T20 Blast: Edgbaston hosts double-header as 2023 competition gets under way

Paul Stirling hit nine fours and 10 sixes in his 119 on his Bears debut in May 2022

It is almost 20 years since T20 was first played in English county cricket.

What was once the Twenty20 Cup in June 2003 has now in May 2023 morphed into the Vitality Blast.

It now has to compete alongside its main rival, the men's and women's Hundred for market share, although played at different times of the summer.

And, although it is a product that should not really need a great deal of selling, for anyone who witnessed Hampshire's sensational one-run win over Lancashire in last year's final, the organisers have come up with a new twist to launch this year's competition.

Blast-Off Day. And it is this Saturday in Birmingham.

A double bill of two T20 games played back to back at Edgbaston, with Derbyshire Falcons and Lancashire Lightning first on stage (14:30 BST), followed by Birmingham Bears and Yorkshire Falcons.

Warwickshire's Edgbaston home has now become firmly established as the setting for Finals Day. 14 of the 20 Finals Days staged have been in Birmingham- and this summer's on 15 July will be the 11th in a row.

So what better place than Brum to host the first double bill.

Jordan Thompson's 50 off 18 balls at Edgbaston last summer is the fastest Finals Day fifty - but it came in vain in the semi-final defeat by Lancashire

It is also an early chance for four of last season's most disappointed contestants to get 2022 out of their system.

Lancashire and Derbyshire, who meet in the first game, both had bad nights to forget 11 months ago.

Lancashire, who had beaten a disappointed Yorkshire in the first semi, looked set for only their second Finals Day victory, only to wilt under late pressure against Hampshire.

Derbyshire's hopes had ended in disarray a week earlier at Taunton when they suffered a new competition record 191-run defeat by Somerset, who clubbed a new English T20 Blast record score of 265-5.

And it is the same scenario in Saturday's other game, where Yorkshire will want to wipe away the misery of that last visit to Edgbaston and Birmingham Bears will be keen to forget their own last T20 game on their own ground, the Friday night quarter-final flop against Hampshire, when they were skittled in front of their own fans by the eventual winners for just 82.

Star signing Glenn Maxwell is still on Indian Premier League duty with Royal Challengers Bangalore and has not yet arrived in Birmingham, so Paul Stirling deputises but, as the Irish entertainer hit a ton in just 46 balls on his Bears debut a year ago, they have a pretty decent stand-in.

The early fixtures

Essex, the 2019 winners, will begin the Blast two or three games late on 30 May as they have been chosen to host a game with Ireland ahead of their forthcoming one-off Test against England.

But there are three games next Wednesday, including holders Hampshire, two more on Thursday and then an almost full eight-match problem on the Friday night.

24 May

North Group

Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Worcestershire

South Group

Canterbury: Kent v Gloucestershire

Taunton: Somerset v Hampshire

25 May

North Group

Manchester: Lancashire v Leicestershire

South Group

Lord's: Middlesex v Surrey

26 May

North Group

Leicester: Leicestershire v Warwickshire

Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Durham

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire

New Road: Worcestershire v Yorkshire

South Group

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Glamorgan

Southampton: Hampshire v Middlesex

The Oval: Surrey v Kent

Hove: Sussex v Somerset

Meet the contestants

NORTH GROUP

Birmingham Bears

Finals Day: 4 (2003, 2014, 2015, 2017)

Winners: 2014

2022: Quarter-finals

2022 top run-scorer: Adam Hose (557)

2022 top wicket-taker: Jake Lintott (22)

Captain: Moeen Ali

Overseas: Glenn Maxwell (Australia), Hasan Ali (Pakistan), Paul Stirling (Ireland)

Three potential match-winners signed in Moeen Ali, Glenn Maxwell and Paul Stirling. A key loss is Adam Hose to Worcestershire but Pakistan seamer Hasan Ali brings nous. The Bears last year topped 200 in half their games with a go-for-broke batting policy. It often succeeded but was high-risk and imploded spectacularly on occasions - a 10-wicket group defeat by Yorkshire and a 104-run quarter-final thrashing by Hampshire.

Derbyshire

Finals Day: 1 (2019)

2022: Quarter-finals

2022 top run-scorer: Shan Masood (547)

2022 top wicket-taker: George Scrimshaw (23)

Overseas: Suranga Lakmal (Sri Lanka), Haider Ali (Pakistan), Zaman Khan (Pakistan).

