Vitality T20 Blast 2019: 1st Quarter-Final, Lancashire vs Essex: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The 1st Quarter-Final of the Vitality T20 Blast 2019 will be played between Lancashire and Essex at the Riverside Road in Chester-le-Street.

The match starts at 7:00 PM local time (11:30 PM IST) (6:00 PM GMT).

This game will be live on Sky Sports in England and Fan Code app in India.

Preview:

The North Group table-toppers Lancashire will face off Essex in the first Quarter-Final of the Vitality T20 Blast 2019. Lancashire will host this game at the Riverside Road in Chester-le-Street as the Ashes Test also begins on Wednesday that too at their home venue, the Manchester’s Old Trafford. Lancashire won eight of the completed 10 matches during the group stage; the joint-most any team won before the knockouts.

Their success mantra has been persisting with same set of players unless any injury or fitness concerns. On the other hand, Essex peak quite late but it was good enough to bring them into knockouts. They won three of their last four matches while another game ended in a Tie. In fact, they have not lost any of their last seven matches. Two matches were abandoned while another game was washed out after 5 overs of play.

Weather Condition/Report:

The weather in Chester-le-Street for Wednesday is clear except for the showers between 12 PM and 6 PM. The scheduled start of the game is 6:00 PM which meant there could be a delayed start of this quarter-final. However, the reduction of overs might not be seen as the forecast suggest dry conditions from 6 PM.

Pitch Condition/Report:

Chester-le-Street has easily been the slowest track of this T20 Blast. The pitches here have made it hard to achieve even a total of 160. The last match between the hosts Durham and Warwickshire was somewhat better. The visitors chased down the target of 152 during the 19-over match. However, it was the rain and moisture that quicken up the track as a majority of the runs were scored in the first 10 overs of both innings.

Average first innings score: 140 (T20 Blast matches in 2019)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 3, Lost – 3

Injury and Availability News:

Mohammad Amir won’t be available for the knockouts for Essex.

Probable Playing XIs:

Lancashire:

Liam Livingstone, Alex Davies, Steven Croft, Glenn Maxwell, Dane Vilas (C), Josh Bohannon, Keaton Jennings, James Faulkner, Saqib Mahmood, Richard Gleeson, Matt Parkinson.

Bench: Toby Lester, Rob Jones, Stephen Parry, Danny Lamb.

Essex:

Cameron Delport, Tom Westley, Adam Wheater (WK), Dan Lawrence, Ryan ten Doeschate, Ravi Bopara, Paul Walter, Simon Harmer (C), Jamie Porter, Adam Zampa, Aaron Beard.

Bench: Shane Snater, Sam Cook.

Top Picks:

Ravi Bopara peaked at right time for Essex scoring 117 runs without being dismissed across last two matches. He also picked three wickets in those two matches. Jamie Porter came into this season’s T20 Blast quite late but was quick to put an impact on the team’s victories.

He bagged a 4-wicket haul against Surrey and took three wickets against Kent. Matt Parkinson has a rare distinction of picking up at least one wicket in all the ten matches in this season. He is currently the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 21 wickets.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain options – Liam Livingstone, Ravi Bopara, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Delport

Vice-captain options – Dan Lawrence, Alex Davies, Tom Westley, Steven Croft

Liam Livingstone and Glenn Maxwell are the safe options as captain and vice-captain for this game. Maxwell has been in great form recently while Livingstone opens the innings and bowls 3-4 overs to take at least one wicket.

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Adam Wheater

Batsmen – Liam Livingstone (C), Cameron Delport, Alex Davies, Dan Lawrence

All-Rounders – Steven Croft, Glenn Maxwell, Ravi Bopara (VC)

Bowlers – Matt Parkinson, Simon Harmer, Jamie Porter

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Harry Swindells

Batsmen – Dan Lawrence, Liam Livingstone, Alex Davies, Tom Westley

All-Rounders – Glenn Maxwell (C), James Faulkner, Ravi Bopara

Bowlers – Jamie Porter, Adam Zampa, Matt Parkinson

Expert Advice:

Chester-le-Street has been a slow and turning track. This will improve the fantasy potential of the spin bowling all-rounders Liam Livingstone and Glenn Maxwell. In fact, Ravi Bopara is also expected to be among the top players in this match as his bowling could suit the Riverside road pitch.

Probable Winners:

Lancashire is expected to enter semi-final with a convincing win over Essex.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.