Read Will Macpherson’s report here:
Congratulations to Notts and particularly to Peter Moores, a man of rare dignity who isn’t so bad at coaching white-ball teams after all. Tonight, the data says Nottinghamshire are the winners of the T20 Blast and the Royal London Cup. It was a great day’s cricket, with over 1000 runs scored and millions of pints sold. Thanks for your company and comments, goodnight!
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NOTTS BEAT BIRMINGHAM BY 22 RUNS TO WIN THE T20 BLAST!
They also complete the white-ball double. They just had too much nous for Birmingham, and there is no doubt they are the best one-day side in England. Samit Patel and Harry Gurney were exceptional, while Brendan Taylor, Steve Mullaney, Dan Christian and others also made major contributions.
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WICKET! Birmingham 166-8 (Patel b Ball 4)
Notts have won the T20 Blast! Patel drags Ball onto his stumps, and Birmingham need 25 from three balls. Not even Carlos Brathwaite could pull that off.
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19th over: Birmingham 162-7 (Woakes 3, Patel 0) That is a glorious performance from Harry Gurney, whose final over cost just five runs and included two big wickets. Birmingham need 29 from the final over.
WICKET! Birmingham 160-7 (Thomason c Moores b Gurney 26)
This is a masterclass from Harry Gurney. Thomason slices a slower ball high in the air, and the keeper Moores backpedals to take a simple catch. Gurney have four for 15 in the innings and seven for 34 in the day. Seven for 34! England must be a bloody good T20 side if they don’t need him.
WICKET! Birmingham 157-6 (Hain c Christian b Gurney 72)
The majestic Harry Gurney strikes again with his first ball. Hain clunks a low full toss to Christian at mid-off to end an admirable innings of 72 from 44 balls.
18th over: Birmingham 157-5 (Hain 72, Thomason 24) Jake Ball bowls a terrific over to put Notts back in control - nine runs, no boundaries, and Birmingham need 34 from 12 balls.
17th over: Birmingham 148-5 (Hain 70, Thomason 17) Notts’ nous has trumped Warwickshire’s youth, both with bat and ball. The moment I type that, the 20-year-old Thomason slaughers the 34-year-old Christian for consecutive sixes! Crikey. Eighteen from the over; Birmingham need 43 from 18 balls.
16th over: Birmingham 132-5 (Hain 68, Thomason 3) Hain drags Patel through mid-on for four, but Birmingham need more than one boundary per over. Ten from the over leaves them needing 59 from 24 balls.
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15th over: Birmingham 122-5 (Hain 59, Thomason 2) Gurney has been far too good for allcomers today. His figures are 3-0-12-2, and now the home side need 69 from the last five overs.
WICKET! Birmingham 118-5 (de Grandhomme b Gurney 27)
Harry Gurney strikes with the first ball of a new spell! It was another slower ball that de Grandhomme dragged onto the stumps. That’s Gurney’s fifth wicket of the day; he has been absolutely brilliant.
14th over: Birmingham 118-4 (Hain 57, de Grandhomme 26) Samit Patel, the man of the day so far, restores some order with a boundaryless over. Birmingham need 73 from 36 balls.
13th over: Birmingham 111-4 (Hain 54, de Grandhomme 23) Hain reaches a 27-ball fifty by clattering Mullaney down the ground for six. He’s struggling with cramp, and Adam Hose is going to come on as a runner. Birmingham are getting back into this game: de Grandhomme swipes Mullaney for a humungous six over long-off, and now they need 80 from seven overs.
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12th over: Birmingham 95-4 (Hain 46, de Grandhomme 15) The legspinner Ish Sodhi comes into the attack. Birmingham will surely target him, especially with the dew in mind. Hain blasts the first ball down the ground for four, a nice statement of intent, and lifts another boundary over extra cover later in the over. Hain has played really well and has 46 from 26 balls.
11th over: Birmingham 84-4 (Hain 36, de Grandhomme 14) Colin de Grandhomme flicks Christian over square leg for six. Twelve from the over, which just about keeps Birmingham up with the rate.
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10th over: Birmingham 72-4 (Hain 34, de Grandhomme 5) After a very large freaker is removed from the field by six or seven stewards, Mullaney begins his second over. Again there are no boundaries, and the required rate continues to rise. It’s a slow, inexorable asphyxiation.
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9th over: Birmingham 66-4 (Hain 32, de Grandhomme 2) Hawkeye shows that was an excellent decision from Michael Gough. The home team need 125 from the last 11 overs.
WICKET! Birmingham 63-4 (Elliott LBW b Christian 9)
One captain dismisses the other, and probably secures the T20 Blast for the Notts Outlaws. Elliott missed an almighty heave at a slower ball and was hit in front of middle and leg. Michael Gough thought about it for a long time before raising his finger.
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8th over: Birmingham 61-3 (Hain 30, Elliott 8) Steven Mullaney, the matchwinner in the seemi final, comes into the attack. Seven from the over, all in ones and twos.
7th over: Birmingham 54-3 (Hain 28, Elliott 3) Hain smacks Patel for consecutive straight sixes! Birmingham needed something like that to jumpstart the innings. Haim nods to his partner Elliott as if hitting two sixes down the ground was the most obvious thing in the world.
George Bailey: truly one of life's great men https://t.co/muVP0tqrCE
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) September 2, 2017
6th over: Birmingham 38-3 (Hain 14, Elliott 1) The Birmingham captain Grant Elliott, a dude amongst men, strolls to the crease. You would think that, if they are to win this game, he will need to bat for the best part of 15 overs. He gets in a rare mess with a slower bouncer from Ball, eventually paddling it for a single.
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WICKET! Birmingham 36-3 (Hose b Ball 7)
Adam Hose has gone, cleaned up by an excellent delivery from Jake Ball. Notts are in complete control of this match now.
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5th over: Birmingham 35-2 (Hain 12, Hose 7) Gurney’s slower balls settled the semi-final, and he’s going through all his variations again. Taking pace off the ball has been effective all day. Five from the over, and Birmingham need 155 from 90 deliveries.
4th over: Birmingham 30-2 (Hain 9, Hose 5) Christian’s first over goes for 10. Hose cracks four to deep backward square leg; Hain gets a ramp away for another boundary and then survives a run-out referral after a direct hit from Mullaney.
3rd over: Birmingham 20-2 (Hain 4, Hose 0) Pollock had a bit of a shocker there. He was jogging that single until he realised he was in trouble, but by then it was too late. That was Samit’s second run out of the day, to go with two excellent innings and the wicket of Shahid Afridi.
WICKET! Birmingham 16-2 (Pollock run out 14)
This is anoother sensational run out from Samit Patel, and it gets rid of the dangerous Pollock. He took a quick single to mid-off, where Patel picked up and threw down the stumps with the same precision he showed to dismiss Michael Carberry in the semi-finals. That is absolutely brilliant. Arise Sir Samit.
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2nd over: Birmingham 12-1 (Pollock 10, Hain 0) That was the last ball of an outstanding over from Harry Gurney.