The signings of Matt Lamb and Zak Chappell have bolstered both the batting and bowling while 22-year-old Haider Ali is an exciting prospect with the potential to deliver destructive performances at the top of the order. Young Pakistan international Zaman Khan has been clocked at 90mph. The Falcons soared until they fell to earth spectacularly in the quarter-final at Taunton. Can they use that defeat as a motivating factor?

Durham

Finals Day: 1 (2016)

2022: Eighth (North Group)

2022 top run-scorer: Michael Jones (319)

2022 top wicket-taker: AJ Tye (21)

Captain: Alex Lees

Overseas: David Bedingham (South Africa).

Durham were dealt a blow when Tristan Stubbs was called up for a South Africa A tour of Sri Lanka, but the club are close to sealing a like-for-like replacement. Coach Ryan Campbell used his Netherlands connections to sign all-rounder Bas de Leede and Brandon Glover. Ollie Robinson has been one of the signings of the season so far in the Championship, excelling with the gloves and bat, after his move from Kent.

Lancashire will have to start the tournament without injured skipper Keaton Jennings

Lancashire

Finals Day: 9 (2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022)

Winners: 2015

2022: Runners-up

2022 top run-scorer: Steven Croft (548)

2022 top wicket-taker: Richard Gleeson (25)

Captain: Keaton Jennings

Overseas: Colin de Grandhomme (New Zealand), Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand), Dane Vilas (South Africa).

New Zealanders Colin de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell will provide experience and power alongside South African stalwart Dane Vilas. They have reached nine Finals Days, a joint-record with Hampshire, who beat them in last year's final - but they have only won it once. Captain Keaton Jennings (hamstring) starts the campaign sidelined. Vilas has deputised in the Championship, but Steven Croft and Luke Wells are contenders.

Leicestershire

Finals Day: 5 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011)

Winners: 3 (2004, 2006, 2011)

2022: Sixth (North Group)

2022 top run-scorer: Colin Ackermann (367)

2022 top wicket-taker: Naveen-ul-Haq (24)

Captain: Colin Ackermann

Overseas: Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan), Wiaan Mulder (South Africa)

The Foxes have lost Ben Mike to Yorkshire but Sol Budinger will bring explosive qualities to the power play, but they have retained Naveen-ul-Haq after 50 wickets in two seasons. With him, Callum Parkinson and England new boy Rehan Ahmed, they are strong in the spin department. New batting coach James Taylor knows what it takes to win this, having been part of the last Foxes team that triumphed in 2011.

Northamptonshire

Finals Day: 4 (2009, 2013, 2015, 2016)

Winners: 2 (2013, 2016)

2022: Seventh (North Group)

2022 top run-scorer: Chris Lynn (516)

2022 top wicket-taker: Ben Sanderson (16)

Captain: David Willey

Overseas: Chris Lynn (Australia), Andrew Tye (Australia)

England white ball all-rounder David Willey returns to his childhood club after seven seasons with Yorkshire. In a controversial move following his early return from the IPL, he was awarded the captaincy, replacing long-time skipper Josh Cobb. Australian Andrew Tye provides bowling firepower alongside returning countryman Chris Lynn. Saif Zaib, who hit 311 runs in 2022, adds another bowling option with his slow-left armers.

Notts Outlaws

Finals Day: 6 (2006, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020)

Winners: 2 (2017, 2020)

2022: Fifth (North Group)

2022 top run-scorer: Ben Duckett (396)

2022 top wicket-taker: Jake Ball (18)

Captain: Steven Mullaney

Overseas: Dane Paterson (South Africa), Colin Munro (New Zealand), Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)

Colin Munro, the New Zealander who was part of the Trent Rockets side that won The Hundred last season, and Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi are two of the world's best T20 players, while Olly Stone, if fit, adds express pace. But Notts have lost double Blast-winning skipper Dan Christian and last season's top run-getter Ben Duckett will be on Ashes duty. Notts missed out on the last eight in 2022 for only the second time in 13 seasons.

Worcestershire

Finals Day: 2 (2018, 2019)

Winners: 1 (2018)

2022: Ninth (North Group)

2022 top run-scorer: Colin Munro (323)

2022 top wicket-taker: Pat Brown (14)

Captain: Brett D'Oliveira

Overseas: Michael Bracewell (New Zealand), Mitch Santner (New Zealand).

