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Blast Preview: Bears v Yorkshire Vikings

Michael Burgess believes a brace of home games against North Group high-flyers this week gives the Bears a great chance to get their Vitality Blast group campaign back on track.

The Bears face Yorkshire Vikings at Edgbaston on Wednesday night and then Notts Outlaws on Friday (both 6.30pm), seeking to end a sequence of three successive defeats which has dropped them out of the qualifying places.

A strong start to the group phase means the Bears are still very much in contention. However, they probably need to win at least three of their remaining five games to make it through to the quarter finals.

That is very much within their capabilities, says wicketkeeper/batsman Burgess. “It is disappointing to have had this little run of defeats but it is still very much in our hands,” he said.

“One of the most frustrating things is that we have put some really good away wins together but then lost in front of our own fans.

“We have all loved being back playing at Edgbaston with the crowd behind us, so now we want to play our best in front of them and give them some wins to cheer.

“We have a great chance to do that this week with two huge home games against top of the top sides. We owe Yorkshire one after losing the opening game at their place and we have some great games with Notts in recent years. We had a really good win at their place which we’ll be trying to repeat this week.”

The Bears have named a 13-man squad which includes a welcome return for wrist spinner Jake Lintott, who has been ruled out of the last three games by COVID.

Paceman Olly Hannon-Dalby and all-rounder Ethan Brookes also join the squad but the Bears remain without Dan Mousley (broken finger) Henry Brookes (thigh), Olly Stone (back stress fracture) and Chris Woakes (England duty).

Squad

Will Rhodes (C), Carlos Brathwaite, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Ethan Brookes, Michael Burgess (WK), Sam Hain, Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Adam Hose, Matt Lamb, Jake Lintott, Craig Miles, Ed Pollock.

How to follow

With Saturday’s double header officially sold out, Bears Members and supporters can follow the Club from home via the Match Centre on edgbaston.com and through the Edgbaston app (available for free on iOS and Android).

Bears Den TV returns for all home Vitality Blast home games hosted by Beccy Wood and starting on our YouTube page.

Bears Blast Best: Yorkshire Vikings

Brian Halford looks back at special performance against the Vikings in the Vitality Blast.

In T20 cricket, a brisk start to an innings is always welcome.

When, in 2018, the Bears set out in pursuit of Yorkshire Vikings’ total of 157, they got off to quite a brisk start. After one over, the total was 33 for 0.

It was one of the most memorable overs in Bears T20 history, courtesy of Ed Pollock.

The Bears had bowled well to limit the powerful Vikings batting to 157. They started brilliantly when Henry Brookes’s second ball trapped Adam Lyth lbw. Brookes then also took out Harry Brook while Olly Hannon-Dalby removed the dangerous Tom Kohler-Cadmore to leave the Vikings 28 for three.

Gary Ballance hit a fine 79 from 49 balls but nobody else reached 20 against an excellent bowling display led by Hannon-Dalby against his old club with three for 37.

The Bears’ reply then began with an unforgettable over as Matt Fisher ran into Pollock at its pyrotechnical best. He smashed two sixes and two fours which, along with five wides, saw more than a third of the target eaten up in five minutes.

Pollock’s blistering 39 from just 14 balls (five fours, three sixes) meant the Bears already had 55 on the board from four overs. The rest was easy as Ian Bell  stroked a measured unbeaten 50 and Adam Hose unleashed more fireworks (51 not out, 33 balls, three fours, four sixes) in an unbroken stand of 83 from 53 balls.

The Bears won by eight wickets with 25 balls to spare – the only bowler to elude punishment, Tim Bresnan. He delivered three skilful overs for just 14 and also took a fine catch at long leg to remove Sam Hain.

Blast Insight: Yorkshire Vikings

Yorkshire Vikings will arrive at Edgbaston flying high in the North Group table after six wins, one washout and just two defeats from their first nine games.

The Vikings have never won the Blast, surprisingly for the strength of their squad over the years, but the consistency they have shown so far in the group suggests that this could be their year.

They began their campaign with a six-wicket win over the Bears at Headingley where they were launched towards their target of 145 by three sixes from Jonny Bairstow in a 22-ball 34 which ended when he was bowled by Danny Briggs.

They have added another five wins to that result but were beaten last time out, by 34 runs at Leicester last Friday, when the Foxes piled up 207 for three.

Opening batsman Mark Stoneman, signed on loan from Surrey, made his Vikings debut in that match and started impressively with a half-century. Stoneman was recruited in the light of the Vikings’ squad missing Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid and David Willey on England duty and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (broken finger) and Will Fraine (side strain) injured.

The Bears and Vikings have met 13 times in T20 over the years and are locked together at six wins each with one tie, at Headingley in 2019.