Despite last year's disappointment, Somerset have the tools to go all the way

T20 BLAST PREVIEW: Last year, no one nationwide scored more runs than Babar Azam, and only Babar scored more than Tom Banton. Somerset's success this year might depend on how much of the devastating pair they are able to see

Coach: Jason Kerr

Captain: Lewis Gregory

Last season: Sixth

Fixtures: August 28 – Birmingham (a, 6.30pm); August 30 – Northamptonshire (a, 2pm); September 1 – Glamorgan (h, 6.30pm); September 3 – Worcestershire (a, 2pm); September 4 – Birmingham (h, 6.30pm); September 11 – Worcestershire (h, 6.30pm); September 13 – Gloucestershire (h, 2pm); September 16 – Glamorgan (a, 6.30pm); September 18 – Northamptonshire (h, 5pm); September 20 – Gloucestershire (a, 1pm)

How did they do last year?

A strange campaign in the end for Somerset who, against all better logic, failed to qualify from a South Division they appeared at times to dominate.

No one in the entire competition scored more runs than Pakistani overseas player Babar Azam, while only Babar scored more than Tom Banton, his opening partner. Quite how, then, the Taunton county contrived to miss out on the knockout stages remains a quite baffling turn of events. The pair scored a hundred each, to go with eight half centuries between them.

Tom Abell, in an ultimately losing cause against Middlesex in a winner-takes-all clash for qualification, struck a century of his own.

With the ball, however, they were less than stingy. If Taunton has become one of the tougher grounds for run-scoring in four-day cricket, it remains a haven of stroke-play under lights with the white ball.

Who are their key players?

Tom Banton: Despite a quiet start to his international career, it is impossible not to be hugely excited by the early signs. The wicketkeeper-batsman has all the shots and even more of the power.

His Blast form in 2019 led to franchise deals in the Abu Dhabi T10 League and Big Bash – where he thrived, and the Pakistan Super League – where he found the going tougher.

How Somerset fare may in some part depend on how much of Banton they see at Taunton, given his likely involvement in England’s limited-over series with Pakistan and Australia. If he is unavailable, watch out for Eddie Byrom – 185 runs at a strike rate of 196.80 last year – and Tom Lammonby, who showed the extent of his talents with a maiden first-class hundred in the Bob Willis Trophy.

Babar Azam: Banton and Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam might have appeared an unusual alliance 15 months ago, but by the end of last summer, the pair had formed a partnership of staggering ferocity.

Banton was the main aggressor of the pair but Babar’s average of 52.54 was testament to a fabulous T20 campaign.

Pending a No Objection Certificate from the Pakistan Cricket Board, he is set to re-join the county for a second Blast stint, following a three-match T20I series against England.

As well as his runs, the spike in interest from the subcontinent in Somerset’s fortunes on their live-streaming service was remarkable in 2019. With the world still thirsty for live cricket, there is no doubt those digital numbers would be replicated this time around.

Lewis Gregory: The club’s T20 captain missed large swathes of last year’s campaign through injury, but then spent much of his winter continuing to enhance his reputation in the game’s shortest format.

He took part in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, while also representing England in their T20I series in New Zealand, where Eoin Morgan utilised him in a finishing role and occasional seamer. A spell in the Bangladesh Premier League followed, where he impressed with the bat.

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What are their strengths?

The strength, quite simply, is the batting. There is a depth to their hitting power that goes well beyond the opening pair of Banton and Babar.

Abell’s improvements as a white-ball cricketer convinced Manchester Originals to fork out £100,000 in a surprise move to sign him up in the draft for The Hundred; his hundred against Middlesex last year was a supremely accomplished T20 innings. Likewise, Zimbabwe-born Byrom is another looking to break into the T20 unit more regularly.

James Hildreth remains a highly reliable middle order candidate, while Gregory adds multiple skillsets, as do Roelof van der Merwe and the Overton brothers.

Where might they have a weakness?

Somerset’s spinners came up short in their crucial clash with Middlesex last year, with Max Waller and van der Merwe contributing seven wicketless overs at a cost of 92 runs. That said, it is hard to read too much into an extraordinary night on which Eoin Morgan smashed a 29-ball 83.

Jerome Taylor’s absence will leave a hole from last year’s side, though both Jamie Overton and Gregory will hope to be available more regularly than they were in 2019 to fill the void of the former West Indies seamer.

Otherwise, it feels as though Somerset’s biggest weakness might come in the shape of the international game – and how much of Babar, Banton and Gregory they have access to over the next month.

Chances of reaching Finals Day?

If they can get their strongest side out often enough, it is difficult to see how many sides would be equipped to stand in their way. And with Bob Willis Trophy momentum behind them, who knows how far they might go?

Strongest team: Tom Banton, Babar Azam, James Hildreth, Tom Abell, Ed Byrom, Lewis Gregory, Tom Lammonby, Craig Overton, Roelof van der Merwe, Jamie Overton, Max Waller

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