WICKET! Birmingham 12-1 (Sibley b Gurney 2)
Chris Woakes is in the commentary pod mid-match, chatting with his usual engaging honesty. The world would be a mighty fine place if there were more people like him. Sadly for him, he has a Warwickshire wicket to commentate on, with Sibley bowled by a quite brilliant delivery from Harry Gurney - a dipping, slower yorker that beat him all ends up and pegged back the off stump.
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1st over: Birmingham 9-0 (Pollock 8, Sibley 1) Samit Patel will open the bowling to the young sensation Ed Pollock. He doesn’t hang about, sweeping his second ball for four, and there are nine runs from the over. Birmingham have such a young batting line-up; in a game of this significance, it’s hard to know whether that’s a blessing or a curse.
That’s a pretty stiff target for Birmingham’s young batting line-up. The dew might work in their favour, but Notts are surely favourites. Aren’t they?
Last over thriller coming up here
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) September 2, 2017
20th over: Notts 190-4 (Patel 64, Christian 24) An awesome finish to the innings from Dan Christian, who smashes 20 from Stone’s last four deliveries. A sliced drive for four was followed by two huge off-side sixes and another furious hit through point. He finishes with 24 from eight balls, Samit Patel is not out 64 from 42 balls, and the Birmingham Bears need 191 to win.
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19th over: Notts 167-4 (Patel 63, Christian 2) That’s an outstanding penultimate over from de Grandhomme - just five from it.
WICKET! Notts 162-4 (Taylor c Sibley b de Grandhomme 65)
Colin de Grandhomme strikes with his first ball. Taylor chips a slower ball to long off, where Sibley takes an awkward catch with almost offensive nonchalance. Taylor batted superbly for his 64.
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18th over: Notts 162-3 (Taylor 64, Patel 61) Patel lifts Woakes over extra cover for six, another brilliant stroke. As is that from Taylor, a short-arm ping to cow corner for four. These two have batted so well, and have scored 104 off the last nine overs. Woakes’ final over goes for 17!
17th over: Notts 145-3 (Taylor 59, Patel 50) Taylor reaches a cracking half-century from 42 balls, and Samit follows suit off the next delivery from Stone. His fifty took 36 balls; he has batted beautifully. Taylor then takes consecutive boundaries with a careful pull and a flashing back cut. This is super batting. In the last eight overs this part have scored 87.
16th over: Notts 133-3 (Taylor 49, Patel 49) Sibley’s third and surely final over goes for 13. Taylor pumps six over long on and smashes four more over the bowler’s head to bring up the hundred partnership. Both batsmen are on 49.
15th over: Notts 121-3 (Taylor 37, Patel 48) Samit Patel charges Jeetan and cuffs another six to cow corner. De Grandhomme came in too far; had he stayed on the rope it would have been a fairly comfortable catch.
“I can’t be bothered to muster the convincing argument that’s clearly available, but come on: Samit at 5 for the Ashes,” says Nick Wiltsher. “Or 3, even. I’m not even joking. I don’t think. Not that we should be treating this as Ashes prep etc and so on.”
They could do worse, and almost certainly will. There are a few half-decent options at No5, but I haven’t a clue who should or will bat No3.
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14th over: Notts 111-3 (Taylor 35, Patel 41) Patel slog-sweeps Sibley to cow corner for six. After a traumatic start, Notts are right back in the match.
13th over: Notts 102-3 (Taylor 33, Patel 34) A great shot from Samit, who opens the face to slice Thomason square on the off side for four. The next delivery is steered expertly between backward point and short third man for another boundary. Notts have scored 44 from the last four overs.
12th over: Notts 90-3 (Taylor 32, Patel 23) Taylor drives the new bowler Dom Sibley lazily over extra cover for a one-bounce four. Ambrose appeals unsuccessfully for caught behind when Taylor fails to connect with a reverse sweep; his bat hit the ground but nothing else.
11st over: Notts 83-3 (Taylor 27, Patel 21) Taylor misses a sweep off Patel, is hit on the pad outside the line and gets a bonus four leg-byes. He nails the shot two balls later, placing it wide of short fine leg for four. That brings up the fifty partnership. This has been a decent little spell for Notts, with 25 from the last two overs.
10th over: Notts 73-3 (Taylor 22, Patel 20) Patel walks down the track to slap Elliott to the square-leg boundary. Later in the over he smashes one back at the bowler, who can’t hold on to an extremely difficult chance. He barely got a hand on it. It was heading straight for his personal space until he diverted it away with his wrist. An eventful over concludes with a sweet six over wide long-on from Samit. Man, he can play.
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9th over: Notts 58-3 (Taylor 20, Patel 8) It’s Patel vs Patel, with Jeetan returning to bowl to Samit. Think Kramer vs Kramer with less emotional heft and a bit more cricket. It’s a good over, despite a couple of borderline wides; four from it. Notts are in trouble here.
8th over: Notts 54-3 (Taylor 20, Patel 6) The Bears captain Grant Elliott hurries through an over of wicket-to-wicket medium pace. No boundaries, seven from it.
Extraordinary scenes from @flintoff11 at #FinalsDay...
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 2, 2017
Follow LIVE: https://t.co/YI8Fzn3PMi pic.twitter.com/iAsaFwHHGh
7th over: Notts 47-3 (Taylor 18, Patel 3) Elliott deviates from the T20 tactics book by giving Woakes a third over. That’s fair enough, given how well he’s bowling. There are no more wickets for Woakes but he does restrict Notts to three runs. Woakes’ figures are 3-0-12-3. What a thoroughly admirable cricketer/bloke he is.
6th over: Notts 44-3 (Taylor 17, Patel 1) Aaron Thomason’s first ball is clipped classily for four by Taylor, who ends the over with consecutive boundaries as well. Notts bat so deep that they don’t really need to slow down, even after losing three early wickets.
“I admit I’m somewhat of a fairweather fan of county cricket and T20 Blast, but I do love the odd trip to Sofia Gardens, and always promise myself I’ll go more,” says Matt Dony. “Once Glamorgan qualified, I was planning on making the trip today, but my wife beat me to it and booked a girly day with some friends (congrats Becca on impending matrimony), so I’m parenting all day instead, a long, long way from Edgbaston. On the one hand, glad I didn’t go, as I’d have been disappointed in the Glam result, but it does sound like an absolutely cracking day’s cricket. Conflicting emotions all round.”
5th over: Notts 30-3 (Taylor 4, Patel 0) Outstanding stuff from Chris Woakes: 2-0-9-3.
WICKET! Notts 30-3 (Wessels c Ambrose b Woakes 19)
Three wickets for Chris Woakes! Wessels tried to ramp a shortish delivery and got the thinnest edge through to Ambrose, who took a smart catch to his left. Woakes, who has looked rusty since coming back from injury, is bowling tremendously and has three for nine!
