Somerset head to The Cloudfm County Ground looking to turn their fortunes after suffering 4 defeats in this year’s Vitality Blast after 6 matches.
The Eagles’ Mohammad Amir will be coming up against his international teammate, Babar Azam, who is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the competition behind Middlesex’s Dawid Malan.
Here’s the low-down on Wednesday’s opponents…
Titles: 1 (2005)
Finals Days: 6
Head Coach: Jason Kerr – The Lancastrian played as an all-rounder for the club between 1993 and 2001 before moving to Derbyshire. Put in charge of the team for the 2018 season after serving as a bowling coach.
Captain: With Lewis Gregory set to miss Wednesday’s match with a foot injury, Club Captain, Tom Abell will take on the duties of leading Somerset.
Overseas Signings: Jerome Taylor (West Indies) & Babar Azam (Pakistan)
The Narrative: Director of Cricket Andy Hurry has publicly targeted Somerset winning all three domestic trophies this summer. So far, his confidence has been justified by the club winning the Royal London One-Day Cup and sitting second in the Specsavers County Championship, a competition they have never won.
Star Man: Jamie Overton – Having worked on a greater variety of delivery, the tall seamer with genuine pace claimed 24 wickets in last summer’s Vitality Blast, a tally bettered by only two other bowlers in the competition.
Mr Consistency: Max Waller – The experienced leg-spinner has developed into a T20 specialist, renowned for his miserly economy rate and not afraid to open the attack when called upon.
Under the Radar: Tom Banton – The 20-year-old batsman announced himself with a brilliant Royal London One-Day Cup campaign this season and is already being compared to Jos Buttler for his range of strokes all around the wicket.
Killer Stat: Lewis Gregory had a strike-rate of 202.46 in last season’s Vitality Blast, the highest by any batsman who made more than three appearances. Somerset’s captain played in all their 16 matches, averaging 46.85.
