{"id":678998,"date":"2026-07-07T18:43:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T18:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/678998\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T18:43:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T18:43:23","slug":"vitality-blast-preview-derbyshire-falcons-v-somerset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/678998\/","title":{"rendered":"Vitality Blast Preview: Derbyshire Falcons v Somerset"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vitality Blast Preview: Derbyshire Falcons v Somerset<\/p>\n

THE MATCH<\/p>\n

Somerset take on Derbyshire Falcons at the Our Coop County Ground, Derby tomorrow (July 8th).<\/p>\n

Tickets for this match are available now:<\/p>\n

BUY NOW<\/a><\/p>\n

Somerset are currently sixth in the Central & West Group with 16 points from nine Blast matches.<\/p>\n

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HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?<\/p>\n

You can keep up to date using the dedicated Match Centre on this website.<\/p>\n

There will be a live stream of this match provided by Derbyshire County Cricket Club.<\/p>\n

MATCH CENTRE<\/a><\/p>\n

In-play updates will also appear on our X feed (formerly Twitter).<\/p>\n

In addition to this, a report on the day\u2019s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.<\/p>\n

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THE OPPOSITION<\/p>\n

Captain:\u00a0Aneurin Donald<\/p>\n

Overseas players:\u00a0Caleb Jewell (Australia, all), Akif Javed (Pakistan, all), Mohammad Ghazanfar (Afghanistan, second half)<\/p>\n

Finals Day appearances:\u00a0One (2019)<\/p>\n

Titles:\u00a0None<\/p>\n

2025 finish:\u00a09th in North Group<\/p>\n

2025\u00a0leading run-scorer:\u00a0Anuerin Donald (449 runs)<\/p>\n

2025\u00a0leading wicket-taker:\u00a0Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar (16 wickets)<\/p>\n

Key winter moves:\u00a0Javed was a late replacement for leg spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, who was signed for the first half of the tournament but withdrew after his call up by Pakistan. Matt Montgomery\u2019s move from neighbours Nottinghamshire will strengthen the batting and provide another spin option while Shoaib Bashir could play a part, England commitments permitting.<\/p>\n

The big question:\u00a0Do the Falcons have the bowling firepower to challenge for the knock-outs? Injuries to Harry Moore and Pat Brown have reduced the seam bowling options although Javed will bring pace and left-arm variety to the attack. Ghazanfar was one of the stars of last year\u2019s Blast and his arrival for the second half of the tournament could be crucial.<\/p>\n

Wildcard watch:\u00a0Amrit Basra delivered some eye-catching innings in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup last season and has the potential to be a destructive force in the middle order. The 23-year-old all-rounder could also play an important role with his lively medium pace.<\/p>\n

Final thought:\u00a0The Falcons have proven T20 match-winners in Donald, Ghazanfar and Wayne Madsen but need to put together consistent performances as a team to compete. After last summer\u2019s disappointing campaign, the only way is up and the Falcons will hope the arrival of Javed and Montgomery will give them momentum.<\/p>\n

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TEAM NEWS<\/p>\n

Somerset are without Tom Abell (hand), Lewis Gregory (hamstring), Migael Pretorius (pectoral) and Tom Banton (international duty).<\/p>\n

A starting XI will be named from the following squad:<\/p>\n

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VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM<\/p>\n

Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said:\u00a0\u201cIt was a really comprehensive performance on Sunday. We talked before the game about going there and showcasing how good we actually are. Obviously, it\u2019s been a relatively disappointing campaign in some respects, but that\u2019s taken the pressure off a little bit. We know that every game now is a must-win and that\u2019s quite a nice place to be with the pressure off.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could say that we went from one of our most disappointing performances up at Worcester to one of our better performances at Northants. I\u2019ve never doubted the character in the dressing room, that\u2019s for sure. There\u2019s no doubt that belief has taken a little bit of a hit this year, but the way the players adapted to the game at Northampton was just incredible. Hopefully, that gives them a huge amount of confidence for the remainder of the competition. There\u2019s still a huge amount of belief within the individuals and it\u2019s about bringing that together collectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve not played a Blast game at Derbyshire, so it\u2019ll be a new adventure for us. They\u2019ve got a dangerous side, and we\u2019ve had to do a little bit of a homework but it\u2019s an exciting opportunity and we know what we\u2019ve got to do. It\u2019s about going out there, executing our skills really well, enjoying ourselves and trying to get the right result.\u201d<\/p>\n

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CLASSIC MATCH<\/p>\n

The only time the two sides have met in T20 cricket was in the Vitality Blast quarter final in 2022.<\/p>\n

It was a match that saw Somerset come out on top by 191 runs thanks to an astonishing innings of 93 off just 36 balls from Rilee Rossouw.<\/p>\n

TRADE NATION STAT<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve teamed up with Trade Nation to bring you some incredible T20 stats!<\/p>\n

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n

If you are planning to attend the match, all the information you need can be found on the official Derbyshire CCC Website.<\/p>\n

DERBYSHIRE CCC<\/a><\/p>\n

NEXT MATCH<\/p>\n

Somerset are next in action on Friday (July 10th) when we take on Northants Steelbacks in the Vitality Blast at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton .<\/p>\n

A limited number of tickets are available for this fixture.<\/p>\n

BUY NOW<\/a><\/p>\n

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