'Briggs and Arafat are shrewd performers with the ball'
Saturday 29 August 2015 10:38, UK
It's always hard to pick a winner ahead of T20 Blast Finals Day but you can make a good case for Birmingham Bears, what with them having home advantage and being defending champions.
They are well drilled by captain Varun Chopra and also bowl particularly well; Rikki Clarke has been incredibly economical with the new ball, Oliver Hannon-Dalby has been superb at the end, and Jeetan Patel fantastic in the middle.
Clarke has always had a lot of talent but in the last few years, at a place he has made his home, he has really started fulfilling it.
Apart from his batting and bowling, something that often gets overlooked is Rikki's ability to change the game in the field; he is one of the best fielders in the country, taking excellent catches close to the wicket or in the outfield.
Clarke will be supported by Chris Woakes, a man who will be delighted to not only be fit again but also at being back in England's one-day squad.
Chris has developed a lot in the last year - he has a bit more pace and a lot more confidence - and he bowled well in the quarter-final win over Essex.
His ability with the new ball and at the death will be crucial for the Bears.
There's no way Northamptonshire's David Willey won't be looking forward to Finals Day!
He was the Steelbacks' hero when they won the tournament in 2013, scoring a 27-ball 60 and taking 4-9 with the ball against Surrey in the final, while his century in this year's quarter-final against Sussex was incredible.
Willey has had a taste of international cricket as well now and never seems fazed in pressure situations; the bigger the game, the more he thrives.
Northants are far from a one-man team, though, and have plenty of canny performers with the ball.
In addition to Willey, they have Azharullah - a man who seems to be getting back to his best and who at his pomp is one of the best death bowlers around - and Rory Kleinveldt, someone who can also hit a long ball.
If pushed I would lean towards Hampshire being favourites, due to their strength in depth and the fact they have such a good record at Finals Day.
You look down their line-up and think that over the course of a long day a number of their players will put in key performances.
James Vince, who has been compared to Michael Vaughan for a while now, can't be far away from being a regular England player in one-day cricket, especially if he bats like he did while scoring a wonderful hundred in the T20 Blast quarter-final against Worcestershire.
He's a conventional player, which perhaps helps with his consistency, and his opening partnership with Michael Carberry will strike fear into any attack.
See that off, though, and Hampshire keep coming at you in the middle order with Owais Shah and David Wheater, while their bowling options are plentiful, with spinner Danny Briggs possibly the pick of them.
Anyone who's seen Briggs knows he's not a big turner of the ball but he likes bowling when the game is at its toughest and partnerships are forming.
He has a great temperament, fantastic control of flight and varies his pace accordingly; it's not hard to see why only three players have taken more wickets than him in English T20 cricket.
The man on top of that list, Yasir Arafat, will also be in Hampshire colours on Saturday. Good luck, batsmen!
Lancashire captain, Steven Croft, will be wanting to take home the trophy this time around, having seen his side go so close in last year's final.
He'll feel his team have just crept through to Finals Day after sneaking past Kent last time out and he will rely heavily on Ashwell Prince, who is scoring runs for fun at the top of the order.
James Faulkner is Lancashire's game changer, however, and looks to be in tip-top shape again.
I felt he was mentally and physically tired at the start of the season after his stunning performances at the World Cup, including being man of the match in the final, and his exploits in the IPL.
He's had a few breaks now and appears that little bit fresher - and he could make a big difference with both bat and ball at Edgbaston.
