BLAST OFF

These are two key years for the counties’ T20 competition, before the ECB’s new tournament arrives.

It is a big moneyspinner, and the counties have made exciting signings. Here is our 18-county preview

The Player Performance Index – a joint

initiative between The Cricketer and

Fica – provides a defi nitive ranking system

for all players involved in major men’s

franchise and international T20. The

Cricketer has produced a top XI for each

county, according to players’ positions in

the Index. The county’s overall ranking

refl ects the sum of their players’ places

in the standings.

DAWID MALAN

If not Middlesex, who?

Notts are a really good team. I

always think they play on the best wicket, which

defi nitely helps. Funnily enough at Middlesex we

have this big honours board, and a month ago I

walked out of the indoor school and I had a look

at this and Middlesex only had two players who

scored more than 4,000 List A runs at an average

of more than 35 - Mark Ramprakash and Desmond

Haynes. Think of all the great names. I’m a personal

believer that Lord’s isn’t a good place for one-day

cricket. You don’t really get the fl at wickets, the

350 pitches in 50-over and the 200 pitches in T20,

not like you do at Trent Bridge, Taunton, Essex and

Birmingham. At Trent Bridge you have the batters

being able to score runs and the bowlers to defend

it. I think a team like that is extremely dangerous.

MARK WOOD

If Durham don’t win the

Vitality Blast, who will?

There are some good teams. I don’t know

if I can pick someone from the north!

Nottinghamshire are always strong. I think

I’d keep with a southern side, though.

Somerset – the pride of the south-west.

They have a small ground so they get big scores,

and could go to the fi nals day with loads of

confi dence. The pitches are so good for one-day

cricket, they all play a natural free way which is

quite dangerous, and if it comes o it’s not just

a big score, it’s a huge score. They could

be dangerous. Notts and Yorkshire

also have star-studded line-ups.

Northamptonshire are a team that pride

themselves on the shorter format.

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