NatWest T20 Blast: Who were the stars of 2016 competition?

Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen are poised to shine in this season's NatWest T20 Blast, the former in the Sky Sports Pod and the latter in the Surrey batting line-up.

Flintoff's first commentary stint will come at Edgbaston on Saturday in Birmingham Bears' game with Nottinghamshire Outlaws, with Pietersen making his first appearance for Surrey since 2015 when they host Essex Eagles at The Oval on Wednesday, July 19.

But who caught the eye during last year's competition, won, of course, by Northamptonshire Steelbacks following a four-wicket victory over Durham Jets in the final? The stats say these guys…

Most runs - Michael Klinger (Gloucestershire)

Having finished second on the run-scoring list to Hampshire's James Vince in 2015, Australian left-hander Klinger topped the pile last time around, amassing 548 runs in 14 innings - 46 clear of his nearest challenger, Glamorgan's Colin Ingram. Klinger's tally was underpinned by a ton against Somerset, as well as four half-centuries, two of which came in games against Essex. Those efforts helped earn the opener a call-up to Australia's T20 squad at the age of 36 earlier this year, Klinger scoring 143 runs across three knocks against Sri Lanka, with a best of 62 in Adelaide.

Most hundreds - Jason Roy (Surrey)

Seven players posted tons in 2016 - Roy, Klinger, Ingram, Chris Nash (Sussex), Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent), Alviro Petersen (Lancashire), and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Worcestershire) - but Roy was the only one to do it twice. The England opener biffed 16 fours and a six in a knock of 109 from 67 balls against Sussex at Hove, ruining Tymal Mills and David Wiese's figures along the way, before smashing 120 not out from 62 deliveries against Kent at The Oval a month later, drilling 15 boundaries and three maximums as he put on 187 for the first wicket with Aaron Finch (79).

Top score/fastest hundred - Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Worcestershire)

Kohler-Cadmore not only smoked the biggest hundred of the 2016 Blast but also the first, with his stonking 127 from just 54 balls coming at home to Durham on the opening night. The right-hander, who secured his century from 43 deliveries, pumped last year's finalists for 14 fours and eight sixes, with Ireland seamer Barry McCarthy smote for a whopping 28 runs in the fifth over. Kohler-Cadmore went on to post Worcestershire's highest T20 score, beating Graeme Hick's unbeaten 116 from 2004, but will turn out for Yorkshire this season, having signed for the Headingley outfit last month.

Most sixes - Colin Ingram (Glamorgan)

Kohler-Cadmore and Ross Taylor (Sussex) shared the record for most maximums in an innings - Taylor's eight coming against Gloucestershire in Bristol - but it was Ingram who pounded the most throughout the competition, ending with 29 from his 14 knocks. The South African's best efforts came when he hammered seven at Essex in his 56-ball 101 and five at Gloucester, as he finished six sixes ahead of Essex's Ashar Zaidi and Nottinghamshire's Dan Christian. Ingram also spanked 19 maximums during the 2015 Blast, so those in the crowd this summer need to be alert!

Most wickets - Benny Howell (Gloucestershire)

Howell is not quick but he's mighty effective, as his 24 wickets at a very decent economy of 6.87 proved. Bordeaux-born Benny, who surely must have played French cricket at some point, was one of four bowlers to claim more than 20 scalps, with Essex's now-retired Graham Napier (22); Yorkshire's Tim Bresnan (21); and Worcestershire pacer Joe Leach (20) - not to be confused with Somerset spinner Jack - following suit. Gloucester had the top run scorer and wicket-taker then, but it didn't lead them to Finals Day - the Bristol-based side downed by Durham in the quarters.

Best bowling - Stephen Parry (Lancashire); Ryan Higgins (Middlesex)

Slow left-armer Parry made the last of his seven white-ball appearances for England in the UAE in 2015 and with Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Liam Dawson and Mason Crane knocking about, further international recognition looks slim. The 31-year-old remains a canny operator at county level, though, as he showed when he claimed 5-13 from four overs against Worcestershire, including three scalps in one over. Middlesex offie Ryan Higgins bagged the same figures from 3.2 overs against Hampshire, while Dawson's 5-17 for Hampshire against Somerset was the third-best return of the year.

Watch the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast on Sky Sports, starting with Essex v Surrey at Chelmsford, live on Sky Sports 2 at 6.45pm on Friday night.

Then catch Birmingham versus Nottinghamshire - and Flintoff's Blast bow - at the same time on the same channel on Saturday evening.

Live NatWest T20 Blast Cricket

Live NatWest T20 Blast Cricket