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4th over: Notts 27-2 (Wessels 19, Taylor 1) An attempted yorker from Stone is smacked on the full for four, straight down the ground. He played superbly in the semis and is batting as if he has resumed his innings after a rain delay.
“I haven’t seen any cricket since the first game finished, but is the pitch still best suited to dibbly-dobblers, giving batsmen little option but to heave across the line?” asks Gary Naylor. “Can’t we have a bit of pace for once?”
Yes it is. Clearly it’s not easy to prepare a cricket pitch, but I do wonder if more effort could be made to make every cricket pitch in Oceania, Africa and England play just like Perth in the 1990s.
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3rd over: Notts 21-2 (Wessels 14, Taylor 0) Hales is a white-ball treasure but Josh Hazlewood will eat him alive if he plays in the Ashes. I haven’t a clue who should bat No5 but it’s not Hales. I’d probably try to talk Colly out of retirement.
WICKET! Notts 21-2 (Moores c Sibley b Woakes 0)
Two wickets in the over for Chris Woakes! Tom Moores gets his second duck of the day, pulling a slower bouncer straight to midwicket.
WICKET! Notts 21-1 (Hales b Woakes 7)
Gone! The ball after being hit for six over midwicket, Woakes cuts one back through the gate to bowl Alex Hales. That is terrific bowling from Woakes, the perfect delivery to Hales.
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2nd over: Notts 15-0 (Wessels 14, Hales 1) That’s an outrageous shot from Wessels, who walks across his stumps to flick an outswinger from Olly Stone between midwicket and mid-on for four. The next ball is flicked through the same area for four more.
Flintoff back in whites at Edgbaston - when Bumble gave him his Lancs debut at Leek in 95, who'd have thought it would come to this
— Andy Wilson (@andywiz) September 2, 2017
1st over: Notts 5-0 (Wessels 5, Hales 0) Jeetan Patel opens the bowling to Wessels, who survives an appeal for LBW first ball - it was missing leg - and then flicks a boundary wide of short fine leg. It’s a good first over from Patel, with Hales beaten outside off stump off the last delivery.
Here come the teams This, surely, is going to be a belter.
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The Great British Sing Off
Swiftly followed by Elvis @flintoff11 with Suspicious Minds! pic.twitter.com/cImxv0ssqm
— Sky Sports Cricket🏏 (@SkyCricket) September 2, 2017
Up first in the sing-off - Johnny Cash @BumbleCricket... pic.twitter.com/iANkRgxzMs
— Sky Sports Cricket🏏 (@SkyCricket) September 2, 2017
"One More Song!" The crowd gets its wish with Sweet Caroline and a @flintoff11 stumble... pic.twitter.com/yQcBUa8BW9
— Sky Sports Cricket🏏 (@SkyCricket) September 2, 2017
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The Gaffer 1-0 Trolls
Was unaware I didn't like Edgbaston but thanks for your warm welcome. I bet your parents are proud of you. https://t.co/28XenRU3jU
— Alec Stewart (@StewieCricket) September 2, 2017
Birmingham have won the toss and will bowl first
Both teams are unchanged from the semi-finals.
Birmingham Bears Pollock, Sibley, Hose, Hain, Elliott (c), De Grandhomme, Thomason, Woakes, Ambrose (wk), Patel, Stone.
Notts Outlaws Hales, Wessels, Moores (wk), Taylor, Patel, Christian (c), Mullaney, Root, Sodhi, Ball, Gurney.
Squeaky-bum time (II) “If not lycra, then what should be the appropriate attire for overweight men on Finals Day? A question to ponder before the next game - come on, Notts!”
For the true cricket hipster, there is only one option. (I’m amazed nobody has released replicas of those by the way.)
This is tremendous “There’s one incident from when I was a player, back in 1975. That incident has made my voice what it is today.”
Oh Bumble, you adorable buffoon, you’re a national treasure.
.@bumblecricket & @flintoff11 reflect on their X-factor journeys to the #GreatBritishSingOff at 6.20pm on SS Cricket https://t.co/oV3enND276
— Sky Sports Cricket🏏 (@SkyCricket) September 2, 2017
The final is at 6.45pm. I’ll be back an hour or so for the toss, and then the sing-off between David Lloyd and Andrew Flintoff.
WICKET! Hampshire 146 all out (Wood b Ball 3). NOTTS WIN BY 23 RUNS
Jake Ball slams a yorker straight through Chris Wood to complete a brilliant comeback from Notts. They took the last eight wickets for 49, inspired by an outstanding spell from Steven Mullaney, and will play Birmingham Bears in a heavyweight final.
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18th over: Hampshire 144-9 (Wood 1, Crane 2) Wood survives the hat-trick ball. We thought the slow bowlers might win the match; instead the slower balls of Harry Gurney have settled it. Hampshire, who were cruising at the halfway point, have scored 53 for seven in the last eight overs.
WICKET! Notts 140-9 (Abbott c Christian b Gurney 0)
This is sensational stuff from Gurney, who is on a hat-trick and has already taken three in four balls. It was another slower ball; Abbott had no idea what was going on and chipped it gently to mid-off.
WICKET! Hampshire 140-8 (Berg c Wessels b Gurney 15)
Harry Gurney has surely won the match for Notts. Berg follows Dawson by driving a slower ball to long on, where Wessels leaps to take a fine catch.
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WICKET! Hampshire 140-7 (Dawson c Wessels b Gurney 4)
Dawson clouts Harry Gurney straight to long on, where Wessels takes an easy catch. Dawson made four from seven balls; Hampshire need 30 from 17.
17th over: Hampshire 140-6 (Dawson 4, Berg 15) Berg flashes Ball over backward point for four to restart Hampshire’s chase. Fourteen from the over, including an edge to third man off the final delivery, leaves Hampshire needing 30 from three overs. It’s squeaky-bum time at Edgbaston, and not only because a lot of overweight men are wearing ill-fitting lycra in the name of fancy dress.
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16th over: Hampshire 126-6 (Dawson 3, Berg 3) Only four from Sodhi’s over. The net is closing around Hampshire, who need 44 from four overs.
15th over: Hampshire 122-6 (Dawson 1, Berg 1) Mullaney complets match-changing, probably match-winning spell with figures of three for 22. Brilliant stuff.
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WICKET! Hampshire 120-6 (Carberry run out 13)
Magnificent work from Samit Patel! The non-striker Carberry took a quick single to short third man, and Patel’s throw demolished the stumps with Carberry well short.
WICKET! Hampshire 120-5 (Vince c Taylor b Mullaney 56)
Vince has gone! Notts are favourites now, thanks to Steven Mullaney’s third wicket. Vince picked him up towards deep square leg, where Taylor backpedalled smartly to take an excellent two-handed catch above his head. Vince played beautifully to make 56 from 32 balls.
14th over: Hampshire 119-4 (Vince 56, Carberry 12) Vince has taken it down a notch in the last few overs, realising he probably needs to bat through the innings. That allows the man at the other end to play his strokes, and Carberry lifts Patel for an excellent straight six. Hampshire need 51 from 36 balls.
13th over: Hampshire 111-4 (Vince 55, Carberry 5) Vince gets a leading edge just short of extra cover, and then Carberry edges a flashing drive for four. Mullaney has been Notts’ best bowler by some way, and has figures of two for 19 from three overs.
WICKET! Notts 105-4 (Bailey b Mullaney 4)
Mullaney is dragging Notts back into this. The dangerous Bailey has a disgusting mow across the line and is bowled for four.
12th over: Hampshire 105-3 (Vince 54, Bailey 4) Six singles from Sodhi’s over. Hampshire will take that.
11th over: Hampshire 99-3 (Vince 51, Bailey 1) Good stuff from Mullaney, who has one for 13 from two overs. Hampshire need 71 from 54 balls.
WICKET! Hampshire 97-3 (Alsop ct and b Mullaney 20)
Alsop is completely hoodwinked by a slower ball and chips it straight back to the bowler Mullaney. It’s not the wicket Notts really wanted, but they’ll take it.
10th over: Hampshire 91-2 (Vince 50, Alsop 14) Patel drops Alsop off his own a bowling, a hot one-handed chance to his right. Vince then swings another lovely six over midwicket to reach a pretty majestic 25-ball fifty. Hampahire are cruising, though Notts know the wicket of Vince could change plenty.
9th over: Hampshire 80-2 (Vince 43, Alsop 10) Hampshire are favourites at the moment, and should remain so while Vince is at the crease. The medium-pacer Steven Mullaney comes on and bowls a decent first over; five from it. Hampshire need 90 from 66 balls.
8th over: Hampshire 75-2 (Vince 41, Alsop 7) Time for the legspinner Ish Sodhi. The slow bowlers were so effective for Hampshire earlier this afternoon - but Sodhi’s first over goes for 14, with Vince swinging a huge six down the ground. He has 41 from 21 balls, and is playing even better than those numbers suggest. It’s such a shame he failed at Test level because he is just beautiful to watch.
7th over: Hampshire 61-2 (Vince 29, Alsop 5) Alsop reverse sweeps Patel for four to get off the mark. It’s a quiet over aside from that, with six from it.
6th over: Hampshire 55-2 (Vince 28, Alsop 0) That was the last ball of the Powerplay, and that wicket means it’s still too close to call. At the same stage Notts were 56 for two.
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WICKET! Hampshire 55-2 (Dickinson c Christian b Ball 27)
Notts needed that. After two boundaries to third man earlier in the over, Dickinson clunks a slower ball from Ball straight to mid on.
5th over: Hampshire 45-1 (Dickinson 18, Vince 27) Dickinson gets his first boundary with a controlled pull round the corner off Gurney. That was a much better stroke than most he has attempted so far. He seems to have settled down now, and two balls later he drives superbly down the ground for four more. Hampshire have recovered very well from Afridi’s false start. They need 125 from the last 15 overs.
4th over: Hampshire 34-1 (Dickinson 7, Vince 27) Vince hits Christian for 14 in three deliveries, with two fours - one dragged just over mid-on - followed by a sweet pick-up over wide mid-on. He has 27 from 13 balls, an exercise in classical brutality.
3rd over: Hampshire 18-1 (Dickinson 6, Vince 12) Jake Ball replaces Samit Patel. Vince, beaten by the first ball, blasts the second over extra cover for four. That’s another beautiful stroke. At the other end, Calvin Dickinson is trying a bit too hard and keeps mistiming his attempted big shots.
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2nd over: Hampshire 11-1 (Dickinson 5, Vince 6) Harry Gurney beats Dickinson with an excellent slower ball. I’m slightly surprised he didn’t get more of a chance in England’s T20 side, though they did like Reece Topley. Of course you are allowed to play more than one left-arm seamer. Anyhow, Gurney’s excellent first over goes for four.
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1st over: Hampshire 7-1 (Dickinson 2, Vince 5) That’s Afridi in excelsis: a 45-ball hundred in the quarters and a golden duck in the semis. He’ll probably make a 45-ball duck in the final if they get there. It was such a bad delivery from Samit as well. The new batsman is James Vince, who gets off the mark with a gorgeous, Vaughanish extra cover drive for four.
WICKET! Hampshire 0-1 (Afridi c Hales b Patel 0)
Afridi has gone first ball! He hoicked a long hop from Samit Patel straight to deep midwicket, where Hales took an easy catch.
Shahid Afridi marches out to bat. It might be Boom Boom or bust for Hampshire. He certainly has the capacity to ruin Notts in the Powerplay.
20th over: Notts 169-7 (Root 11, Sodhi 15) Gareth Berg bowls a really good last over, full of accurate yorkers. There are no boundaries, though Notts still beg, steal and borrow nine runs, which them to 169. That’s about par, you would think, and Hampshire will need 170 to win. See you in a few minutes for the runchase!
19th over: Notts 160-7 (Root 8, Sodhi 9) Abbott continues to go the distance, with Sodhi clouting a pull over midwicket for six. That aside it’s a good, yorker-tastic over, with ten from it in total. I have no idea which team is on top.
18th over: Notts 150-7 (Root 4, Sodhi 1) Dawson ends with figures of two for 36. The three spinners have combined figures of four for 80 from 12 overs, but Notts have done enough against the quicker bowlers to be within sight of a par score.
WICKET! Notts 148-7 (Mullaney c Afridi b Dawson 0)
Mullaney punches his bat after being dismissed for nought. That’s the third catch at short third man, a swooping effort to his left by Afridi to give Liam Dawson his second wicket.
17th over: Notts 143-6 (Mullaney 0, Root 0) That was a cracking cameo from Christian: 24 from 12 balls, including those three sixes. The second was an amazing shot, strongarmed over extra cover from a wide slower ball by Abbott.
WICKET! Notts 143-6 (Christian c Carberry b Abbott 24)
Dan Christian hits the returning Kyle Abbott for three sixes in the over - but he’s dismissed by the final delivery, driving it straight to Carberry on the cover boundary.
16th over: Notts 123-5 (Christian 4, Mullaney 0) We thought the slow bowlers would be important for Hampshire and that’s certainly been the case. Notts were 70 for two after seven when Crane and Afridi came into the attack; since then they’ve scored 53 for three off nine.
WICKET! Notts 122-5 (Patel c Bailey b Dawson 35)
That’s superb bowling from Liam Dawson. He was hit down the ground for six the previous delivery, and tossed the next ball even higher Patel couldn’t resist the temptation and sliced the ball high to long off. It was a good innings from Samit, 35 from 31 balls, but Notts needed him to bat for another 20 minutes.
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15th over: Notts 115-4 (Patel 29, Christian 2) Patel drags another boundary, this time off Afridi. He is also done for the innings, and ends with identical figures to Crane: one for 22 from four overs. Notts will surely tee off now that they are out of the attack.
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14th over: Notts 109-4 (Patel 24, Christian 1) Patel clouts Crane’s googly down the ground for four. That’s one of only two boundaries conceded in a really impressive spell of one for 22. It’s pretty hard not to be pretty excited about what Crane might achieve in the next 15 years.
13th over: Notts 102-4 (Patel 18, Christian 0) Notts bat deep, which is a good thing as they are in a little bit of trouble here.
WICKET! Notts 99-4 (Taylor c Wood b Afridi 19)
Notts are in danger of suffering death by legspin. Taylor tries to go big against Afridi and came only pick out Wood at long off.
12th over: Notts 98-3 (Taylor 19, Patel 13) Patel backs away to blast Crane over cover for four, an excellent and timely stroke. Eight from the over.
11th over: Notts 90-3 (Taylor 18, Patel 7) Notts are milking the spinners pretty well but they will have to risk some big shots pretty soon. Taylor reverse sweeps Afridi cleverly for three and then survives an appeal for LBW when he misses a premeditated sweep. I assume he was outside the line. Notts haven’t hit a boundary since Crane and Afridi came on.
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10th over: Notts 83-3 (Taylor 14, Patel 5) Another boundaryless over from Crane, who has started superbly. Twenty-year-old English legspinners aren’t supposed to bowl like this.
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9th over: Notts 78-3 (Taylor 9, Patel 4) Now it’s time for Shahid Afridi’s skiddy legspin. Having three spinners is very handy on a slightly tired pitch. Notts take no risks in Boom Boom’s first over, milking him for six singles.
This month's @AllOutCricket is a belter. Buy it. Kallis, Law, county golden oldies, and a lovely looking interview with Mason Crane... pic.twitter.com/VUSV5rrMUl
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) September 1, 2017
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8th over: Notts 72-3 (Taylor 7, Patel 1) That was a brilliant first over from Crane - two runs and a very important wicket.
WICKET! Notts 71-3 (Wessels c Vince b Crane 48)
The legspinner Mason Crane, future saviour of English cricket and possibly the Western world, strikes with his third ball. Wessels tried to turn to leg and got a leading edge that looped gently to Vince in the covers. That’s beautifully bowled by Crane, and the end of a ferocious innings by Wessels: 48 from 27, with five fours and two sixes.
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7th over: Notts 70-2 (Wessels 48, Taylor 6) Liam Dawson returns to the attack - and disappears for 14. Wessels hits the first three deliveries for four, with a scorching extra cover drive sandwiched by two muscular pulls
6th over: Notts 56-2 (Wessels 35, Taylor 5) Brendan Taylor times Berg through midwicket for four, an almost genteel shot compared to everything else we’ve seen. That’s the end of the Powerplay, with honours pretty even.
WICKET! 5th over: Notts 49-2 (Moores c Abbott b Wood 0)
Another six for Wessels, swiped down the ground off Wood in an over that goes for 13. He added 24 with Tom Moores, who made nought and sliced the final delivery of the over to Abbott at short third man. That was an excellent catch. Moores was all over the place in his short, four-ball innings: he was beaten twice and had a big yahoo at his final delivery.
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4th over: Notts 36-1 (Wessels 20, Moores 0) Wessels has taken over bish-bosh duties from the departing Hales. He ramps Kyle Abbott for four and then clobbers a flat six over the head of Carberry at deep square leg. That’s his 27th six of the competition. I remember the days when describing sixes required an exclamation mark.
3rd over: Notts 25-1 (Wessels 9, Moores 0) Notts are a long way from being a one-man batting line-up; nonetheless, that is a huge wicket because there is nobody quite like Alex Hales in English cricket.
WICKET! Notts 23-1 (Hales c Afridi b Wood 15)
Hales is out! He made room and sliced a cutter from Chris Wood straight to short third man, where Shahid Afridi took a decent and vital catch. That is a mighty wicket for Hampshire, with the potentially devastating Hales gone for 15 from seven balls.
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2nd over: Notts 20-0 (Wessels 7, Hales 13) Hales slogs Gareth Berg high in the air, with Vince just unable to reach the ball as he charges towards deep midwicket. That could be a pretty significant moment, such is Hales’ capacity for destruction - which he demonstates by carting the next delivery into the crowd at cow corner. He is brutal, and the next ball is sliced deliberately over backward point for four. Hales has 13 from five balls.
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1st over: Notts 7-0 (Wessels 6, Hales 1) Liam Dawson, one of three spinners in the Hampshire side along with Mason Crane and Shahid Afridi, rushes through a good first over that is ruined by a wretched overthrow for four by the captain Vince off the final delivery.
Five-minute warning Alex Hales (and Riki Wessels) will be teeing off from 2.30pm.
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Words I never expected to type when I started a career in sports journalism Alfie the gorilla has won the mascot race!
It's the highlight of #T20Blast finals day
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) September 2, 2017
Mascot race time pic.twitter.com/f1pc6L2IwT
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Team news
Thanks Will, hello there. These are the teams, with both unchanged from the quarter-finals. Shahid Afridi is expected to open for Hampshire.
Hampshire Afridi, Dickinson (wk), Vince (c), Bailey, Carberry, Dawson, Berg, Alsop, Abbott, Wood, Crane.
Notts Outlaws Hales, Wessels, Moores (wk), Taylor, Christian (c), Patel, Mullaney, Root, Sodhi, Ball, Gurney.
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Hampshire have won the toss! They will field. Notts have left out Stuart Broad!
Time for me to hand over to Rob Smyth... Turrah!
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Now it’s time for the mascot race! I thought that was between the second two games. There’s some kind of ball pool being set up for the obstacle course as we speak. How exciting. Who you backing?
Amazing ending to that game. Birmingham are in the final! Great performance from them, especially Ed Pollock up top and the brilliant fielding. Three great catches and a classy run out too.
As it’s Finals Day, Hampshire and Notts are already out warming up... That game starts in about 35 minutes, and there will be a toss shortly.
Birmingham beat Glamorgan by 11 runs!
20th over: Glamorgan 164 all out
Woakes on to close it out. Salter edges for four first ball. 22 off five... Four more next ball, big swing, just beats the man art cover. Can they? Surely not. 18 off four. Six! He’s pulled six! 12 needed off three. Woakesy, what are you made of? Salter has 27 off 13!
Salter goes big again, down the ground! Will it make it? Long on and long off converge, Hose takes the catch, then collides with Sibley! But he’s taken the catch, and Birmingham win!
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Wicket! de Lange b Stone 16 (Glamorgan 150-9)
19th over: Glamorgan 150-8 (Salter 13) TARGET 176
Stone on. He finds a dot, then a single. Good start. Salter cloths two down the ground. Elliott pulls off a decent stop at cover: is it a drop? It is, but the stop is the important bit! Last ball of the over and Stone has bowled him! Full, straight, gone.
26 from the final over...
18th over: Glamorgan 144-8 (Salter 10, de Lange 13) TARGET 176
Here’s CdG for his first bowl. It’s swinging! One from the first, two from the second. The third is a dot. Right in the block hole. After a single, a full toss is sent down the ground for a huge six by Marchant de Lange!
