ABOUT THE MATCH
Derbyshire Falcons’ first-ever T20 Blast Finals Day sees them take on Essex Eagles in the second semi-final at Edgbaston on September 21.
The Falcons finished third in their group, winning seven and losing five and only missing second place on net run rate. They beat Gloucestershire convincingly in the quarter-final, however, to ensure they reached the last four for the first time.
Essex Eagles have been at this stage four times before but never further. They had Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate to thank for their shock quarter-final win against North Group champions Lancashire, and the experience of those two could be key again.
TOSS PREDICTION
Both sides won the toss in their quarter-final and elected to field first. As Essex Eagles look to turn their Finals Day fortunes around – after four defeats so far – they will be keen to win the toss and get first pick as part of that.
PITCH AND CONDITION
By the time of the second semi-final, conditions in Birmingham should have warmed up considerably. The sun will be shining and there is zero chance of rain on the forecast.
Edgbaston has always tended to provide a perfect balance of bat and ball, which is why it is such a great venue for the T20 Finals Day.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI OF Derbyshire
Luis Reece, Billy Godleman (c), Wayne Madsen, Leus du Plooy, Alex Hughes, Matthew Critchley, Flynn Hudson-Prentice, Daryn Smit (wk), Logan van Beek, Anuj Dal, Ravi Rampaul
PROBABLE PLAYING XI OF Essex
Tom Westley, Cameron Delport, Adam Wheater, Dan Lawrence, Ryan ten Doeschate, Ravi Bopara, Paul Walter, Simon Harmer (c), Aaron Beard, Jamie Porter, Adam Zampa
MATCH PREVIEW
Derbyshire
- Derbyshire Falcons were unchanged from their final group game when they beat Gloucestershire in the quarter-finals.
- They have favored a consistent team throughout and so it is likely to be the same 11 at Edgbaston too.
- Derbyshire Falcons’ final group game was a surprise win against leaders Lancashire at Old Trafford. Wayne Madsen hit 69 from 39 balls in a total of 162/3 before Ravi Rampaul claimed 3-19 to restrict the Lightning to 151/9 in reply.
- They then carried that form into their semi-final (after a long wait). Madsen hit 47 as Derbyshire chased 136 to beat Gloucestershire by seven wickets with 2.5 overs to spare.
Essex
- Cameron Delport and Ravi Bopara remain available for Essex after their key roles in the quarter-final win delayed their scheduled stints in the Caribbean Premier League.
- Essex Eagles had to beat Kent Spitfires in their final group game of Vitality Blast to beat the Spitfires to a quarter-final place Cameron Delport hit 64 from 29 balls in a total of 189/6 and Jamie Porter’s 3-28 helped them bowl Kent out for 179.
- In the quarter-final, they faced Lancashire. After Ravi Bopara’s 2-28 they were set 160 to win and looked to be in trouble until some late hitting from Ryan ten Doeschate (45*) and Bopara (39*) led Essex to a six-wicket win.
PROBABLE WINNING TEAM:
Essex Eagles finished the group stage strongly and pulled off a shock result in the semi-finals. Having dumped out Lancashire, it is no surprise to see them tipped to go all the way.
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