Warwickshire are favorites to win
Birmingham Bears and Leicestershire Foxes face each other at Edgbaston in their second match of the 2019 Vitality Blast. The match takes place on July 21 and the live action begins at 13:30 local time.
TV channels: Sky Sports
Live streaming: Now TV
Recent matches at Edgbaston have tended to see teams bowling first and Birmingham Bears might follow suit on home soil as they look to shine in front of the Warwickshire faithful.
The rain of the previous two days should clear in plenty of time to ensure a dry outfield and a warm, dry afternoon at Edgbaston.
Having been used as a World Cup venue, the Edgbaston groundstaff have been busy working on the wicket – which, without ICC input, may lean slightly more towards the batsmen during the T20 campaign.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds and match prediction for Warwickshire vs Leicestershire, Vitality Blast 2019...
Birmingham Bears no longer have New Zealand duo Colin de Grandhomme and Grant Elliott to call upon, with long-serving overseas star Jeetan Patel now sharing duties with Australian spinner Ashton Agar. England’s World Cup winner Chris Woakes is currently being rested. The injury-hit Bears are without Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Liam Norwell and Craig Miles, but Henry Brookes is fit again and mid-season signing James Wainman remains with the Bears too.
Olly Stone: Fresh from his England test call-up for the match against Ireland, the fit-again right-arm paceman will want to continue his rise to the top with some big performances in this year’s competition. After being in England’s ODI squad in the winter, this could be a big summer.
Ed Pollock: Has geared up for this season’s Blast with some useful scores in the Second XI T20 competition, as he looks to replicate the form he showed at the top of the order when he burst onto the scene in 2017.
Jeetan Patel: The veteran spin bowler was as impressive and controlled with the ball as ever in last season’s competition. He has 218 wickets from 218 T20 appearances and will captain the Bears this season.
Birmingham Bears finished sixth in the North Division last season; a disappointing return having been finalists the year before. Their first match of this year’s competition saw them make the short trip to defending champions and local rivals Worcestershire Rapids.
Ed Pollock, Sam Hain, Adam Hose, Alex Thomson, Michael Burgess, Will Rhodes, Alex Mellor (wk), Ashton Agar, Olly Stone, Jeetan Patel (c), James Wainman
Aaron Lilley will be among the players to come in as Leicestershire turn their attentions to the shortest format. The former Lancashire all-rounder has captained the Foxes’ 2nd XI in the T20 tournament. Ben Mike, back from a loan away with Warwickshire, has also been touted for selection by captain Colin Ackermann.
Colin Ackermann: Leicestershire could be a little light in the batting department this season, which means the captain – who scored 343 runs in last season’s competition – must shoulder even more responsibility.
Arron Lilley: The former Lancashire all-rounder was a key figure in the Red Rose county’s T20 side over the past few seasons. An economical spin bowler, big-hitting top-order batsman and excellent fielder, he could prove to be a shrewd acquisition.
Ben Mike: Answered Warwickshire’s call for an emergency bowler and with some useful performances for the Bears. Now back at Grace Road, the all-rounder has been picked as one of the promising young players set to come into the Foxes’ T20 team.
Leicestershire Foxes were below par last season, winning just five of their 14 matches as they finished eighth in the North Division. Their 2019 campaign started against last year’s semi-finalists Lancashire Lightning.
Harry Swindells, Harry Dearden, Arron Lilley, Mark Cosgrove, Colin Ackermann (c), Lewis Hill (wk), Ben Mike, Neil Dexter, Callum Parkinson, Dieter Klein, Mohammad Abbas
Birmingham Bears and Leicestershire Foxes have met 14 times in the English T20 competition, having been kept apart geographically in the tournament’s original format. In those 14 games, Birmingham have won nine and Leicester five.
They each won one game apiece last season, with the Foxes – powered by Ben Raine’s century – posting 229/5 in a 100-run win in the first game. Birmingham hit back to chase 144 to win the second game by eight wickets in just 14.2 overs.
Matches Played | WARKS Won | LEIC Won | Tie | No Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Warwickshire fell short last season and in this present installment of Vitality Blast 2019, they are without their overseas stars of last season. However, Leicestershire Foxes have also lost key players and the Bears can claim victory at Edgbaston.
Final Verdict: Back Warwickshire to beat Leicestershire Foxes.
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