Vitality T20 Blast 2019: Semi-final 2, Derbyshire vs Essex: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details

The 2nd semi-final of the 2019 Vitality Blast will see Derbyshire Falcons and Essex Eagles at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground on Saturday.

The match starts at 14:30 PM local time (13:30 PM GMT) (7:00 PM IST).

This series can be live-streamed on the teams’ official website.

Match Preview:

The second semi-final will see Essex Eagles and Derbyshire Falcons lock horns to earn an opportunity to contest for the title. The Eagles arrival at the Finals day was unexpected- they won four out of their last five games and still needed few other results to go their way. In the quarter-finals, the experienced duo of Ryan Ten Doeschate and Ravi Bopara brought their A-game to the fore; registering an unbroken 60-run stand in the last five overs to stun Lancashire Lightning.

Their opponents- Derbyshire Falcons- maiden entry to the Finals day has also been another fascinating story of the season. Having finished third in North group, the Falcons saw off Gloucestershire in the quarterfinals with astounding ease with Wayne Madsen leading the way with a 37-ball-47 in the chase of 136.

Weather Report

The English summer is nearing its end. The rain is nowhere to be seen and bright sunny spells can be seen casting their shadows over the English isles. Much of the same is expected in Birmingham on Saturday with maximum temperature hovering around 21 degrees.

Pitch Report

As always, the pitch at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground is expected to be a good one for batting. With the weather expected to be bright and sunny, expect pristine batting conditions on the Finals day. The pitch ideally gets slower as the game progresses and with this being the second game at the venue, chasing could become the tricky proponent. Except the same on Saturday.

Average First Innings score: 169 (Last 5 T20Is)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 0, Lost -5

Probable Playing XIs

Derbyshire Falcons

Luis Reece, Billy Goldleman [c], Wayne Madsen, Leus du Plooy, Alex Hughes, Matthew Critchley, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Daryn Smit [wk], Logan van Beek, Anuj Dal, Ravi Rampaul

Bench – Darren Stevens, Boyd Rankin, Hamidullah Qadri

Essex Eagles

Tom Westley, Cameron Delport, Adam Weather [wk], Daniel Lawrence, Ryan ten Doeschate, Ravi Bopara, Paul Walter, Simon Harmer [c], Aaron Beard, James Porter, Adam Zampa

Bench- Samuel Cook, Shane Snater

Team News

(Will be shared when there’s an update)

Top Picks

Derbyshire Falcons: Wayne Madsen (447 runs at 49.66) and Billy Godleman (444 runs at 44.4) have been the lynchpin of the Falcons’ batting unit thus far.

With the bowl, Ravi Rampaul, 22 wickets- the leading wicket-taker in the tournament- and M Critchley (17 wickets at 16.41) alongside Hudson-Prentice (11 wickets at 26.81) will be the key.

Essex Eagles: The experienced duo of Ryan ten Doeschate (267 runs at 44.5) and Ravi Bopara (228 runs at 45.6, 10 wickets at 21.20) will once again be the spearheads while Cameron Delport (353 runs in 12 games) is another player to watch out for.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captaincy Options: Ravi Bopara, Ryan ten Doeschate, Wayne Madsen

Vice-Captaincy Options: Ravi Rampaul, Cameron Delport, Billy Godleman

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues

Wicket-keeper– Adam Wheater

Batsmen– Wayne Madsen [vc], Billy Godleman, Dan Lawrence, Tom Westley

All-Rounders- Matt Critchley, Ravi Bopara [c], Ryan Ten Doeschate

Bowlers– Ravi Rampaul, Adam Zampa, Fyann Hudson-Prentice

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues

Wicket-keeper– Daryn Smit

Batsmen– Cameron Delport [vc], Billy Godleman, Dan Lawrence

All-Rounders- Matt Critchley, Ravi Bopara, Ryan Ten Doeschate [c], Luis Reece

Bowlers–  Ravi Rampaul, Simon Harmer, Logan van Beek

Expert Advice:

With the pitch expected to be flat, picking top-order batsman could be a crucial punt. Ravi Bopara has been in top-notch form this year with both bat and ball. Make him the captain of your Dream11 side.

Probable Winners:

It should be a humdinger of an encounter between two closely matches sides. However, considering the form the likes of Bopara and Doeschate have displayed, we back Essex to win this one.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are of the author and is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn.