County Cricket / Andrew Hughes / 12 August 2009 / Leave a comment

"Wayne Parnell will be returning for Finals day and if he can reproduce the form he showed against Durham in the semi-final, Kent should be a formidable prospect in the field."

Northamptonshire Steelbacks

Northamptonshire is the kingdom of the Kolpacks, forever twinned in the cricket watcher's imagination with Bloemfontein and Johannesburg and indeed anywhere else in South Africa where there might be surplus cricketers in need of cash. It is perhaps an unfair reputation: Kent have just as many Kolpacks on their books. Nevertheless, captain Nicky Boje, Andrew Hall and Johann van der Wath have been essential to helping the Steelbacks reach their first ever Finals day.

They have also benefited from a touch of Australian magic in the person of Ian Harvey, veteran slogger and purveyor of the most celebrated slower ball in county cricket. He missed the quarter-final due to a bout of swine flu, but his presence will be vital on Finals day, as without him, the batting is dangerously light on quality. Their strength has been with the ball; the aggressive seam bowling of Hall and van der Wath backed up by an array of spinners. They are the [5.1] outsiders to win the competition and will need to step up a gear if they are to do so.

Sussex Sharks

Sussex's decline as a Championship force has coincided with their rise as one-day specialists. Semi-finalists in 2007, they have again made Finals day, coming through the toughest of the qualifying groups that included last year's finalists, Middlesex and Kent and perennial one-day contenders Essex. To underline their elite one-day status, The Sharks have already reached the Friends Provident Trophy final and are currently top of the Pro40 Division One.

New captain Michael Yardy has kept up the high standards they attained under Chris Adams; they are as fit and committed a unit as you are likely to see. Their batting is strong, with the high profile players like Luke Wright, Murray Goodwin, Ed Joyce and Devon Smith backed up by bit hitting contributions from Michael Yardy and Chris Nash. Their bowling is dominated by seamers but Yardy and Rory Hamilton-Brown offer useful spin options. With Matt Prior also available for Finals day, the [3.7] available about the Sharks looks tempting.

Kent Spitfires

Kent were initially slow to respond to the peculiar demands of Twenty20 cricket. But under captain Rob Key and coach Graham Ford, they worked hard to adapt to the new format, reaching the quarterfinals in 2006, winning it in 2007 and finishing as runners-up last year. They maintained their excellent form in this competition by winning the tough South qualifying group ahead of Sussex, with a win-loss record that was the second best in the country.

Like Sussex, they are a well-balanced side, with a settled and dependable batting line-up, built around Key and aggressive all-rounder, Ryan Mclaren. They have at times depended a little too much on Azhar Mahmood for an edge with the ball, but South African left-armer Wayne Parnell will be returning for Finals day and if he can reproduce the form he showed against Durham in the semi-final, Kent should be a formidable prospect in the field. Rob Key is probably the most tactically astute captain in county cricket and with a balanced and experienced team, it is easy to see why Kent are [3.3] favourites to go one better this year.

Somerset Sabres

The epitome of inconsistency, Somerset scraped through the Group stages as one of the two best third-placed teams. Not too many people gave them a chance against the much-fancied Lancashire Lightning, but the weather came to Somerset's aid, washing out the quarter-final at Old Trafford and bringing about an indoor bowl-off, which the Sabres clinched to reach Finals day for the second time.

They face a stiff task in taking on Kent in the semi-final and it is perhaps surprising that they are not available at longer odds than the current [4.0] in the winners market. Whilst the likes of Zander de Bruyn, Craig Kieswetter and Peter Trego have all been amongst the runs, they have been ordinary with the ball. Wily captain Justin Langer will have his work cut out to prevent their lightweight bowling from being carted all around Edgbaston. They may need further help from the weather gods if they are to lift the trophy this year.

Tags: County cricket betting, Edgbaston, Justin Langer, Kent, Rob Key, Sussex, Twenty20 Cup