32 required from 12 balls.
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17th over: Glamorgan 133-8 (Salter 7, de Lange 5) TARGET 176
Salter nabs a single, then Thomason fools the big man de Lange with a slower ball. He hoicks a four! Shot. Single ends the over and Thomason ends with two for 36.
43 required from 18 balls.
Wicket! Meschede c Hain b Thomason 1 (Glamorgan 127-8)
Thomason starts with a wide, then there’s a single. And now there’s been a fourth brilliant bit of fielding! Hain runs round from long-on and makes a sprinting, diving catch look very simple. Might have run 40 yards there as it hung in the air.
16th over: Glamorgan 125-7 (Meschede 1, Salter 5) TARGET 176
Salter pulls a four. Shot. Over ends with a single, and Glamorgan need 51 from 24 balls...
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Wicket! Wagg c Elliott b Woakes 25 (Glamorgan 120-7)
Here’s Woakes, then. He’s got another after this one. Singles off the first two, and then Wagg picks out mid-off with the third! Slower ball, straight to Elliott. Brummies are off to the final.
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15th over: Glamorgan 118-6 (Wagg 24, Meschede 0) TARGET 176
A single then a dot ends a very decent over from Meschede. 56 required from 30.
Wicket! Rudolph run out (Thomason) 65 (Glamorgan 117-6)
Thomason time. Four first ball, pulled behind square by Rudolph. He’s playing a blinder. Goes round the wicket. The Hampshire lads are wandering round to go for a net. There’s a dot as Rudolph misses a reverse sweep, then a single to backward point.
Oh my, that’s the third brilliant bit of fielding from Birmingham today! Wagg drives straight back at Thomason, who gathers, sees Rudolph out of his ground and throws at the stumps! He hits! He’s gone for 65! That is just a class piece of thinking.
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14th over: Glamorgan 112-5 (Rudolph 60, Wagg 23) TARGET 176
Jeetan back for his last. That’s a brilliant straight drive from Wagg. Four. Yorker fired in next ball. There are some singles, and he ends with a dot, meaning his figures are 0 for 27 from his four. I reckon all parties will be fine with that.
13th over: Glamorgan 106-5 (Rudolph 59, Wagg 18) TARGET 176
Elliott on with four men on the legside fence. Rudolph is blowing here, lots of singles about. So he decides to sweep and sweep hard! Gets him four. The crowd are singing God Save The Queen, which is odd. A single each ends the over.
70 required off 42.
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12th over: Glamorgan 96-5 (Rudolph 53, Wagg 14) TARGET 176
The brilliant Stone back. There’s one for Wagg, then two for Rudolph, because of a brilliant diving effort from Hose at deep square. Great fielding. After two more, there’s a huge six to end the over from Wagg! Still in it...
11th over: Glamorgan 84-5 (Rudolph 50, Wagg 5) TARGET 176
More Elliott, with the keeper up. Lots of singles, one of which brings Rudolph 50! 30 balls, with seven fours and a six. Then there’s a wide. Don’t need them.
10th over: Glamorgan 76-5 (Rudolph 46, Wagg 1) TARGET 176
Jeetan has two more. Here’s one of them. Wagg dots up, then takes a single. There’s a very tight single afterwards, with a direct hit from Stone at backward point. Wagg makes it. There’s the first six of the innings! And first since Ed Pollock’s innings, actually. Rudolph it is, nailing it to cow corner.
Wicket! Cooke c Sibley b Elliott 10 (Glamorgan 67-5)
9th over: Glamorgan 67-5 (Rudolph 39, Cooke 10) TARGET: 176
Elliott brings himself on to deliver some pace off. A single for Rudolph, then four for Cooke through cover. Ambrose calls for the lid and he’s standing up. Makes sense. After a single each, Cooke just flicks straight to Sibley at deep-midwicket. That’s very soft.
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8th over: Glamorgan 60-4 (Rudolph 37, Cooke 5) TARGET: 176
Jeetan back for Stone. It’s a very fine over, and costs just one! Five straight dots against Cooke, with the last a huge lbw shout. Bit hight?
7th over: Glamorgan 59-4 (Rudolph 36, Cooke 5) TARGET: 176
Thomason continues and Rudolph cuts four, thanks to a msifield from Jeetan. There’s four more from Cooke, who guides past the keeper, then takes one to mid-on.
Requires a loan hand from Rudolph to avoid it...
@willis_macp So is that 'Goodbye Glamorgan Greyhounds' (ref Kimberley's request of over 3)?
— (((Ravi Nair))) (@palfreyman1414) September 2, 2017
6th over: Glamorgan 48-4 (Rudolph 30, Cooke 0) Powerplay ends with a dot, and Stone is all over Glamorgan!
Wicket! Carlson c Ambrose b Stone 3 (Glamorgan 48-4)
Matthew Doherty asks: “Will Olly Stone’s overs be thrillers?”
They have been so far! The first ball of this over clocked 92.3 mph. Class. He’s too quick for Carlson and after a single each he nicks off Carlson!
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5th over: Glamorgan 46-3 (Rudolph 29, Carlson 2) Runs to third man: one for Carlson, then four for Rudolph, classily guided. All on him now, you’d say. A single each ends the over.
This is that Elliott catch. Yeah, wow.
Who invited superman? What a catch @grantelliottnz #FinalsDay #Blast17 pic.twitter.com/R9zvobhv9k
— NatWest T20 Blast (@NatWestT20Blast) September 2, 2017
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Wicket! Miller c Ambrose b Thomason (Glamorgan 39-3)
Glamorgan are in trouble! Aaron Thomason comes on gets one to nip away from David Miller and he’s gawn! Caught behind. Huge wicket.
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4th over: Glamorgan 39-2 (Rudolph 24, Miller 0) Rudolph nicks just wide of Ambrose and gets four! Sibley duly goes in to slip. Two dots follow, but the over ends with a well-placed four from Rudolph. Pollock can’t cut it off at deep backward point.
Wicket! Ingram c Elliott b Stone 11 (Glamorgan 31-2)
A first look at Olly Stone today! Great to see him fit. Excellent yorker is dug out for one by Rudolph, then Ingram goes hard but WHAT A CATCH! Elliott is at mid-on, it’s been skied into the legside. He’s set off, run 25 yards to his left and taken a belting diving catch? How did that stay in?! Enter David Miller.
3rd over: Glamorgan 30-1 (Rudolph 15, Ingram 11) More Rog Woakes. Single to start, then four through backward point for Rudolph. Good comeback from Rog, though, and there’s just one more from the over.
An email from Kimberley Thonger!
Our dachshund wants to know why none of the T20 Blast teams are named after dogs generally, and dachshunds specifically? He thinks Derbyshire Dachshunds or possibly Somerset Sausage-Dogs or even Worcestershire Wiener-Dogs would all be splendid team names. In his view it’s doggist and down right dachshundist. What on earth do I tell him?
