Edgbaston set for record-breaking crowds at 2014 Finals Day

A sell-out crowd is expected at Birmingham tomorrow.

Saturday's Natwest T20 Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston promises to be the event of the domestic summer as four evenly matched sides look to claim the coveted trophy which could define their season.

The first semi final will see the Birmingham Bears take a home-advantage as they face a rampant Surrey outfit. After losing out to Northants Steelbacks in the final of the t20 contest last season, Surrey have come back strong with another impressive campaign and blockbuster performances from the tournaments leading run-scorer, Jason Roy.

The Bears recorded their strongest performance of the campaign in their quarter final against Essex, where they successfully defended 197/2 at Chelmsford and if form counts for anything in a format with such minuscule margins then the hosts will enter their semi final with the belief that they can compete despite most people having Surrey as the team to reach the final.

For Birmingham, it will be their first appearance at Finals Day since 2003, the inaugural season of twenty20 cricket in England. On that occasion they were eliminated by Surrey and so the first of the two semi finals will have an old score to settle.

Surrey know what it takes in this format of the game, particularly in recent seasons. They have a number of players capable of changing the game and it is this that makes them a dangerous side.

Roy has outdone one of the worlds leading lights in t20 cricket, Tillakaratne Dilshan, who has since returned to international duties with Sri Lanka. But with Kevin Pietersen in their ranks, Surrey have more than enough batting power and a list of spin options at their disposal.

A similar opportunity for revenge arises in the second semi final between Hampshire and Lancashire. Hampshire enter Saturday as marginal favourites after reaching Finals Day on five consecutive occasions and lifting the trophy in 2010 and 2012 and were responsible for eliminating the Lightning in the last year's quarter final thanks to an unbeaten century from Michael Carberry.

For Lancashire Lightning, it will be their fifth Finals Day and Paul Horton's side will be praying that this will be the year they finally lift the trophy. Since the tournaments introduction in 2003, no side has won more matches than Lancashire, but an inability to deliver at Finals Day means that they remain without a t20 title.

Having won seven successive games to reach Finals Day, Lancashire will enter Saturday with cause for optimism, but also caution, due to previous seasons where they have been the victims of super-overs, mascot races and their fair share of rain-affected matches.

If last year's Finals Day proved anything, it is that sometimes the big names fail to deliver, creating opportunities for new heroes to be forged. Few would have given Northants a chance heading into their matches with Essex and Surrey and perhaps those who have gone under the radar will emerge victorious once more.

Team News:

Jeetan Patel will be key for the hosts.

Birmingham will benefit from the return of two England players in Ian Bell and Chris Woakes to bolster their ranks. Leading wicket-taker Jeetan Patel and top run-scorer Varun Chopra are both fit and with a home crowd behind them the Bears will be out to prove people wrong.

Birmingham Bears: Varun Chopra, William Porterfield, Ian Bell, Laurie Evans, Rikki Clarke, Ateeq Javid, Chris Woakes, Tim Ambrose, Jeetan Patel, Keith Barker, Boyd Rankin.

Roy is the tournaments leading
run-scorer.

Surrey are hit by the absence of Dilshan, but Steven Davies provides able cover at the top of the order alongside the belligerence of Roy. Azhar Mahmood is no stranger to Finals Day and is likely to have an influence over proceedings with his all-round capabilities. Ireland international, Kevin O'Brien, is also set to come back into the team.

Surrey: Gary Wilson, Zafar Ansari, Gareth Batty, Rory Burns, Steven Davies, Jade Dernbach, Matthew Dunn, Aneesh Kapil, Azhar Mahmood, Kevin O’Brien, Robin Peterson, Kevin Pietersen, Jason Roy, Chris Tremlett.

Kabir Ali has taken 19
wickets in t20 cricket this year.

Lancashire have named a 16-man squad for Saturday which includes Andrew Flintoff and their joint leading wicket-taker, Kabir Ali. The Lightning will also benefit from the return of James Anderson and the explosive Jos Buttler from international duty. Flintoff has recovered from his calf injury, but is not expected to play unless absolutely necessary.

Lancashire Lightning: Paul Horton, James Anderson, Tom Bailey, Karl Brown, Jos Buttler, JordanClark, Steven Croft, Alex Davies, Andrew Flintoff, Kabir Ali, Simon Kerrigan, Arron Lilley, Stephen Parry, Ashwell Prince, Tom Smith, Usman Khawaja.

Michael Carberry scored
100 not out against
Lancashire last summer.

Hampshire like Surrey, will be without their blockbuster t20 star for Finals Day after Glenn Maxwell's departure, but the return of Owais Shah provides a great deal of experience to the team. The South-Coast outfit have plenty of spin-options at their disposal and can rely on Carberry and captain, James Vince, for a fast start and a daunting middle-order to match.

Hampshire: James Vince, Jimmy Adams, Michael Bates, Danny Briggs, Michael Carberry, Matt Coles, Liam Dawson, Sean Ervine, Joe Gatting, Owais Shah, Will Smith, Sean Terry, James Tomlinson, Adam Wheater, Chris Wood.




Umpires: Rob Bailey, Michael Gough, Neil Mallinder and Tim Robinson.

Weather and Conditions: There has been plenty of rain in Birmingham over the past few days and a chance of rain on Saturday in the afternoon. The first semi final should be uninterrupted although it is going to be quite cold and there is also expected to be some wind around. Heading into the afternoon the chances of rain increase, but it is due to be dry across the Midlands and so Edgbaston would be unfortunate to be hit by a rogue shower.