Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, weather forecast, form, prediction and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the Vitality Blast...
Fixture: Durham v Birmingham Bears
Venue: Emirates Riverside, Chester-le-Street
Date: Sunday, June 20, 2021
Start time: 2.30pm
What’s the lowdown?
Two in-form sides clash in the North Group, with Durham looking to leapfrog their guests in the standings with victory.
The home team sit third going into the clash at Emirates Riverside, having collected three wins from their five matches, one of which was lost to rain.
Durham's solitary defeat came against defending champions Notts Outlaws, and they have registered impressive wins over Yorkshire Vikings and Lancashire Lightning - the two widely fancied sides in this division pre-season.
Birmingham, meanwhile, currently occupy top spot, having played a game more. The Bears have four wins and a defeat from their six games, plus an abandonment.
After losing their first match - against Yorkshire - Will Rhodes' side have won four on the trot (excluding the game lost to rain on Friday). Three of those successes were based on excellent first-innings platforms with the bat, including scores of 229 for 5, 170 for 3, and 190 for 7.
Who’s in form?
David Bedingham has transferred his County Championship form into the Blast, and has 165 runs at 43 and a strike rate above 160.
Matty Potts is Durham's leading wicket-taker in the Blast in 2021, with nine at an average of 14.77, but Ben Raine has proven to be just as effective. Raine has an economy rate of 6.3 across his 13 overs in the competition so far, and has also pitched in with seven wickets.
Durham will need to stop Sam Hain if they are to win this one. The Birmingham batsman has three half-centuries in five innings this season, accumulating 251 runs at a strike rate above 150 in the process.
Birmingham's bowling attack has variety and form. Carlos Brathwaite, the West Indian allrounder, has nine wickets at 14.33, with an economy rate of 7.23. Only Logan van Beek of Derbyshire Falcons has more dot balls than his 44 in the North Group so far this season.
The spin pairing of Jake Lintott and Danny Briggs has added excellent depth to the Birmingham arsenal. Lintott has eight wickets at 17.37 with an exceptional economy rate of 7.31 - but misses this game after testing positive for Covid-19. Briggs, following his move from Sussex Sharks, also has eight wickets with an economy below eight.
What’s the team news?
A number of Durham players are self-isolating following the positive Covid-19 test submitted by a member of the support staff.
Ben Stokes is available for selection after recovering from a broken finger. Scottish international Kyle Coetzer and Ally Evans have joined on two-match loan deals.
Durham squad: Cameron Bancroft, David Bedingham, Scott Borthwick, Brydon Carse, Kyle Coetzer, Graham Clark, Sean Dickson, Ned Eckersley, Ally Evans, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Ben Stokes, Liam Trevaskis
Adam Hose reutrns to the Birmingham Bears squad following a hamstring injury. Henry Brookes (thigh) and Rob Yates (illness) are out, and Chris Woakes is with England. Olly Stone has been ruled out for the rest of the summer due to a stress fracture of the lower back.
Jake Lintott has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating.
Birmingham Bears squad: Will Rhodes, Carlos Brathwaite, Jacob Bethell, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Michael Burgess, Sam Hain, Olly Hannon-Dalby, Adam Hose, Pieter Malan, Craig Miles, Dan Mousley, Ed Pollock
Last five T20 results (most recent first)
Durham: AWLWW
Birmingham Bears: AWWWW
Head-to-head T20 record
Total matches: 10
Durham wins: 2
Birmingham Bears wins: 8
Tied: 0
Abandoned: 2
No result: 0
What’s the weather forecast?
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Chester-le-Street: Click here
Going to the game?
Tickets
Durham's match against Birmingham Bears will be played in front of a reduced crowd in line with the government's latest Covid-19 guidelines. Tickets are still available, priced £16.50 for adults, £5 for juniors
Click here to access the Durham box office.
Travel
Address: Durham County Cricket Club, Emirates Riverside, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, DH3 3QR
By car: The ground is situated a mile outside Chester-le-Street. There are two car parks at the ground.
The Emirates Riverside has a designated drop-off and pick-up point for all cars and taxis.
A road closure may be in place on B1284 Rotary Way immediately after play finishes. The club say it is advisable for vehicles to be at the pick-up point approximately 15 minutes before close of play. All vehicles must turn left when exiting from the pick-up point.
Details regarding road closures for major events will be made available on the Durham CCC website two to three weeks prior to the event taking place.
By public transport: Chester-le-Street rail station is served by Northern Rail, CrossCountry & First TransPennine trains. The station is a 20-minute walk from the ground. East Coast services stop at both Durham and Newcastle instead.
There is a shuttle bus service available from Durham Station to and from Emirates Riverside.
Several buses beginning their journeys in Newcastle stop near the Riverside.
How do I follow the match?
Durham will be streaming the game via their official website. Click here for their match centre.
All T20 Blast matches are available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: All Vitality Blast fixtures will be available on BBC Local Radio stations with extensive coverage also on 5 Live Sports Extra.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and updates from every Vitality Blast match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Prediction?
Given Birmingham's form and the stretching of resource taking place at Durham following a positive Covid-19 test, the visitors have to be fancied here.
North Group
Yorkshire Vikings v Derbyshire Falcons
Northamptonshire Steelbacks v Leicestershire Foxes
Lancashire Lightning v Notts Outlaws
South Group
Gloucestershire v Hampshire Hawks
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