It should be the Yorkshire Terriers, shouldn’t it?
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2nd over: Glamorgan 24-1 (Rudolph 10, Ingram 10) Jeetan Patel from the other. Great shout. Yorker first up, dug out by Ingram, who gets off strike next ball. Rudolph looks in super nick, and he fizzes a drive straight to deep cover before Ingram skips down, and drills for four down the ground. Very chilled. Then four more are carved over extra cover. Nicccceeeee. Single ends the over.
1st over: Glamorgan 13-1 (Rudolph 9, Ingram 0) Rudolph spanks each of the last two balls of the over for four through cover. That will do. What a busy over.
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Wicket! Donald c Hain b Woakes 4 (Glamorgan 5-1)
Rog Woakes beats Rudolph first ball, and then there’s a single. Glamorgan are underway! Donald doesn’t muck about and he slaps his first ball over cover for four!
Oh, but that is brilliant! Donald pulls, doesn’t get all of it, and Hain sprints 30 yards to his left at deep square-leg to take a running, diving catch! What a catch.
The IPL’s Christopher Roger Woakes will get us going. I’ve just smashed the carvery here. Far too early for it, but the beef was seriously good.
Here come the Birmingham Bears!
Donald and Rudolph to open up for Glamorgan. Reckon 176 will be a tough chase.
Birmingham post 175-9! Glamorgan need 176!
Woakes drives to deep cover, tries to make two but he’s an inch short. Good effort.
Still, decent effort. Glamorgan need 176 to win. Possibly not as many as they might have thought they’d get. Back in 10 minutes for the chase.
Wicket! Patel c Miller b Hogan 0 (Birmingham 174-8)
Jeetan picks out long-on first ball... One ball left, Woakes to face.
Wicket! Thomason run out 17 (Birmingham 174-7)
Hogan to bowl the last. Thomason gets two with a pull, then one down the ground. The IPL’s Chris Woakes gets a single to cover, then Thomason tries to scamper a second with a drive down the ground but doesn’t quite make it! Good work from long on Miller and the keeper Cooke. Two balls remain, Jeets in.
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19th over: Birmingham 169-6 (Thomason 13, Woakes 0) Thomason gets a thick outside edge for 2 but it’s a no-ball! The free hit is too quick for him. There have been too free hits today, both have been dots. Another outside edge ends the over with a single.
Wicket! De Grandhomme c Donald b de Lange (Birmingham 164-6)
De Lange is basically two quick for Thomason. More low full tosses. Are they intentional? Maybe. Anyway, after Thomason gets off strike, CdG picks out deep midwicket! Big wicket! What can Woakesy do with eight balls left?
18th over: Birmingham 162-5 (de Grandhomme 29, Thomason 9) Wagg on, bowling round the wicket. Dug in, and pulled for four by Thomason! A single follows, then a misfield at long-off means CdG (not Charles de Gaulle) gets two, not one. Then there’s four through cover! Shot. A wide is followed by four more! Inside edged past the man at 45! A single ends the over, and Wagg’s three have cost 41...
17th over: Birmingham 145-5 (de Grandhomme 18, Thomason 4) De Lange’s on bowling dipping slower ball full tosses. Singles off the first three of them. He then goes for the yorker, and it’s poked into the offside for two. Six from the over, which ends with a single. Dire Straits on between overs. Awful tunes so far today.
Wicket! Elliott c Meschede b Hogan 32 (Birmingham 139-5)
16th over: Birmingham 139-5 (de Grandhomme 16) Time for the Brummies to launch, and Elliott does that to Hogan with a handsome drive over extra cover for four. A yorker is dug out for a single, then BigMan flicks fine for four. Last ball of the over and Elliott tries to lap but he laps straight into 45’s hands! Goner.
15th over: Birmingham 129-4 (Elliott 27, de Grandhomme 11) Here’s Wagg, and Grant Elliott’s decided to get on with things. He goes four, four, both through the legside, then one to long-off. De Grandhomme could have been run out by Wagg as he gets his flick to midwicket wrong. They take one, as they do to the next ball. Four more off the last, flicked to cow!
Beef incoming. Pitch looked fine for batting that over...
Just a bit of pace to help the batsmen. It'll be near unplayable by the final. Shocker of a pitch despite the commentators' opinions.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) September 2, 2017
14th over: Birmingham 114-4 (Elliott 17, de Grandhomme 6) More Ingram, and it’s canny stuff. Offies, leggies, the lot. Five from it, all singles.
13th over: Birmingham 109-4 (Elliott 14, de Grandhomme 4) BigMan takes a single, then Elliott cracks Meschede for four through the offside. Three singles end the over, and Meschede ends with two for 24 from his four, which is very handy indeed.
12th over: Birmingham 101-4 (Elliott 8, de Grandhomme 2) Touch of class from Elliott, that. Andrew Salter comes on with his spin, and he gives himself room to drive inside-out through extra-cover for four. Salter strikes back, though, with three dots. Elliott brings the hundred up with one to deep cover, and the over ends with another single to deep midwicket for BigMan.
11th over: Birmingham 95-4 (Elliott 3, de Grandhomme 1) BigMan is in. He’s away with a dot. There’s a dot to Elliott, who then nearly plays on. And the over ends with a single. Three from it, and the wicket. Good comeback from Glamorgan, this.
Wicket! Hain lbw b Meschede 9 (Birmingham 93-4)
Another! Hain tries to sweep Meschede and is rapped on the backside. He’s gawn.
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10th over: Birmingham 92-3 (Hain 9, Elliott 1) Class from Sam Hain. He reverse sweeps for four, then turns to leg to get Grant Elliott, the skipper, on strike for the first time. It’s a wide, then a single for each batsman, and YouBears are 92-3 at halfway.
Let’s wait and see. So far, though, pace off certainly seems the way...
@willis_macp Pitch looks dead already: no pace, no carry, no reward for anything other than dibbly-dobblers. Why such a poor cricket wicket?
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) September 2, 2017
Wicket! Sibley c Miller b Ingram 27 (Birmingham 83-3)
Sibley gets adventurous to Ingram, but he’s gone! He drives straight at cover, then picks out the man in the deep, running round from long-on. Davey Miller doesn’t drop them.
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9th over: Birmingham 83-2 (Sibley 227, Hain 3) The Glammys have put the skids on YouBears here, and Meschede is continuing. Dot, single to Sibley. Think they will happily take 6-8 for the next few overs to build the platform. Hain flicks for one. And that’s a hell of a shot from Sibley, a cross-bat battering down the ground for four. Then there’s two to cow, and the over ends with another single. Nine from it.
8th over: Birmingham 74-2 (Sibley 19, Hain 2) More pace off, as Ingram returns for his second over. Three singles to get us going. The chant of YouBears goes out. It’s just about a full house now. Another single for Hain, then a dot to Sibley. He ends the over by tracking Ingram, but scuffs it and they take just one.
7th over: Birmingham 69-2 (Sibley 15, Hain 0) They crossed, so Sibley pops out to cow for one. Good over from Meschede: the wicket, and just four from it.
