T20 time.

How do people see us lining up this year?

There may be a clue in the second team playing a T20 game against Gloucestershire today at Portland Road:
Yates, Davies*†, Mousley, Benjamin, Bethell, Burgess, Woakes, Hasan Ali, Lintott, Miles, Barnard
The Gloucestershire team looks much more like a genuine second team.
Link here:
https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/#m8a3a6321-b906-41e9-bd33-00ea651fe5ea_~scorecard

Gloucestershire have a championship match on Thursday, and don't kick off their blast campaign until next Wednesday so that'll be the difference in starting XI's.

I would expect us start on Saturday with:
Stirling, Davies, Hain, Benjamin, Mousley, Bethell, Barnard, Briggs, Hasan Ali, Lintott, Miles

Perhaps Burgess in place for Bethell.

Woakes to not be available having been selected by England for the Ireland test.

Maxwell and Moeen to come in for Stirling and Briggs when available.

It's going to be an interesting team selection for sure. Particularly when Moeen and Maxwell become available. I'd have probably give Bethell a go at the top of the order rather than sign Stirling for the sake of the first game or 2 but we're here now.

Ed Barnard was in and out of the Worcestershire t20 side at times and his t20 stats are unremarkable. Is he a certain starter for us? He's in form.

I think Woakes will be available Saturday before joining the England squad.

At some point we'll have an abundance of spin options with Lintott, Briggs, Moeen, Maxwell and Mousley.

Is the door totally closed on Burgess in this format unless Davies gets injured? It probably shouldn't be.

Brookes or Miles? Can only see there being room for one.

I ain't got a clue really. The depth in our squad from a white ball perspective is incredible.

As Gerry says, there are a few pointers I think in today's 2nd's T20 team:-
Yates
Davies (Captain & Keeper!)
Mousley
Benjamin
Bethell
Burgess
Woakes
Barnard
Ali
Lintott
Miles.

I'd guess that a good number of those will be in be First team on Saturday. Certainly Woakes won't be there (England duty) and Hain will probably be in for Benjamin (who's form this season for the 2nds is atrocious). Stirling could come in for Burgess (given Davies having the gloves today). Miles will probably stay in and if Henry B is available, he might come in for CW. I'm not sure whether Briggs would come in, Lintott may stay (with Mousley & Bethell, we probably only need 1 front line spinner?).

The_Lickey_Banker wrote:

As Gerry says, there are a few pointers I think in today's 2nd's T20 team:-
Yates
Davies (Captain & Keeper!)
Mousley
Benjamin
Bethell
Burgess
Woakes
Barnard
Ali
Lintott
Miles.

I'd guess that a good number of those will be in be First team on Saturday. Certainly Woakes won't be there (England duty) and Hain will probably be in for Benjamin (who's form this season for the 2nds is atrocious). Stirling could come in for Burgess (given Davies having the gloves today). Miles will probably stay in and if Henry B is available, he might come in for CW. I'm not sure whether Briggs would come in, Lintott may stay (with Mousley & Bethell, we probably only need 1 front line spinner?).

2 wickets for Lintott (with 2 stumpings for Davies) this afternoon, probably might indicate that Jake will be preferred over Briggs and with no need for Burgess, Stirling could well be in for him (is he available now?).
Mousley has bowled 3 overs (for 14 runs) this afternoon - as first change bowler - so I agree with TLB, Lintott, supported by Dan and Bethell, would probably give enough spin options and Briggs would miss out.
Is Henry B available for us in the Blast?

Brookes is available. I'd be surprised if Bethell was bowling.

The Ireland test isn't until June 1st surely Woakes will be available but this is the ECB so who knows.

Confirmed on social media that Woakes will be available for the “first couple of games” of the blast

It would have been a bit tight of the ECB even by their standards if they kept Woakes out of Saturday considering the Test v Ireland doesn't start til June 1st.

I think the first 6 batsmen in today's 2nds (first) T20 lineup against Northants could be indicative for the Blast:-
Stirling
Yates
Davies
Hain
Mousley
Barnard

I reckon Bethell will be added to that (with Barnard at 7) and the other 4 bowlers will be Woakes & Miles - with Lintott & Ali (who are also playing today)? No Burgess, with Davies keeping wicket again. Henry B will probably come in for CW, when he's called up by England.

