T20 Vitality Blast Finals Day Betting Preview - including Sussex and Lancashire
Richard Mann previews Saturday's T20 Vitality Blast Finals Day from Edgbaston as the likes of Sussex and Lancashire fight it out for the coveted prize.
Recommended bets: T20 Vitality Blast Finals Day
3pts Sussex to beat Somerset at 10/11
*Already advised: Sussex to win T20 Vitality Blast at 8/1
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Semi-Finals
(4/5) Lancashire v Worcestershire (1/1)
11:00 Saturday, Sky Sports
Despite enduring a miserable time in Division One of the County Championship, Worcestershire have been one of the best white-ball outfits in the country this summer and will head into their first Finals Day appearance fearing no one.
A semi-finals run in the Royal London One-Day Cup gave notice of their capabilities in the shorter forms of the game and they finished top of the North Group in this year's Blast before easing past Gloucestershire in the quarter-finals.
In Joe Clarke and Ben Cox they boasts two fine young batting talents to sit alongside the in-form Moeen Ali, who has been made available by the ECB having returned to the England side for the final two Tests of the summer.
Worcestershire have suffered a late blow, however, with Australian batsman Callum Ferguson absent and New Zealand's Martin Guptill unable to return due to injury.
With the ball, paceman Patrick Brown has been a revelation - taking 27 wickets at 14.00 in the tournament so far - while the likes of Ed Barnard and Dillon Pennington add further depth to the seam attack.
For Lancashire, the strength of their bowling attack has centred around Matthew Parkinson's excellent leg-spin and James Faulkner's experience and variations.
Lancashire stalwart James Anderson is available and though not playing white-ball cricket international cricket anymore, it is worth remembering that he is still England's leading ODI wicket-taker and his presence has to be a positive.
The return of Keaton Jennings and Jos Buttler to Lancashire's ranks could prove just as significant and Alex Davies will be grateful that he doesn't have to carry as much burden with the bat as he did earlier in the campaign.
The return of that England contingent has seen Lancashire become clear outright favourites with most firms in the last few days and Sky Bet are now best price 11/4.
They won't find semi-final opponents Worcestershire a pushover, though, and heavy defeats for both in the latest round of County Championship matches makes predicting a winner even tougher. At odds against, Worcestershire are probably the value.
10/11 Sussex v Somerset 10/11
14:30 Saturday, Sky Sports
Having plumped for Sussex at 8/1 in my outright preview here back in June, there seems little point in suggesting another bet now they are 5/2 joint-favourites to lift the trophy on Saturday night.
However, for those not already involved, there might still be some mileage in their current odds.
Sussex endured a strange qualifying campaign, dominating their first three group games in the manner of potential tournament winners before needing to win their last three matches just to qualify for the quarter-finals following a host of washouts.
In the sign of a seriously good side, they won all three before overcoming a rocky start to beat Durham comfortably in their last-eight encounter.
Key to their success, as expected, has been their exceptional bowing attack which boasts the likes of Jofra Archer, Tymal Mills and Chris Jordan.
All three are capable of delivering quick spells but Archer has regular exceeded 90mph this summer and his exploits in the Big Bash and IPL illustrate what a big-match performer he is in this form of the game. He's X-Factor and will want to deliver on Finals Day.
Aside from a strong battery of pace bowlers, spin has been a crucial weapon for Sussex with overseas star Rashid Khan and Danny Briggs doing an excellent job throughout the summer.
Briggs has taken 15 wickets in the competition so far at a miserly economy rate of 7.04 and with Khan absent for Finals Day, he and leg-spinner Will Beer will be expected to come to the fore again.
If Sussex have a weakness, their batting can look a little light with plenty of responsibility resting on the shoulders of experienced pair Luke Wright and Laurie Evans.
The latter is a fine player in the prime of his career and he will be looking to add to his 554 runs in the tournament this year. If he can steady the ship while the likes of Philip Salt and Delray Rawlins to go on the offensive, the Sharks should be able to get enough runs on the board for their excellent bowling attack to play with.
Sussex coach Jason Gillespie would probably be happier to see his side bowl second throughout the day, especially as the pitch gets more worn, but in Somerset they must overcome another strong outfit.
As ever, Somerset have proven a real force to be reckoned with this term and they sauntered through the South Group before beating last year's winners Nottinghamshire in the quarter-finals.
While Sussex might be happy to bowl last, Somerset are comfortable chasing with the likes of Lewis Gregory and Corey Anderson giving them real power at the end of the innings.
The Overton brothers lead a serviceable bowling attack and Jamie offers them real pace while the top-order relies on the likes of Peter Trego, James Hildreth and Steven Davies. Wise old heads who have been there and done it.
Make no mistake, Somerset are a dangerous outfit who have picked up the lovely habit of winning tight matches but Sussex boast a five-star bowling attack with strong international and global T20 experience and I'm happy to bet that one of their big guns will steal the show on Saturday night.
Posted at 2130 BST on 13/09/18.