Vitality Blast 2019, Lancashire v Durham, Warwickshire (Birmingham) v Leicestershire, Hampshire v Kent: Preview, predictions

July 21 will feature three matches of Vitality Blast 2019: Lancashire Lightning will host Durham Jets at Old Trafford; Birmingham Bears will take on Leicestershire Foxes at Edgbaston; and Hampshire and Kent Spitfires will clash at the Rose Bowl.

Lancashire Lightning v Durham Jets, Old Trafford, Manchester

While Lancashire’s first match, against Leicestershire at Grace Road, was washed out without a ball being bowled, Durham beat Northamptonshire by 7 runs at Chester-le-Street to get off the mark.

D’Arcy Short had played a crucial role that day, first getting a 40-ball 46, then finishing with 4-0-19-2. If neither Ben Stokes nor Mark Wood features, Short will have to take that extra responsibility, along with the likes of Alex Davies, Matthew Potts, Chris Rushworth, and Alex Lees.

James Anderson will not be available for Lancashire, while Jos Buttler’s return is still uncertain. However, they will still have Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner, their Australian behemoths, as well as Dane Vilas and young Saqib Mahmood, who had an outstanding stint in the Royal London One-Day Cup.

Last season: Durham 154/7 (20) beat Lancashire 150/9 (20) by 4 runs at Old Trafford. Lancashire 143/6 (20) beat Durham 78 (15.2) by 65 runs at Chester-le-Street.

Players to watch: Glenn Maxwell (Lancashire), Alex Davies (Durham).

Lancashire to win.

Birmingham Bears v Leicestershire Foxes, Edgbaston, Birmingham

The first matches of both teams were washed out, Leicestershire’s against Lancashire at Grace Road, Birmingham’s against Worcestershire at New Road.

Birmingham had won 6 of their 14 matches last year, and will definitely want to improve on that. Chris Woakes may not be around, while Olly Stone has received an England call-up, but they will still have an excellent outfit in Jeetan Patel – renowned more in Warwickshire and in New Zealand – Sam Hain, Tim Ambrose, and Ashton Agar.

Leicestershire’s “Moneyball Side” boasts of lesser-known T20 specialists like Colin Ackermann, Lewis Hill, Ben Mike, and Gavin Griffiths, all of whom are suited to this format.

Last season: Leicestershire 229/5 (20) beat Birmingham 129 (15.2) by 100 runs at Old Trafford. Leicestershire 143 (19.3) lost to Birmingham 146/2 (14.2) by 8 wickets.

Players to watch: Jeetan Patel (Warwickshire), Colin Ackermann (Leicestershire)

Prediction: Warwickshire to win, at home.

Hampshire v Kent Spitfires, Rose Bowl, Southampton

Hampshire’s only match so far, against Sussex Sharks at the Rose Bowl, was washed out without a ball being bowled. Kent, on the other hand, will tee off with a match against Somerset at Canterbury today.

Hampshire had a disastrous 2018, winning just 2 of their 14 matches. However, given how strong they are – at least on paper – there is no reason for them to be unable to turn things around. A lot will depend on the quintet of James Vince, Rilee Rossouw, Liam Dawson, Chris Morris, and Kyle Abbott.

With 10 wins, Kent had topped the South Division last season before going down fighting against Lancashire in the semi-final. Led by Sam Billings, they have assembled a group of T20 specialists, in Heino Kuhn, Joe Denly, Mohammad Nabi, Sam Billings, Adam Milne, and Hardus Viljoen, all of whom can turn the course of a match on its head.

Last season: Kent 210/4 (20) beat Hampshire 207/6 (20) by 3 runs at Beckenham. Kent 139/7 (20) beat Hampshire 88 (16.1) by 51 runs at the Rose Bowl.

Players to watch: Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Sam Billings (Kent)

Prediction: Kent to win, just as they did twice last season.