The most highly-anticipated day on the English domestic calendar is upon us as just four teams remain standing in the Vitality Blast, with Hampshire Hawks, Lancashire Lightning, Northamptonshire Steelbacks and Somerset set to contest T20 Finals Day on Saturday.
Lancashire face Somerset in Saturday’s first semi-final (11:00 start), before Northamptonshire meet Hampshire (14:30 start) in what are two captivating matchups to decide the final which is scheduled to begin at 18:45.
The quarter-finals produced four enthralling contests, each showcasing a level of tension and emotion both on the field and in the stands that can only be associated with county cricket, somewhat pertinent at a time the comparatively hollow Hundred competition continues to be given centre stage in the prime of summer.
On what remains to many the pinnacle of England’s domestic white ball season, four proud counties with a rich history in the competition will battle it out for the trophy at a sold-out Edgbaston.
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The road to Edgbaston
Lancashire Lightning put their early season red-ball struggles to one side as they topped the North Group with nine wins under the leadership of former T20-winning captain Steven Croft, extending their run in reaching the knockout stages to eight seasons.
A home tie with Kent Spitfires in the last eight proved perhaps more nervy than expected, chasing down a target of 154 with three wickets to spare, thanks largely to Liam Livingstone who struck an impressive unbeaten 85.
Somerset were once again a formidable force in the South Group, winning 11 of their matches which remarkably only saw them finish in second place behind Surrey on Net Run Rate.
Taunton witnessed one of the most dramatic T20 Blast quarter-finals in history as Sean Dickson’s heroic 26-ball 71 guided the hosts over the line from a seemingly improbable position off the penultimate ball against the Bears, condemning their opponents to a soul-destroying fifth successive defeat at that stage of the competition.
Stunned
Northamptonshire Steelbacks flew out of the traps with six wins in a row but ultimately stuttered their way into the knockout stages with only two wins in their next eight to finish in fourth position, narrowly ahead of Worcestershire Rapids and Notts Outlaws.
Darren Lehmann’s side then stunned Surrey with a gripping seven-run victory in a rain-affected 14-over contest at the Kia Oval, a widely unexpected result inspired by veteran Ravi Bopara’s stunning 45-ball ton and some brilliant death bowling to stifle the run chase.
Hampshire Hawks were similarly inconsistent throughout the group stages, going five matches without a win in June and losing the services of their exciting South African overseas duo, before recovering with three wins in their final four to secure a third-placed finish.
That set up the long journey North to take on Durham, where the Hawks’ top order produced a scintillating display to post 221 which proved a comfortable enough total for their bowlers to defend by 26 runs.
Shoe Army make long-awaited return to the high table their opponents regularly dine
Northants’ shock win over the much-fancied Surrey booked their spot at Finals Day for the first time since they won the competition for a second time back in 2016, proving the end of a fruitful period in which the Steelbacks were on the Edgbaston guest list three times in four seasons.
It would be expected to see Northants garner the vast majority of neutral support as the smaller county and perceived underdogs, though it is Lancashire who are the least successful T20 side of the four, aiming to add to their solitary title from 2015 in which they defeated Northants in the final.
Lancashire’s only other final appearance since then was the dramatic one-run defeat to Hampshire in 2022, losing two semi-finals in between, meaning should the Red Rose progress against Somerset they are guaranteed to have a rematch from one of their previous two finals.
Both Northants and Lancashire are flying the flag for the North, ending an all-South stranglehold on Finals Day over the past two seasons, with Notts Outlaws the last North side to win the competition in 2020, whilst there has also been no final between two North teams since 2017.
As for Hampshire and Somerset, they both feature at Finals Day for a record-equalling 11th time.
Hampshire are aiming to become the first county to win four Blast titles after equalling Leicestershire Foxes’ tally in 2022, whilst two-time winners Somerset arrive at Edgbaston for a fifth consecutive year with the hope of reclaiming their crown they surrendered in the final to rivals Gloucestershire last year.
Unfamiliarity makes for intriguing contests
Despite the tournament’s 23-year history, the North-South divide has meant there are still many counties with few head-to-head encounters in the shortest format, with the Finals Day lineup providing two rarely seen clashes.
Lancashire and Somerset faced off in a quarter-final at Taunton in 2021, some 16 years after they first met way back in the 2005 final at The Oval, both of which Somerset were the victors by the same margin of seven wickets with 11 balls remaining.
Northamptonshire and Hampshire have only crossed paths on one occasion previously in T20 cricket, a low-scoring quarter-final at Northampton in 2009 which the hosts won by 13 runs.
