Richard Mann previews tonight's Roses clash between Yorkshire and Lancashire at Headingley, with selections at 25/1 and 9/1 in his staking plan.
Cricket betting tips: T20 Blast
2pts James Wharton top Yorkshire batsman at 9/1 (General)
0.5pt Chris Green top Lancashire batsman at 25/1 (General)
An update to the Sky Sports Cricket schedule means viewers can in fact look forward to tonight’s Roses clash between Yorkshire and Lancashire. And a good job, too.
The action begins at 6.30pm UK time, with Lancashire generally around the 8/13 mark to avenge Friday’s defeat in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford.
On that occasion, a brilliant century from Jonny Bairstow, ably supported by Will Luxton, powered Yorkshire to 236-6, before Lancashire posted 217-7 in reply.
The pitch at Old Trafford was very good for batting, typical of much of the country at present, and we know how good Headingley generally is for runs, so another high-scoring match could be in the offing.
For context, there have been five T20 Blast fixtures played in Leeds this summer, with five scores of 200+ posted.
However, the nagging doubt for those intending to back big runs is Yorkshire's generally poor form this season, with Friday’s win at Old Trafford followed by another poor showing here against Derbyshire on Sunday.
They were restricted to 151-9 on that occasion, but in chasing down their victory target inside 17 overs for the loss of only two wickets, Derbyshire demonstrated what a good surface the pitch was.
The problem for Yorkshire has been their batting, with Bairstow proving inconsistent and skipper Dawid Malan having gone off the boil of late.
With that in mind, I’m going to afford another chance to JAMES WHARTON (9/1) in the top Yorkshire batsman market.
Wharton is a young player I have a lot of time for, and though patience is maybe wearing a little thin following a couple of ducks, it was only a few weeks ago that he blasted a magnificent 88 here against Worcestershire.
His form had been pretty solid prior to that, and pencilled to bat at four or five in this Yorkshire line-up, that could be a nice spot if Lancashire seamers James Anderson and Luke Wood get things right with the new ball.
From the James Anderson end....
— The Hundred (@thehundred) July 15, 2025
Sir James Anderson joins Manchester Originals for The Hundred 2025! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/pm0sOYLIu0
I’ll have another swing at those odds.
Similarly, I’m going to chance my arm with CHRIS GREEN to be top Lancashire batsman at 25/1.
This is a strong batting line-up, meaning Green doesn’t always get chance to shine with the bat, but his rapid 31 not out (16 balls) took Lancashire to victory over Durham last time out, when a few above him struggled.
The Australian has really improved his batting in the last few years, and he compiled a brilliant hundred in the last round of County Championship matches just before the T20 Blast returned.
Green is a real tough cookie, a big-match player, so looks just the type of performer to be with in a big derby such as this.
To small stakes, he's worth chancing.
Preview published at 1125 BST on 17/07/25
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