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Wicket! Hose c Donald b Meschede 1 (Birmingham 68-2)
So, keeper up for a bit of Meschede dibble. Pace off. Sibley takes one to long-on, then Hose gets off the mark through the offside. Fielders out are deep cover, long-off, long-on, cow and deep square-leg. After another Sibley single, Hose dots up then picks out the man at cow! Easy catch. Sam Hain comes in.
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6th over: Birmingham 65-1 (Sibley 13, Hose 0) That one ball is defended straight to cover by Hose. Pollock gone, but that’s a very fine start for Birmingham.
Wicket! Pollock c Carlson b de Lange 50 (Birmingham 65-1)
De Lange swaps ends. Sibley pulls him for four. Easy game, this. Gets easier when de Lange oversteps - Sibley takes a single so Pollock gets the free hit! He drives it straight to extra-cover, then mid-off. Three dots on the spin! The third a slower ball. And the pressure tells! He drills straight to cover-point! Gone for 50 off 27, with five fours and four sixes. What a start. One ball left of the powerplay as Hose ambles out.
5th over: Birmingham 58-0 (Pollock 50, Sibley 8) Tip and run from Sibley off Hogan to mid-on brings up the 50 in no time. There’s a dot to midwicket so Pollock is 47 off 21. Slow. They scramble a single and then Sibley gets in on the act! He tracks Hogan and wallops over cover for four! After a single, Pollock ends with two to deep midwicket to bring up his 50! That’s his third in eight games, and it took just 24 balls...
4th over: Birmingham 49-0 (Pollock 47, Sibley 2) A short delay for no apparent reason. Graham Wagg becomes Glamorgan’s fourth bowler. They need a wicket. Sibley takes a single, and then Wagg finds a couple of dots to Pollock, which takes some doing. Never mind, next up he’s carted for a pair of fours: the first hoicked to midwicket, next cut through backward point. Shouldn’t have been stopped. The last is another dot. Nine from it, Glamorgan’s best over of the innings...
Big call..
@willis_macp Don't want to be churlish, but I think Pollock has only middled one so far - the off-drive.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) September 2, 2017
3rd over: Birmingham 40-0 (Pollock 39, Sibley 1) A decent start from YouBears, so here’s Marchant de Lange, the big Saffa, to try nip it in the bud. That doesn’t work, because Pollock slog sweeps him for six, then drives him for four down the ground! De Lange bowls 90 clicks! Four more! Pulled. He takes a single to move to 39 off 15. Mad man. Sibley gets himself off the mark with a single to square-leg.
2nd over: Birmingham 24-0 (Pollock 24, Sibley 0) Ed Pollock does not muck about. Michael Hogan’s on at the Birmingham End and he nails the second and third balls for six! Down the ground then over mid-on. Back goes long-on, and he taps it down to him for a single. He has 24 off 10, and now Sibley gets a go. He defends a couple.
1st over: Birmingham Bears 11-0 (Pollock 11, Sibley 0) Ingram gets us going with ... a pair of dots! He’s a leggie, and Pollock is a leftie. Drives to mid-on, then is rapped on the pad. But it pitched outside. Long on and deep midwicket are the men back.
We’re away with a six! A blooming six! Pollock slog sweeps over backward square leg. What a shot! Two balls later, he slog sweeps again. It’s four this time, to cow. Ends the over with a single to backward-point. That last ball was a dart of an off-break.
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So, Ed Pollock and Dom Sibley open for YouBears. Not a sentence I thought I’d be typing two months ago.
As is trendy, Glamorgan opening with spin. It’s Colin Ingram!
Here come the cricketers. Pitch looks dry and hard. Runs.
And the first T20 of any sort he’s played since the IPL. IPL stands for Indian Premier League.
Chris Woakes' first T20 for Birmingham since playing against Lancashire on 19th June 2016
— Alex Klymyszyn (@AlexKlymyszyn) September 2, 2017
It appears that on Sky Matt Floyd is interviewing a series of South African men on a boat off Wales. More as I get it.
Teams!
Glamorgan: Rudolph, Donald, Ingram, Miller, Carlson, Cooke, Wagg, Meschede, Salter, de Lange, Hogan.
YouBears: Pollock, Sibley, Hose, Hain, Elliott, De Grandhomme, Thomason, Woakes, Ambrose, Patel, Stone.
Woakesyyyy in for Hannon-Dalbyyyy, then.
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Glamorgan have won the toss! They will ... bowl! That means, by a process of elimination, means Birmingham Bears will bat first.
The two captains for the first game are a pair of ancient South Africans, Jacques Rudolph and Grant Elliott. Elliott is sort of a Kiwi I spose. Soon, they are going to toss a coin.
Can’t wait!
It’s only one week to go to the Concert of Legends at New Road on Saturday, September 9.
— Worcestershire CCC (@WorcsCCC) September 2, 2017
The weather is an absolute delight, which is not normally the case on Finals Day. Beer jacket and suncream are the requirements. We’re about 10 minutes away from the toss in the opening game.
There’s this thing at the city end of the ground which is propelling people, who are sat in a sort of ball thing, up and down with bungee ropes. It’s going higher than the floodlights! Sorry that is a terrible description. It’s an odd thing, and looks like it would make drunk people sick, which is a going concern on Finals Day.
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Morning all it's the morning call!
Hello and welcome to Edgbaston, where the sun is shining, the stands are filling and the glasses are being charged because it’s T20 Finals Day! How very exciting.
I’m Will Macpherson and I’m here to helm the blog for the first game of the day – the hosts YouBears v Glamorgan – before the great Rob Smyth takes over for the second semi (Notts against Hampshire) and the final, so I can do my bits for tomorrow’s paper. It should be a belter.
This, of course, is the second of two finals days. The first was a beauty down at Hove in . Southern Vipers lost to Western Storm, Charlotte Edwards retired, and 3,500 people were there. One of them was Vish Ehantharajah. Read what he made of it all here.
Who’s gonna win this thing, then? I’m talking about the cricket not the mascot race, by the way. My hunch is that it’ll be the winners of the second semi, which with Hales, Empty Wessels, Vince and Afridi is stacked with batting talent, as well as a hoard of leggies, in the shape of Crane, Sodhi and Afridi.
That’s not to rule out the first game, though. Glamorgan’s batting, with Colin Ingram and David Miller, is ludicrously strong. Birmingham/Warwickshire/YouBears won a remarkable semi against Surrey, and appear to have turned a bit of a corner with the curious blend of youth and experience.
Anyway, it all gets going in an hour. Fill three of those 60 minutes by reading this Alex Hales interview. He talks about his dog Kevin.
You can contact me! Here’s how:
- Below The Line (play nicely)
- In my inbox: will.macpherson.freelance@theguardian.com
- On the twitters: @willis_macp
I greatly look forward to hearing from you! All that leaves me to say, as ever, is enjoy the cricket. And don’t drink too much.
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