Durham head to Edgbaston for final T20 of 2023

That was disappointing because it felt like we were in the driving seat. We thought we were always going to be ahead on D/L and then we played on for a lot longer than we thought and unfortunately we only take one point.

We had a close run out shout the ball before we came off, if that had been given it would have made it very interesting.

This is a tough place to come because it is a small ground and always a good pitch and they know the dimensions really well because they play here week in and week out. So they have home advantage and we have struggled here in the past. but we batted well tonight and felt we put enough runs on the board.

It was just a shame that they managed to get up with the target just as they came off. That’s two ties this season and in a group format like this, ties can cost you.

Squad v Birmingham Bears [2nd July]

Jonathan Bushnell, Brydon Carse, Graham Clark, Luke Doneathy, George Drissell, Michael Jones, Alex Lees, Ben Raine, Luke Robinson, Ollie Robinson +, Nathan Sowter, Liam Trevaskis, Ashton Turner

Opposition Corner

Captain: Moeen Ali

Overseas players: Glenn Maxwell (Australia, after IPL commitments with RCB), Hasan Ali (Pakistan), Paul Stirling (Ireland, until Maxwell arrives)

Finals Day appearances: 4 (2003, 2014, 2015, 2017)

Titles: 1 (2014)

2022 finish: Quarter-finals

2022 leading runscorer: Adam Hose (557)

2022 leading wicket taker: Jake Lintott (22)

Key winter moves: Three potential match-winners have been signed in Ali, Maxwell and Stirling and the Bears will hope they deliver in spectacular fashion when available. A key departure is last year’s leading runscorer Adam Hose who has joined Worcestershire Rapids but Pakistan seamer Hasan Ali will bring welcome nous to the seam attack.

The big question: Will the big-name recruits help to end the Bears’ fallow period in the Blast? After three Finals Day appearances in four years, the frustration which had dogged the team for most of Blast history has returned of late. Too often they have been hosts but not participants at the Edgbaston Finals Day jamboree.

Wildcard watch: Rob Yates – The 23-year-old first forged his reputation as a solid opening batsman in red ball cricket but has blossomed in the white ball game. He blends orthodox strokeplay with clouting the ball a long way and some strong early Blast knocks could well attract a Hundred gig.

Final thought: Entertainment was high from the Bears last year as they topped 200 in half their games with a go-for-broke batting policy. It often succeeded but was high-risk and imploded spectacularly on occasions – a ten-wicket group stage defeat to Yorkshire and a 104-run quarter-final thrashing by Hampshire. Will the vastly experienced signings allow for a more measured approach?

Match Centre