The Vitality Blast Off begins with a four-day festival played out from Thursday May 30 to Sunday June 2, where seven men’s and women’s T20 double-headers will take place along with two men’s matches back-to-back at Edgbaston, which will host two Midlands clashes.
The Thursday fixtures see games played out at two venues as reigning Charlotte Edwards Cup champions Southern Vipers host Western Storm and, after both competing in this year’s Finals Day, Hampshire Hawks meet Surrey at the Ageas Bowl.
At Old Trafford, Thunder, who reached their first Finals Day earlier this year, take on Central Sparks before Lancashire Lightning face Durham.
In a replay of the 2023 Blast final, Somerset begin their title defence against Essex, whom they beat to earn a first Blast crown in 18 years, and Western Storm face Sunrisers at the Cooper Associates County Ground on Friday.
Friday’s action also sees Northern Diamonds hosts South East Stars before Durham clash with Birmingham Bears at the Seat Unique Riverside, while at Trent Bridge the Blaze play Sparks and Notts Outlaws face Northamptonshire Steelbacks.
Edgbaston will host two Midlands games on the Saturday as the Birmingham Bears clash with Notts Outlaws while Derbyshire Falcons take on Leicestershire Foxes.
The action finishes on the Sunday with games at the Oval and County Ground as the South East Stars play Southern Vipers before Surrey aim to avenge last season’s semi-final defeat when they face Somerset in south London.
The remaining matches then see Sunrisers hosting Northern Diamonds and the Steelbacks will face Yorkshire Vikings.
Speaking about next year’s double-headers, ECB managing director of county cricket, Neil Snowball, said: “It is hugely exciting to be able to confirm that Vitality Blast Off will be expanded to include eight venues next summer as we aim to attract more people to watch men’s and women’s domestic cricket.
“We have scheduled some of the highest-profile men’s and women’s games during the four-day window, which will also launch the new Vitality Blast season in style.
“We saw how successful Vitality Blast Off was this summer when Edgbaston did a remarkable job, as they always do, to put on a show for fans on and off the field and we’re determined to build on that.”
Since their maiden triumph 18 years ago, Somerset had endured seven fruitless trips to Finals Day – including 2021 and 2022 – but at the eighth attempt on Saturday night, they finally landed silverware.
Kerr, who has been at Somerset since 2005 and took up his current post nearly six years ago, insisted he was always convinced they would end the drought if they kept giving themselves an opportunity.
They have been the best side in the competition this year, losing just twice in 17 matches and successfully defending sub-150 scores at Edgbaston to defeat Surrey then Essex to get over the line.
“We’ve been building as a side,” Kerr said. “We’ve been to Finals Day for the last three years, and last year we didn’t turn up at all.
“We didn’t do ourselves justice, so I was adamant that we were going to do that this year.
“After last year’s final, (opening batter) Tom Banton spoke brilliantly in the dressing room and said that if we keep putting ourselves in this position, then we’ll get over the line.
“We pride ourselves on keeping putting ourselves in this position, so eventually you have to get over the line. When you win 15 out of 17 games, you deserve to lift the trophy at the end of the campaign.”
Somerset have now landed both domestic limited-overs competitions under Kerr – having won the One-Day Cup in 2019 – but their ‘nearly men’ tag is still there in the LV= Insurance County Championship.
They have been runners-up on six occasions this century – and were second in the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020 – while they are now fifth in Division One, 41 points behind leaders Surrey with six games left.
But Kerr will keep pushing to deliver for their fanbase and is confident they can continue on an upward trajectory with the players they have.
“To get over the line is just reward for a lot of people,” Kerr added. “We are incredibly passionate as a club – we’re followed immensely.
“They’re incredibly passionate and want us to win every single game that we play, which isn’t realistic, but they’re the expectations that we’ve set ourselves.
“We’ve ticked off two of the three now, so just one to go. If we can keep this team together, we’ll only get better.”
Opener Buttler hit 58 off 42 balls to record only his second fifty in 14 T20 innings as the hosts successfully chased down 178 at Stanley Park.
