Yorkshire Vikings (H) – 10 June 2016
The Vikings’ visit to Edgbaston will bring together two of the biggest clubs and strongest squads in English cricket.
Yorkshire have been a dominant force in the county championship during the last two years but the Vikings have found the going a lot tougher in T20. Last year they won only five of their 14 group games and they have invariably come out second best against the Bears who have won five of the teams’ seven meetings, losing just once with one washout.
The Vikings will be chasing hard for revenge for last season’s six-wicket defeat at Edgbaston.
Brian Halford, Club Journalist
But the Vikings showed how dangerous they can be in the shorter format this spring when they retained their Emirates Twenty20 trophy in Dubai, beating reigning NatWestT20 Blast champions Lancashire Lightning in the final. Their top order will include one of the true class batsmen in world cricket, Kane Williamson, and Birmingham must keep a brake on the batting of Jack Leaning who was in the runs in both fixtures between the teams last season, amassing 105 from just 93 balls.
The Vikings will be chasing hard for revenge for last season’s six-wicket defeat at Edgbaston when Olly Hannon-Dalby was among the wickets against his former team-mates while a year earlier they were on the receiving end of one of the great T20 innings ever played by a Bear.
Needing a victory at Headingley to preserve their chance of qualification for the quarter-finals, Birmingham were well behind the clock in pursuit of 147 until Laurie Evans smashed a sensational unbeaten 69 from 44 balls.
Without that innings, and Evans’ unbroken stand of 65 with Ateeq Javid, all that subsequent Finals Day glory at Edgbaston would never have unfolded!
Snap up some tickets
Tickets are on sale at Edgbaston.com/Tickets and are priced at £15 in the Early Bird window. Prices will rise on 20th April to £19. As ever all Under 16s have FREE entry to every group game fixture, but must be accompanied by an adult.
