awful campaign. Should they win the tournament it would not be a surprise but we think the overall winner will emulate Gloucestershire. As such, Northamptonshire are our pick after impressing in 2024. They've had an indifferent start to County Championship season but tend to be stronger inthe white-ball format and at 14/1 are being favoured more than the current champions. T20 Blast prediction 3: Northants to win T20 Blast - 14/1 William Hill Please gamble responsibly When having a bet, it's vital to practice responsible gambling. Betting can be addictive, and it's important to stay in control of your betting. Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop. Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self exclusion options, to help them stay in control. But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don't hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
NZ all-rounder Neesham joins Durham for T20 Blast
Durham have signed New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham for this season's T20 Blast 34-year-old left-hander is a veteran of 83 T20 internationals and 76 ODI games for the Black who also bowls right-arm seam, will play for his sixth county after previous stints with Derbyshire, Essex, Kent, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire as well as in The Hundred for Welsh Fire.A veteran of the T20 circuit, he has played in leagues in India, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies."Jimmy's ability to influence games either with the bat or ball provides us with a proven match-winner," said Durham director of cricket Marcus North. The north east county reached the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast in 2024 for the first time in six years.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Durham sign international all-rounder for Vitality Blast
DURHAM have signed New Zealand international Jimmy Neesham for this summer's Vitality Blast campaign. A proven performer closing in on 300 T20 appearances, Neesham will provide a depth of experience with both bat and ball, having scored more than 4,000 runs and taken almost 250 wickets in the shortest format. A destructive middle-order batter with 83 international T20 appearances, the 34-year-old is approaching 1,000 T20 runs for his nation with a strike rate of above 150, hitting a best of 48 not out from just 24 deliveries against the West Indies in 2020. The New Zealander made his Test debut in 2014, scoring an unbeaten 137 against India and has gone on to make 12 Test appearances in addition to 76 ODI outings for the Black Caps. 'I am really looking forward to playing for Durham this summer,' said Neesham. 'The Vitality Blast is one my favourite competitions and I have heard good things about the Durham squad. I look forward to getting stuck in with the lads in a few weeks.' READ MORE:Neesham is well-known on the franchise circuit having had spells with Mumbai Indians, Hobart Hurricanes and Pretoria Capitals as well as striking an unbeaten 97 from 49 balls for Rangpur Riders in the BPL. A reliable bowler at the death and in the middle overs, the Auckland-born all-rounder recently took career best figures of 5-22 in New Zealand's series victory against Pakistan as he nears 50 IT20 wickets. He is no stranger to the Vitality Blast having represented Leicestershire in 2024 in addition to Essex, Derbyshire, Kent and Northamptonshire previously. He was also part of the victorious Oval Invincibles side in the 2023 edition of the Hundred. 'Jimmy is an experienced international T20 all-rounder with a proven track record of delivering performances for New Zealand and in franchise competitions around the world,' said Durham director of cricket Marcus North. 'His ability to influence games either with the bat or ball provides us with a proven match-winner.'