Steven Croft had been run out for 40 after he and Buttler fell in the space of three balls during the 15th over, but New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell hit a rapid 33 to end Lancashire’s four-game losing streak.
Worcestershire – who lost for the just the second time – had posted 177 for nine, with Adam Hose making 42 and Mitchell Santner a swift 57 as Mitchell took three for nine from his two overs.
In the South Group, leaders Somerset suffered a first defeat as Hampshire secured a five-run win at the Ageas Bowl.
Nathan Ellis produced two stunning death overs as Hampshire made it four wins on the bounce after James Vince hit 50 and an unbeaten 59 from Joe Weatherley helped the hosts post 178 for four.
In reply, Will Smeed cracked an exciting 52, with seven boundaries, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore made 43 to seemingly keep Somerset on track.
But Australian quick Ellis helped close out victory with some fine tight bowling in the 17th and 19th overs as Hampshire moved up to third.
A hat-trick from Sam Cook helped Essex beat Kent by four wickets in Canterbury.
Cook – who claimed four wickets in Tuesday’s home win over Sussex – struck in the fifth over, removing Tawanda Muyeye (10) swiftly followed by having Sam Billings caught behind and then trapping Jordan Cox lbw.
Kent recovered from 35 for four to post 150 for eight, with Joe Denly (39) a fourth wicket for Cook and Grant Stewart hitting four sixes in his 37 off 16.
After Essex openers Feroze Khushi and Dan Lawrence both fell for ducks in reply, Matt Critchley’s unbeaten 63 saw them home as Kent suffered a fifth consecutive Blast defeat.
An unbeaten half-century from Derbyshire captain Leus Du Plooy pushed the Falcons on to a six-wicket win over Birmingham at Edgbaston.
The hosts had posted 203 for seven, built on 79 not out from Sam Hain as Mattie McKiernan took three for 39 from his four overs.
Derbyshire – who had won just two Blast games so far – set about what was a club-record run chase through openers Luis Reece (57) and Haider Ali (48).
Du Plooy then came in to plunder an unbeaten 66 from just 25 balls – with five sixes and four boundaries – to see the Falcons home.
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At Sophia Gardens, Laurie Evans struck a magnificent 118 off 60 balls – including 12 boundaries and half-a-dozen sixes – as Surrey closed out a 65-run win over Glamorgan.
Sam Curran (66) and Will Jacks (46) were also among the runs as Surrey set their hosts a victory target of 237.
Glamorgan, though, could only reach 171 for eight, with opener Sam Northeast having made 76 while all-rounder Dan Douthwaite was unable to bat because of injury.
Wood has been all over the globe since finishing runner-up with the Lightning in last year’s competition, making his England debut in a historic tour of Pakistan, travelling to Australia as a reserve for the triumphant T20 World Cup and picking up franchise deals in the Big Bash, the UAE’s IL20 league and the Bangladesh Premier League.
It has been the most lucrative and demanding period of the 27-year-old’s career, with new experiences, new team-mates and new responsibilities to bear.
But on Saturday he will be lining up for the Red Rose against Derbyshire in Edgbaston’s ‘Blast Off’, a double-headed curtain-raiser for the white-ball season that also sees hosts Birmingham Bears take on Yorkshire.
“I’ve certainly been claiming a lot air miles. I’ve been busy, but I’m back home,” he told the PA news agency with a smile of satisfaction.
“Whenever I come back to play for Lancashire, that’s my pride and joy. This is where I earned those opportunities in the first place. After four busy months away, it’s back to reality. Being here, this is my job.
“But I’ve enjoyed that franchise circuit so much, it can only grow your game as a player. You talk about the captains, the coaches, the different ideas…you’re learning all the time.
“My international career might be limited so far but I’ve been able to play against that calibre of player regularly and I feel my game has come on so much.
“Being an overseas player is a big thing. The expectations are on you and the drive now is the same as when I’m in that overseas role. I pride myself on meeting the same expectations.”
Wood admits Lancashire are a side with some frustrations to work out, be it from last season’s finals day where they gave up a winning position to lose the title to Hampshire or this year’s record of five consecutive draws in the LV= Insurance County Championship.