Bethell and Miles are in the 2nds team for this afternoon's T20 game against Northants at Portland Road. Rhodes, Benjamin and OHD also in - but the remainder are 'regular' 2nds players.

It will be interesting to see how those 5 perform - with a place or two up for grabs in early Blast matches (eg Woakes will be disappearing soon).

See my reports on the two 2nd's T20 games v Northants, for suggestions on how performances today might affect Blast selection.

On the batting front, Yates, Davies and Hain more than justified their Blast places. Mousley probably did enough to support his claim (with bat and ball actually). If Bethell was already 'pencilled in', he did enough today to confirm his place. Benjamin probably helped his cause a bit with his characteristic bash (42 from 17 balls), though that's the first decent performance from him in the 2nds this season.

As regards the bowlers today, the stand out performance (and one that will pretty much have guaranteed him playing most of the Blast) was Hassan Ali's 5 wickets for 14 runs off 4 overs. However, today raised some questions over others. Miles' being hit for 10 an over and Henry B, 9 an over (both for 1 wicket), raised concerns - and I thought Miles was a shoo in for the Blast this weekend (Brookes for when Woakes leaves). And OHD - despite his distinct Number 11 batting - would 3 for 26 (off 3 overs) be enough to bring him in as the extra seamer (assuming Barnard's place is safe)?

Whatever - I'm sure the three 2nds T20 games this week, will be of some help in Blast selection.

Why are 8 teams starting another round of County Championship games and only us and Lancashire are starting T20 games this weekend? We don't play another Championship game until 25th June, which I feel given our current momentum is a disadvantage.

We play away at Notts on June 11th.

I look at it this way. At the members forum last year several attendees requested more weekend cricket. Having this Blast Off means that we get to play our Blast opener on a Saturday rather than the middle of next week like the other 14 counties. Certain counties only want 5 home Blast games going forward and they want them on Fridays, Saturday's and Sundays - Lancs, Yorks, Derby (clearly) and I know Durham and Warks would prefer fewer Blast games than the 7 they stage currently. Some of the southern counties want the opposite e.g. Somerset Essex with their smaller grounds that are easily filled even in midweek would like to keep 7 Blast home games or even increase that number.

This looks like a fudge and I know many feel it detracts from the County Championship having this Blast Off while it's still going on but I do think maybe naively on my part it has been set up with the best of intentions.

Also gives the broadcaster Sky two games to show for the price of one production set up fee and the ECB can use it to LAUNCH the Blast.

Sky are scaling down their Blast coverage I think this was hinted at last season. Some of their games their commentary team will do it remotely as in they won't be at the ground just use the YouTube and fixed camera feed. I was hoping they'd keep Blast Fridays and have CC games Sunday to Wednesday. That way Sky could have a Jeff Stelling type programme Friday Night Cricket following all the games with the likes of Darren Maddy and Trotty in the studio discussing all 7 or 8 games (you'd still have one London game on the Thursday)

I actually like that they're trying to resurrect bthe Blast Group stages after the ECB have spent the last 3 seasons decking it up. Finals Day is still superb but to me the group stages and even last years quarter final were awful. Also if and when the Hundred gets binned off this will show there is scope within the existing 18 county set up for events to draw in crowds of 16-17'000 that previously Lancs only get for their roses clash and Bears only ever get when we play the Pears

But admittedly it does look messy and perhaps given a big Ashes series is coming up there ought have been another round of CC cricket in early June to give the IPL returnees who've hardly played for three months some time in the middle

Line up for next year's Blast Off announced:
https://edgbaston.com/news/blast-off-double-header-to-return-to-edgbaston/

Seems a little strange to me that "blast off" won't be our first T20 match of the season

Is the Blast also going to clash with the World Cup, meaning a lot of players won't be available?

Exiled Bear wrote:

Seems a little strange to me that "blast off" won't be our first T20 match of the season

I agree that it makes a bit of a mockery of the whole "blast off" idea. It's a bit like having a ship launch when the ship has just got back from its maiden voyage.
Also the team will be playing in Durham on the Friday evening and then having to be back at Edgbaston the following day - hardly ideal preparation.
Having come up with such a good idea this year, the authorities seem to be going out of their way to mess it up next year.

With the start of the Blast imminent, I have to say that what I wrote back last November is still my opinion - having a day that launches the tournament after it has started is daft; and I pity those Bears finishing at Durham late on Friday evening and then having to play again at Edgbaston the following afternoon.