Fresh from 14/1 and 11/2 winners in the T20 Blast, Richard Mann has three bets for the quarter-finals stage which features Yorkshire versus Somerset on Wednesday.
Cricket tips: T20 Blast
3pts over 181.5 first innings runs in the Yorkshire/Somerset match at 5/6 (bet365)
2pts Northamptonshire to win the T20 Blast at 13/2 (AK Bets, QuinnBet)
1pt no fifty in the Nottinghamshire/Surrey match at 13/2 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair)
Wednesday promises to be a memorable day for sports lovers across the country, and fans of county cricket can look forward to four T20 Blast quarter-finals as the competition comes to a climax this week.
Wednesday’s four winners will secure their ticket to Finals Days which this year takes place just a few days later on Saturday, rather than pushed back until September as was the case in previous years.
If it all feels a little bit rushed, it has to be better than when the competition would stop for the Hundred, the 50-over competition and more County Championship cricket before Finals Day in September – which was always dodging the rain and felt very much like an afterthought.
This also means the squad churn that has blighted previous editions of the Blast is minimal, and punters should therefore have a good grasp of things ahead of the four last-eight fixtures.
Sky Sports have opted for Headingley for their live coverage, with Yorkshire and Somerset a fascinating match-up between one of the biggest counties in the country and the most successful Blast club of recent times. While the Blast and Yorkshire have for some reason never been a good fit, Somerset have won two of the last three renewals and finished runner-up to Gloucestershire in 2024.
Somerset were very good in coming through the Central & West Group in second place, booking their place in the quarter-finals with a compressive home victory over Worcestershire on Sunday, while Yorkshire filled the same spot in the North Group having overcome table-toppers Nottinghamshire to secure a last-eight tie in front of their home fans.
Somerset have the pedigree, and have landed on a potent opening partnership while Tom Banton has been on international duty with England, Will Smeed and Thomas Rew pairing up beautifully before the likes of James Rew, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Lewis Gregory add the finishing touches.
As you’d expect, the bowling performs like a well-oiled machine, and one suspects there will be a temptation to retain Jack Leach as the second spinner in the attack after he took 3-20 on his first Blast appearance of the season on Sunday.
I say that because the recent hot spell means pitches around the country are entitled to be dry, and Headingley was in that match with Nottinghamshire on Sunday, spin playing a bigger and bigger role as the day wore on.
What are the best Blast bets?
Dom Bess returned to the Yorkshire XI for that match as the hosts worked through four spin options in the second innings, though it must be noted that this isn’t ordinarily a ground for spin – with containment in the face of a flat pitch and big runs generally the norm here.
The other reason why I wouldn’t be getting carried with spin and reading too much into what we saw on Sunday is because there was a women’s T20 Blast game played on the same pitch that day, immediately before the men’s game, meaning the wicket was essentially a used one by the time of the second match.
That won’t be the case on Wednesday, and all the evidence points to big runs, particularly in the first innings. In fact, in six Blast games at Headingley this season, the lowest first-innings score is Sunday’s 193 all out, which was still an ultimately disappointing return given Yorkshire were actually 83-0 after six overs.
I’ll be backing runs, though not in the both teams to score markets, given we have tended to see a drop off in the second innings here this term, which could be down to a number of factors.
Instead, I’m very happy to advise a decent bet on OVER 181.5 FIRST INNINGS RUNS at 5/6 with bet365. The 185.5 with the Flutter firms is still a bet on this season's numbers.
Yesterday, Adam Lyth surpassed 5000 T20 runs - some player 👊 pic.twitter.com/SdflVCcEcG
— Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) May 25, 2026
And it’s not just Somerset who can pack a punch with the bat. Yorkshire have hitters all the way down their line-up, with someone like AJ Tye having struck 13 from the 73 balls he has faced this season – a quite remarkable return. Hasan Ali is another who has been clearing the ropes down the order, as has Logan Van Beek.
But the batting does revolve around Adam Lyth and Jonny Bairstow, with 409 and 383 runs respectively from that vastly-experienced pair so far this term. Mooen Ali remains dangerous, Will Luxton is a terrific young talent, while Matthew Revis provided these pages with a 14/1 winner in the Roses match on Friday.
With both batting units looking strong, another big first innings total in Leeds on another glorious day weather-wise should be on the cards.
Spin to prove King at Trent Bridge
Elsewhere, I want to chance NO FIFTY IN THE MATCH (13/2) in the clash between Nottinghamshire and Surrey.
It might seem like a strange strategy, given the two powerful clubs on show, but as we saw in Leeds on Sunday, Nottinghamshire do have their limitations with the bat, especially against spin, as do Surrey who were rolled out for 123 by Essex in their last group fixture.
Moreover, Nottinghamshire have two very good left-arm spinners in their bowling attack, along with Benny Howell’s cutters, which will be perfect for Surrey’s batting line-up which is likely to feature 11 right-handers.
Trent Bridge does tend to spin nowadays, more so than in years gone by, and we have seen particular evidence of that in The Hundred. Given the recent dry spell, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that we have another turning pitch for this tie. It would certainly make sense from a Nottinghamshire point of view.
Though Trent Bridge is still a generally good place to bat, as the Blast season has progressed, scores have started to come down – making a small-stakes wager on no fifty appealing at the current odds.
Lynn to power Northants title charge
Finally, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE might just be a spot in of value in outright market at 13/2, and I’m happy to get them in the book ahead of their home tie with Gloucestershire.
That’s not to knock Gloucestershire who are a fine outfit, but Northamptonshire won both of the group meetings between the sides, helping them top the Central & West Group at a canter, that despite losing two of their last three matches.
I’m happy to put that down to them taking their foot off the gas ahead of the knockout stages, but they enjoyed a fine run to the semi-finals last year, and I reckon they are a stronger outfit this time around.
The main reason for that is down to the signing of Chris Lynn, whose batting carried Hampshire to the final last year and has seen him amass 457 runs from just 10 matches in these colours in 2026. His strike-rate of 179.92 is very good, and he allows the likes of Ricardo Vasconcelos, Nathan McSweeney and David Willey to bat around him.
The bowling might not be sexy, but it is serviceable, with bags of experience, good variety, and a wrist-spinner in Calvin Harrison who has been outstanding. A high-quality second spinner would be preferable, but all in all, this is a good attack.
Northamptonshire have beaten plenty of good sides already this year, proving best of what I perceive to be the strongest of the three groups, and with a few more big names to fall by the wayside on Wednesday, taking 13/2 for the title now makes sense.
Posted at 14:40 BST on 13/07/26
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