“You can see as a club we are hungry for a win,” he added.
“There aren’t too many draws in T20 cricket thankfully and we want to get the ball rolling. Coming second last year has almost given us a bigger drive for the Blast because finishing runner-up feels the same as losing.
“It’s always disappointing to lose a final, but it gives you a bit of extra motivation. We felt like we were cruising for a long time but you know it’s never over in T20. Next time is for us, I hope.”
Derbyshire’s head coach Mickey Arthur is another man with unfinished business in the competition.
His side enjoyed a strong run in the North Group of last year’s Blast, but dropped the ball in their quarter-final against Somerset as they were rolled over for 74 chasing 266.
“We did fall off the rails in the quarter-final but we’re better for that experience,” Arthur told PA.
“It did leave a bad taste, but it’s easy to forget we won nine games in a row against some big teams. The guys have learned. You can’t go to a supermarket and and buy experience, you’ve got to go through it.
“Our recruitment has been good too and I really think we’ve got a side who can shake up a couple of teams.”
Surrey won the toss and elected to field first, restricting Middlesex to 155-8 off their 20 overs.
Luke Hollman (31), captain Stephen Eskinazi (25), and wicketkeeper/batsman John Simpson (25) were the chief scorers against Narine (2-27 off four overs) and Barbados-born England all-rounder Chris Jordan (2-27 off four overs).
Narine then top-scored with 51 not out off just 29 balls, including two fours and four sixes, while engaging in a match-winning 73-run fourth-wicket partnership with England test batsman Ollie Pope (37 not out).
Opener Will Jacks earlier smashed a 20-ball 43 for Surrey who easily reached 158-3 off just 15.1 overs to secure victory.
Surrey, also the team of former West Indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard, now lead the South Group with 15 points from eight games after seven wins and one no result.
South African Wiaan Mulder’s career-best unbeaten 83 from 50 balls almost led the visitors to their target but two wickets each from Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Matt Carter and Calvin Harrison restricted them to 164 for eight.
Wicketkeeper Tom Moores top-scored for the second successive match for the Outlaws with 68 from 40 deliveries as the hosts set up an away tie with Somerset.
North Group winners Birmingham completed their campaign with a club-record seventh successive victory – and 11th in 14 matches – after beating Durham by eight runs at Edgbaston.
Although they were bowled out for 141 in the final over, with Rob Yates scoring 53, the moderate target proved beyond Durham as Henry Brookes claimed three for 15.
Lancashire also qualified with a comfortable six-wicket victory over Northamptonshire at Old Trafford which also ended the visitors’ qualification hopes.
Phil Salt hit a 51-ball 74 as the hosts chased down the Steelbacks’ 138 for seven with 20 balls to spare to set up a home tie against Surrey.
Mitchell Santner’s contribution with bat and ball helped book Worcestershire’s place in the quarters after hammering 64 in 46 balls in the visitors’ 222 for five.
He then claimed one for 28 in four overs as Derbyshire came up 28 runs shot despite Wayne Madsen making 63 from 32 balls in reply.
In the South Group defending champions Hampshire booked their place in the last eight thanks to a destructive performance from John Turner in an eight-wicket win over Gloucestershire.
The fast bowler took his Blast tally to 18 with three for 15 as Gloucestershire were restricted to 105.
James Vince’s eighth half-century of the season saw his side home with 33 balls to spare.
Feroze Khushi hit a six off the last ball as Essex snatched a last-gasp three-wicket win over Surrey.
Chasing 196 for victory, the visitors required eight from the final over but five singles put the pressure on Khusi (35 not out), who responded by hoisting the ball to long on where Chris Jordan could not prevent it dropping over the rope.
Bottom side Middlesex won just their third game of the campaign with a 49-run victory over Glamorgan as Ryan Higgins hit 71no off 36 balls to steer his side to a total of 200 and then claimed three for 20 runs, including two in two balls.
Glamorgan looked to be coasting to victory thanks to Kiran Carlson hitting the county’s fastest T20 half-century but when he was out for 77 off just 29 balls they lost all momentum.
