NatWest T20 Blast 2017: Quarter-final fixtures confirmed after the final league games

The group stage of the NatWest T20 Blast 2017 has finally come to an end and the quarter-final fixtures have been confirmed after the last round of the group games played across the North and South Groups on Friday. A total of 126 matches were played across the two groups with 16 of them ending without a result and three in a tie. There was a lot of suspense over the teams that will make it to the final four in each group as the teams were separated not more than a couple of points prior to the last round.

Here’s how the teams fared on Friday and decided their fate:

North Group:

A century from Cameron Delport helped Leicestershire bag a close win over the table toppers Nottinghamshire and make it to quarters. Delport’s unbeaten 109 helped Leicester post 203/5. In reply, Nottingham fell short of the target by 3 runs finishing with 201/8 despite Daniel Christian scoring 73 in just 32 balls. Before this game, Leicestershire were tied at the 5th spot with 15 points along with Yorkshire and Northamptonshire. This win ensured their quarter-final spot from North Group with Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Warwickshire.

South Group:

The South Group was closely packed before the final round with 5 teams tied at 12 points and Surrey and Kent, who were at 3rd and 4th had 14 and 13 points respectively. The table-toppers Glamorgan defeated Middlesex in the rain-affected game to ensure a quarter-final at home. Middlesex managed to score 99/8 in the restricted 14 overs while Glamorgan chased it down in 13 overs for the loss of three wickets.

In the 2nd placed Hampshire qualified for the QFs despite losing to Somerset by a huge 98-run margin. Somerset posted 189/3 in their 20 overs with the help of fifties from Peter Trego and Johann Myburgh. A collective bowling effort from Somerset put them into the quarters as they bowled out Hampshire for just 91 runs. Sussex defeating Essex by 55 runs didn’t hand them a QF place as the net run-rate of Somerset raised to +0.491, slightly higher than Sussex’s +0.423.

Surrey were the 4th team to qualify from the group as they knocked out Kent with a 10-run win at Canterbury. Jason Roy’s 43-ball 78 helped Surrey post 154/9 in their 20 overs which was successfully defended by their bowlers as Rikki Clarke stared with a 4-wicket haul.

NatWest T20 Blast Quarter-final fixtures:

Derbyshire v Hampshire – Tuesday, 22 August

Glamorgan v Leicestershire – Wednesday, 23 August

Nottinghamshire v Somerset – Thursday, 24 August

Surrey v Birmingham Bears – Friday, 25 August