Adam Hose, in from Warwickshire, will look for the firepower which made him one of the top three run-scorers with 557 in 2022. He also showed form for Adelaide Strikers in the 2022-2023 Big Bash. Since winning in 2018, then coming so close to retaining the title, they have failed to live up to expectations but Brett D'Oliveira is now captain and will be available - unlike the departed Moeen Ali - for the entire tournament.

Yorkshire

Finals Day: 3 (2012, 2016, 2022)

2022: Semi-finals

2022 top run-scorer: Adam Lyth (525)

2022 top wicket-taker: Jordan Thompson (17)

Captain: Shan Masood

Overseas: Shan Masood (Pakistan), David Wiese (Namibia).

Captain David Willey and Tom Kohler-Cadmore have gone, while Harry Brook has limited availability but veteran all-rounder David Wieses signing is a smart one, while rookie leg-spinner Jafar Chohan could emerge. As well as targeting a maiden Blast title, Yorkshire will also hope to reverse last season's Roses record when they were beaten twice in thrillers, including that Edgbaston semi-final.

SOUTH GROUP

Essex

Finals Day: 5 (2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2019)

Winners: 1 (2019)

2022: Quarter-finals

2022 top run-scorer: Michael Pepper (439)

2022 trop wicket-taker: Simon Harmer (17)

Captain: Simon Harmer

Overseas players: Simon Harmer (South Africa), Daniel Sams (Australia).

Essex were sufficiently impressed with Australian T20 specialist Daniel Sams (a strike-rate of 171.87 with the bat last season alongside 15 wickets) that they have asked him to return. And Michael Pepper was their leading run-scorer in both 2021 and 2022. With six Essex players already signed up by The Hundred, Feroze Khushi, who hit a career-best 67 from 40 balls last season, could be one to watch. As the warm-up act for Ireland's Test against England, they will begin two or three games behind everyone else but, while they are notoriously slow starters in T20, they do have a reputation for finishing strongly, as they showed the year they won it in 2019.

Glamorgan

Captain: David Lloyd

Overseas players: Michael Neser (Australia), Colin Ingram (South Africa)

Finals Day: 2 (2004, 2017)

2022: Sixth (South Group)

2022 top run-scorer: Sam Northeast (510)

2022 top wicket-taker: Michael Hogan (20)

Glamorgan have secured the services of Colin Ingram for the next two years and he will be available throughout the campaign, but they have lost long-serving Michael Hogan, their leading wicket taker in 2022, to Kent. The availability of Michael Neser as the Australian is very much in the mix for an Ashes call-up in the event of injury. But this could be a big year for Dan Douthwaite, a big hitting all-rounder who is more than capable of a match-winning performance with bat and ball.

Gloucestershire

Finals Day: 3 (2003, 2007, 2020)

2022: Fifth (South Group)

2022 top run-scorer: Glenn Phillips (340)

2022 top wicket-taker: David Payne (18)

Captain: Jack Taylor

Overseas players: Grant Roelofsen (South Africa), Zafar Gohar (Pakistan)

Gloucestershire are a team in transition following the departure of established stars Benny Howell, Ian Cockbain and Ryan Higgins. Financial pressures have precluded the return of overseas batsman Glenn Phillips and South African wicketkeeper-batter Grant Roelofsen has been recruited to help plug the gap in the top order. Can he reproduce the white-ball form that made him a big hit with Essex in the One Day Cup last year? Pakistani spinner Zafar Gohar has been contracted for the entirety of the competition, while Graeme van Buuren is over the serious shoulder injury that wrecked his T20 campaign in 2022.

2022 victors Hampshire emulated Leicestershire as only the second county to win the T20 for the third time

Hampshire Hawks

Finals Day: 9 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022)

Winners: 3 (2010, 2012, 2022)

2022: Champions

2022 top run-scorer: James Vince (678)

2022 top wicket taker: James Fuller (23)

Captain: James Vince

Overseas players: Nathan Ellis (Australia), Ben McDermott (Australia)

How do you improve a flawless bowling unit, which dominated in the powerplay, squeezed in the middle and defended at the death? Bring in the most innovative bowler in the world, who has taken more Blast wickets than 11 others, Benny Howell. Everything else that made Hampshire great in 2022 stays the same. But no team has managed to defend their title before. Tom Prest will be out build on his starring role on Finals Day.

