There has been big hitting, big yorkers and above all - it has been exilerating. At the end of this post once I have been through my personal main highlightes from all of the quarter finals I will give my opinion on who will end up being 2012 T20 champions...
The first two games on Tuesday were Somerset v Essex and Sussex v Glocestershire.
The night at Taunton couldn't have really started any better for Essex fans when Kieswetter was dismissed first ball lbw by Phillips. Getting Levi and Trescothick out relatively cheaply meant that Essex were in a good position with the hosts 56-3. Jos Buttler got a useful 33. But the star of the show for Somerset was James Hildreth. 10 fours in a very impressive 58 drove the hosts to 175 from their allocated 20 overs.
18 year old Reece Topley also deserves a mention with the 3 important wickets of Levi, Trescothick and Buttler next to his name. The left armer surely is a thing of the future...
175 was a good score but definitely a gettable one if Essex for filled their batting potential. But errr... they didn't.
All eleven of their batsmen got to the crease, but only four got in to double figures and this sums up Essex's batting performance. After Ravi Bopara (if you have read any of my previous posts you will know I am literally Ravi's biggest hater) got out for a duck Essex were 9-2. Owais Shah is a big T20 player - and after hitting a six and a four he was also gone at the hands of Morkel.
A run out was the last thing Essex needed, but that was exactly what happened. James Franklin - out for 4. At 42-4 at this stage things weren't looking up for Essex. Skipper Foster hit a quickfire 26 to keep them in with a shout but along with the the loss of England one day skipper Alaister Cook the odds were firmly swinging in to Somerset's favour. ten Doeschate kept a glimmer of hope for Essex with a extremely impressive 47 from just 24 balls. But when Napier got out in single digits, the game was up.
The remaining wickets fell, and Somerset came out comfortable victors by 27 runs. The better side won.
Sussex v Glocestershire was next up...
Sussex lost the toss and were put in bat, and things couldn't have really started any worse for the home team, 3-2. But these wickets brought England pro Matt Prior to the crease, and his 60 from 38 balls including 3 sixes may have made England T20 skipper Stuart Broad wonder if Prior could be his keeper for the world cup.
Prior and Goodwin both played magnificently until Prior was ran out. Glocestershire could still restrict Sussex to a gettable score yet...
But these hopes were quickly dashed as Prior's 60 was overshadowed by a gutsy, spectacular and extrordinary innings by Scott Styris who hit a ton of just 37 balls. That's right, don't readjust your glasses, just 37 balls. 9 sixes and 5 fours, wow. Take a bow that man.
230 was always going to be a massive score to chase - and it was.
Nobody could fault Glocestershire's efforts, Scott Stryis was just too much for them. Even with scores in the forties by Marshall, Housego and Gidman they fell 39 runs short of victory.
Sussex and Somerset - the two semi-finalists of day 1 of the quarter finals...
An early wicket was another feature in the game between Yorkshire and Worcestershire. A rediculas run out between Gale and Jaques meant that dangerman Jaques was gone for 2. But then youngster Joe Root came to the crease and played fantastically. It wasn't massive hitting like the innings of Stryis the night before, it was more classy than that. And this style of play got him 65 off 40 balls.
Keeper Bairstow was gone cheaply, lowering his chances of reciveing another call up to England at any level. Be it T20, ODI or Test. His failure against West Indies means he is unlikely to play test cricket again for at least another few months and other youngster's succeses such as Alex Hales v WI means that he is unlikely to get the nod.
74-3.
Miller came to the crease now, a player with immense power with a bat in his paws. 3 sixes and 4 fours in a very useful 50 along with Ballance striking a very quick 46 meant that Yorkshire finished their innings 212-5 off their allocated overs.
Worcestershire's fightback with the bat was spearheaded by mainly one man, Phil Hughes. Opener Vikram Solanki went for one and Hughes marched to the middle and masterminded a gutsy 83. The wickets of Cameron and Andrews fell, Cameron was out to a quite unbeliveable catch. He smacked it miles up in to the air, Joe Root got under it and while realising he was going to fall over the rope he managed to loop it to Miller who happilly accepted the catch - a remarkable catch if I ever saw one. My hat is off, Mr Root. While he was at the crease and the batsmen at the other end to Hughes just couldn't keep up with the run rate Yorkshire's high score demanded.
Mitchell Starc was the star with the ball, 4 overs, 3 wickets for just 24 runs arguebly won Yorkshire the game.
Like the Somerset game, the better side won.
3 of the 4 teams for finals day had now been decided. The limelight now swicthed to Trent Bridge and the upcoming battle to be fought between Hampshire and Nottinghamshire. The teams were pretty even in my view, Notts, even without Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad hosted a collage of talent on their team sheet. As did Hampshire with stars such as Simon Katich and Dimitri Mascarenhas on show.
After Hampshire won the toss they put Notts in to bat.
Another early wicket in this one, Alex Hales, who may be in the frame for the T20 world cup later this year, was the victim.
Notts had clearly got a plan of going after Mascarenhas early, and he was tonked a bit early on. But he got his revenge when he got Wessels out for 19. Lumb and Taylor now put on a decent partnership of 35 before James Taylor was caught out for 10. After 20 more runs were added to the total Lumb was also gone, Mascarenhas with his second wicket.
This brought Samit Patel to the middle, I am by no means Samit's biggest fan, I think he is a good one day player but I don't think him being in the test side was a brilliant idea and I hope the England selectors don't do this again. But this is T20, and Samit is a very impressive T20 player, at his home ground at Trent Bridge in front of a packed stadium he shon. His 60 from 33 balls along with Voges 33 made sure that Notts had a competative total of 178.
Maxwell got three wickets but didn't particularly bowl fantastically, his economy rate didn't leave a lot to be desired.
This left Hampshire to bat for their place in finals day, to become the first away team to win a quarter final this year, could they do it?
Another early wicket fell, Adams was caught behind to a delightful delivery by Gurney. Aussie Simon Katich came to the crease now, Simon's getting on a bit but he hasn't lost his ability to hit some good shots. He added 25 to the total, hitting five fours along the way. At the other end James Vince had got out for a cheap 11 which bought the game changer in - McKenzie.
All four teams had now been decided, and the draw for finals day took place.
They are: Somerset v Hampshire will play each other for the third finals day in a row - while Yorshire v Sussex will be the other semi final.
My prediction: Somerset v Hampshire will be a tightly fought affair, but I think Somerset will just edge it. I don't know why, on paper I can't choose between them but I just have a gut feeling. It's not particularly professional of me to base my prediction on a 'gut feeling' but that's my opinion.
In the other semi final I can't look any further than Sussex. They look strong this year. Prior, Yardy etc. And I don't think T20 is Yorkshire's strongest form of the game. Because of these two reasons, Sussex will win this game.
The final: If my predictions are correct Somerset will play Sussex in the final. And I think Somerset are going to fail at winning the T20 crown once again, Sussex will have great momentum and excitement going in to a final, where as I think it will feel like Groundhog day for Somerset.
So Sussex are going to be T20 champs this year in my opinion, so get a few bob our of your wallets, walk down to your nearest BetFred and stick a tenner on that. (I'd like to add I am usually wrong at predictions)
Cheers