Big name absentees highlight farcical schedule
If a mid-September date for a showpiece event was not ill-judged enough for the real threat of poor weather, clashes with England internationals and subsequent changes to overseas availability is borderline dismissive and represents a sad decline in attention from decision-makers towards the T20 Blast in recent years.
In positive news, the revamped structure for 2026, which reverts to three groups of six, will see the knockout stages and Finals Day completed in the July block ahead of The Hundred in August, with two fewer group stage games, a small price to pay for common sense to prevail.
But for now, the majority of the counties that made the knockout stages were likely forced into changes from their squad that finished the group stages on July 18, and whilst excitement will not be tempered, fans who have paid a significant price for Saturday’s hot ticket will not be witnessing all the teams at full strength.
Lancashire captain Keaton Jennings, who will be without up to six usual starters, criticised the “absolutely ludicrous” schedule and referenced the near two-month gap between the last group game and Finals Day, which is unheard of in any other competition – the precise 57-day gap is longer than the entire duration of both the Big Bash League and SA20.
Hindered
Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood are all with the England squad, whilst Ashton Turner has been recalled by Cricket Australia ahead of their new domestic season, and Chris Green is now playing for Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League.
Somerset have also been hindered by the new rule for all Australian State-contracted players to return early, meaning pace bowler Riley Meredith – the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 28 scalps – is unavailable, whilst opening batter Tom Banton is also absent with England.
Hampshire will be without key man Liam Dawson, a huge blow on an occasion where spin so often plays a huge role, as well as their own Aussie overseas in the powerful Hilton Cartwright, who scored a rapid half-century in the quarter-final, but they will have destructive opener Chris Lynn available, who will come up against his former county in Northamptonshire.
As for Northants, they are in a more beneficial position to potentially name the same side that dispatched Surrey, boosted by the news that Australian spinner Lloyd Pope can play, though it remains to be seen if South African batter Matthew Breetzke is able to return to the squad.
Key players to watch
What about the players who are available and could be decisive in helping their side go all the way?
Liam Livingstone is a match-winner as he displayed with the bat in the quarter-final and returns to the ground where he recently scored 169 runs in four innings for his franchise during the Hundred, with another opportunity here to grab the headlines and send a reminder of his capabilities to the England selectors.
With the bowling attack deprived, including an injury doubt to James Anderson, runs will be even more valuable with skipper Keaton Jennings leading the way for his side at the top of the order with 415 in the competition – Luke Wells (306) is the only other Lancashire batter to have scored more than 250 runs.
Somerset’s batting depth remains strong even without Tom Banton as seen in their chase of 191 against the Bears, though they will be hoping for a fast start by another Birmingham-based Hundred player in the form of Will Smeed, who struggled for runs in a Phoenix shirt but is one of only five players to have registered more than 500 runs in the T20 Blast so far this season.
Difference maker
The departing Sean Dickson has a knack for producing in high-pressure situations, Craig Overton will provide the key wicket-taking threat up front in the absence of Riley Meredith and captain Lewis Gregory is likely to have a key role to play with both bat and ball.
It is no surprise that Northants’ fortunes in T20 cricket have changed since all-rounder David Willey returned to the club, over a decade after inspiring their maiden triumph against Surrey in the 2013 final, with the now 35-year-old leading his side one step further from their quarter-final exit in 2024 with 452 runs and 20 wickets to his name this time around and with experienced heads to turn to throughout, including seamer Ben Sanderson who along with fellow quick George Scrimshaw have both had hugely productive campaigns at 26 dismissals apiece.
As for Hampshire, their talismanic captain James Vince knows all about winning this title but it is his fellow top order batter Toby Albert, aged 23, who could have a big say on Saturday after striking an impressive 540 runs at an average of 49.09 in the competition – only Gloucestershire’s D’Arcy Short (551) currently has scored more.
Seasoned all-rounder Benny Howell also has the potential to be a difference-maker as a boundary-hitter in the lower order but more notably with his effective variations with the ball in the middle overs which complements the attack nicely and so often provides an economical spell for his side.
And of course…the all important Mascot Derby race!
It would not be Finals Day without the traditional mascot race that takes place between the two semi-finals and all the chaos that ensues around a range of obstacles, disproportionately restrictive to certain outfits on display some might say.
Grown adults in costumes charging around the Edgbaston outfield has become a staple in the English game, and whilst sporting integrity is often brought into disrepute for its duration, the entertainment and competitive edge continues to provide a fabulously silly spectacle.
Glamorgan’s Dewi the Dragon emerged victorious in 2024 and will be aiming to defend his title from the usual contenders such as Alfred the Gorilla (Gloucestershire), Freddie the Falcon (Derbyshire) and Lanky the Giraffe (Lancashire).
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