Kent Spitfires

Finals Day: 4 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2021)

Winners: 2 (2007, 2021)

2022: Ninth (South Group)

2022 top run-scorer: Joe Denly (423)

2022 top wicket-taker: Qais Ahmad & Grant Stewart (14)

Captain: Sam Billings

Overseas players: Kane Richardson (Australia), George Linde (South Africa).

Darren Stevens has gone, but the nucleus of the side that won the title in 2021 before tanking to finish bottom of their group a year later is basically intact. Mystery spinner Qais Ahmad was less of a mystery second time out so the Spitfires have gone for Richardson's proven T20 pedigree. And skipper Sam Billings is available from the start, having spurned the IPL. Which Kent will turn up? The all-conquering champions of 2021, who sent on to win the One-Day Cup in 2022 or last season's pale imitation, who had too many collective off days and fielded poorly. No team can seriously hope to reach Finals Day if they drop three catches per game.

Middlesex

Finals Day: 1 (2008)

2022: Eighth (South Group)

2022 top run-scorer: Stephen Eskinazi (431)

2022 top wicket-taker: Martin Andersson (17)

Captain: Stephen Eskinazi

Overseas: Pieter Malan (South Africa).

Middlesex's winter plans were torn up when left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj suffered a serious injury days after signing and he has yet to be replaced. However, both South African Pieter Malan and all-rounder Ryan Higgins have been added. How much difference will a genuine 'finisher' like Higgins make to Middlesex's batting? Will Blake Cullen recover from last season's injuries to bolster an attack too often put to the sword in this format? And did Eskinazi learn anything from his stint in the Big Bash?

Somerset

Finals Day: 8 (2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2021, 2022)

Winners: 1 (2005)

2022: Semi-finals

2022 top run-scorer: Rilee Rossouw (623)

2022 top wicket-taker: Ben Green (21)

Captain: Tom Abell

Overseas: Matt Henry (New Zealand), Peter Siddle (Australia)

Big-hitting Tom Kohler-Cadmore is expected to open following his move from Yorkshire, to add firepower to Tom Banton and Will Smeed at the top of the order, while Lewis Gregory, Ben Green and Craig Overton all relish clearing the ropes. And New Zealand Test player and beaten World Cup finalist Matt Henry could prove an experienced death bowling option. But Somerset have only won this once - and again failed to do themselves justice in last years semi-final against Hampshire.

Surrey

Finals Day: 7 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2020)

Winners: 1 (2003)

2022: Quarter-finals

2022 top run-scorer: Will Jacks (449)

2022 top wicket-taker: Chris Jordan (17)

Captain: Chris Jordan

Overseas: Sunil Narine (West Indies), Sean Abbott (Australia)

The only significant change in Surrey's short-form ranks is the arrival of Sean Abbott, the Australian fast bowler who also hits a long ball. He replaces West Indies veteran all-rounder Kieron Pollard. Can Surrey finally add to their only previous T20 Cup triumph, which came under Adam Hollioake's captaincy way back in the inaugural tournament in 2003. Since then there have been six other Finals Day appearances, and they were runners-up in 2004, 2013 and 2020. A Blast title is certainly high on Surrey's wish list for this summer as they also try to retain their 2022 County Championship crown.

Sussex Sharks

Finals Day: 5 (2007, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2021)

Winners: 1 (2009)

2022: Seventh (South Group)

2022 top run-scorer: Tom Alsop (318)

2022 top wicket-taker: Tymal Mills (15)

Captain: Ravi Bopara

Overseas: Nathan McAndrew (Australia), Shadab Khan (Pakistan), Ari Karvelas (Greece).

Luke Wright's retirement will leave a big hole in the top order, but Ali Orr is likely to get an extended opportunity at the top of the order. And Sussex have recruited well from overseas. Nathan McAndrew had a good Big Bash with Sydney Thunder and brings new-ball experience and middle-order hitting potential while the experienced Shadab Khan looks an ideal replacement for Rashid Khan. Tom Alsop, who missed the first four games of 2022 but still finished leading scorer, has the temperament to anchor the innings and let others go for their shots. Sussex may yet ddepend on the experienced Ravi Bopara, Tymal Mills and Steven Finn rolling back the years.