Fans are all set to witness a top of the table battle, as Surrey and Somerset lock horns against each other on Tuesday evening. Surrey have had an almost perfect campaign so far, claiming eight wins from nine games. They are the only side still unbeaten in the tournament, with one of their games being abandoned due to rain.
Surrey are currently placed at the top of the points tally with 17 points to their name. Chris Jordan and Co. claimed a narrow four-wicket victory over Hampshire to more or less confirm their progression into the next round. As for Somerset, the visitors have claimed seven wins from nine fixtures so far.
Somerset are in second spot, with 14 points to their name. Tom Abell’s side have claimed two consecutive wins, which includes a convincing eight-wicket victory over Essex last time around. A win on Tuesday could take them to within one point of table-toppers, Surrey, which should guarantee them a spot in the quarterfinals.
After underperforming in the initial phase of the tournament, the batting unit has delivered for Somerset. Rilee Rossouw is the top run-getter in the English T20 Blast, registering 437 runs in nine innings at an average of over 70. The left-handed batter stitched an unbeaten partnership of 153 runs with skipper, Tom Abell.
Surrey have plenty of firepower when it comes to their middle-order batting. The table toppers have the likes of Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine in their ranks. The former was able to spend some time out in the middle against Hampshire last time around, scoring 34 runs off just 22 balls.
The two sides shared the spoils last season, where each team won one fixture each. Overall, Surrey have had the upper hand over Somerset when it comes to head-to-head fixtures. As things stand, Surrey enter this contest as the favorites, given that they are the only unbeaten team left in the competition so far.
Match Details:
Match: Surrey vs Somerset, Match 90
Venue: Kennington Oval, London
Date & Time: June 21 at 11:00 PM IST
Live Streaming: FanCode and ECB website.
Pitch Report: The pitch at Kennington Oval should be ideal for batting. However, the past couple of fixtures have been low-scoring encounters, with Surrey emerging victorious in comfortable chases.
Head-To-Head:
Matches Played: 17
Surrey Won: 11
Somerset Won: 6
Squads:
Surrey: Will Jacks, Jamie Smith (wk), Rory Burns, Laurie Evans, Sunil Narine, Jamie Overton, Kieron Pollard, Chris Jordan (c), Gus Atkinson, Daniel Moriarty, Daniel Worrall, Ollie Pope, Jordan Clark, Conor McKerr
Somerset: Will Smeed, Tom Banton (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Tom Abell (C), Tom Lammonby, Lewis Gregory, Ben Green, Roelof van der Merwe, Lewis Goldsworthy, Peter Siddle, Jack Brooks, Josh Davey
Probable Playing XI:
Surrey: Will Jacks, Jamie Smith (wk), Rory Burns, Laurie Evans, Sunil Narine, Jamie Overton, Kieron Pollard, Chris Jordan (c), Gus Atkinson, Daniel Moriarty, Daniel Worrall
Somerset: Will Smeed, Tom Banton (wk), Rilee Rossouw , Tom Abell (C), Tom Lammonby, Lewis Gregory, Ben Green, Roelof van der Merwe, Lewis Goldsworthy, Peter Siddle, Jack Brooks
CREX XI Suggestion:
Wicket-Keeper: Tom Banton
Batters: Will Jacks, Rilee Rossouw, Tom Abell, Laurie Evans
All-Rounders: Lewis Gregory, Kieron Pollard, Roelof van der Merwe
Bowlers: Chris Jordan, Daniel Worrall, Jack Brooks
Captain: Rilee Rossouw
Vice-Captain: Sunil Narine