Nottinghamshire will lock horns with Hampshire in the second quarter-final of the T20 Blast 2021 at Trent Bridge, on Wednesday, 25 August. Nottinghamshire were the table-toppers of the North Group, while Hampshire finished fourth in the South Group.
Both Hampshire and Surrey had 15 points, but the former qualified on the basis of the higher run rate. James Vince will be back after leading Southern Brave to the Hundred title. He will be opening the innings along with D’Arcy Short.
They will be heading into the contest off a terrific six-wicket victory over Glamorgan. They chased down a target of 187 runs in just 13 overs. Short made 69 in 30 balls, while Joe Weatherly smashed 43 off just 13 balls.
Their bowling has been a weak link. Barring Bradley wheal, and Liam Dawson on the odd occasion, the others have leaked too many runs. The opening pair of Vince and Short have bailed them out with explosive batting.
Nottinghamshire won nine matches and lost two. They are a well-balanced team with several match-winners at their disposal. The opening duo of Joe Clark and Alex Hales is a threatening proposition for even the most disciplined bowling attack.
Ben Duckett was in terrific form for Welsh Fire in the Hundred. He finished as the second leading run-scorer in the tournament. He will bat at No. 3. Samit Patel and Steven Mullaney have excelled as finishers. They added 83 in 37 balls to take Nottinghamshire to 221/4 in their last encounter, against Durham.
Betway Fantasy Tips
- Both sides are brimming with stars, so you need to be a bit mindful of the credit points while choosing players. Hampshire possesses an ordinary bowling attack. So go for Samit Patel and Matthew Carter of Notts.
- Similarly, pick one of Vince and Short. You can ignore Hales, as he had been clearly struggling in the Hundred. Instead pick Duckett.
- Expect a high-scoring clash, so fill your team with batters.
Probable XIs
Nottinghamshire: Steven Mullaney (c), Tom Moores (wk), Peter Trego, Alex Hales, Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett, Calvin Harrison, Zak Chappell, Matthew Carter, Dane Paterson, Samit Patel
Hampshire: James Vince (c), Lewis McManus (wk), D’Arcy Short, Joe Weatherley, Colin de Grandhomme, Liam Dawson, Scott Currie, James Fuller, Mason Crane, Bradley Wheal, Tom Prest
Prediction:
Nottinghamshire should make it to the semi-finals.