Opening fixtures for NatWest T20 Blast 2018 announced; Notts to lock horns with Birmingham

The quarter-finals are scheduled to be played from August 23 to August 26.

Published - 29 Nov 2017, 16:44 IST | Updated - 29 Nov 2017, 16:44 IST

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The England Cricket Board (ECB) announced the opening fixtures for the NatWest T20 Blast 2018 edition, which gets underway from July 4. The two finalists of the previous season, Nottinghamshire and Birmingham will face each other in the opening game of the tournament at Trent Bridge. The final day of the league, which will hosts two semi-finals and the big final will be September 15 at Edgbaston.

Earlier in the year, the Notts got the better of their opponents, the Bears as they won the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast edition by 22 runs. The T20 tournament is once again scheduled to take the mid-summer slot, with the group stags spanning for 45 days until August 17.

Last year’s finalists will be up against each other

Many big rivalries and battles from the previous season would be relived in this edition of the blast. Glamorgan and Hampshire who couldn’t qualify for the finals this year will lock horns in their opening matches of the South Group at the Ageas Bowl on July 6. The Notts all-rounder Steven Mullaney was pretty excited to face the Bears at Trent Bridge next year and also revealed the support that the team gets from the home crowd.

“We get great support at Trent Bridge so it’s great to have a home game for our first game as champions, and a repeat of last year’s final against the Bears means it will be a big game for both teams,” said the all-rounder as quoted by BBC Sport.

The other games in the tournament will also be a great extravaganza for the fans especially the match between Leicestershire and Northamptonshire could be a great contest, as both the teams are very competitive in T20 cricket. The quarter-finals are scheduled to be played from August 23 to August 26. It was also announced that two rival teams, Lancashire and Yorkshire will face each other twice in the tournament, first on July 20 at Old Trafford and then on August 9 at Headingley.