2018 t20 Blast
The 2018 Vitality Blast was the 2018 season of the t20 Blast, a professional Twenty20 cricket league in England and Wales. It was the first season in which the domestic T20 competition, ran by the ECB, has been branded as the Vitality Blast due to a new sponsorship deal.[1] The league consisted of the 18 first-class county teams divided into two divisions of nine teams each with fixtures played between July and September. The final day took place at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on 15 September 2018.
 | |
| Dates | 4 July 2018 – 15 September 2018 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | England and Wales Cricket Board |
| Cricket format | Twenty20 |
| Tournament format(s) | Group stage and knockout |
| Champions | Worcestershire Rapids (1st title) |
| Participants | 18 |
| Matches played | 133 |
| Attendance | 931,455 (7,003 per match) |
| Official website | Vitality Blast |
Nottinghamshire Outlaws were the champions going into the tournament having beaten the Birmingham Bears by 22 runs in the 2017 final.[2]
Competition format
The 18 first-class county cricket clubs are taking part in the competition. Teams are initially split into two divisions on a geographical basis (North and South) for the group stage of the competition, each group having nine teams. During the group stage, which ran from July until the middle of August, each county played 14 matches, playing six of the other sides in their group twice, once home and once away, and the other two teams once.[2] The winners of each match received two points for a win, with one point awarded in the case of a tie or if a match was abandoned. Teams are ranked within their groups by total points, then net run rate. At the end of the group stage, the top four teams from each group entered the knockout stage of the competition.
Teams
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League stage
North Division
Source: CricInfo[3] |
South Division
Source: CricInfo[3] |
The top four teams from each division qualified for the knockout stage.
Knockout stage
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||
| N1 | Worcestershire Rapids | 137/5 | ||||||||||||
| S4 | Gloucestershire | 136/8 | ||||||||||||
| N1 | Worcestershire Rapids | 169/6 | ||||||||||||
| N3 | Lancashire Lightning | 149/9 | ||||||||||||
| N3 | Lancashire Lightning | 134/4 | ||||||||||||
| S2 | Kent Spitfires | 133/9 | ||||||||||||
| N1 | Worcestershire Rapids | 158/5 | ||||||||||||
| S3 | Sussex Sharks | 157/6 | ||||||||||||
| N2 | Durham Jets | 140/7 | ||||||||||||
| S3 | Sussex Sharks | 144/5 | ||||||||||||
| S3 | Sussex Sharks | 202/8 | ||||||||||||
| S1 | Somerset | 167/8 | ||||||||||||
| N4 | Nottinghamshire Outlaws | 190 | ||||||||||||
| S1 | Somerset | 209/5 | ||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
Kent Spitfires (H) 133/9 (20 overs) |
v |
Lancashire Lightning 134/4 (18.4 overs) |
- Kent Spitfires won the toss and elected to bat.
Durham Jets (H) 140/7 (20 overs) |
v |
Sussex Sharks 144/5 (18.2 overs) |
- Durham Jets won the toss and elected to bat.
25 August Scorecard |
Gloucestershire 136/8 (20 overs) |
v |
Worcestershire Rapids (H) 137/5 (18.4 overs) |
- Worcestershire Rapids won the toss and elected to field.
26–27 August Scorecard |
Somerset (H) 209/5 (20 overs) |
v |
Nottinghamshire Outlaws 190 (20 overs) |
- Nottinghamshire Outlaws won the toss and elected to field.
Semi-finals
Worcestershire Rapids 169/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Lancashire Lightning 149/9 (20 overs) |
- Lancashire Lightning won the toss and elected to field.
Sussex Sharks 202/8 (20 overs) |
v |
Somerset 167/8 (20 overs) |
- Sussex Sharks won the toss and elected to bat.
Final
Sussex Sharks 157/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Worcestershire Rapids 158/5 (18.3 overs) |
- Sussex Sharks won the toss and elected to bat.
Statistics
Most runs
| Player | Team | Mat | Inns | Runs | SR | HS | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurie Evans | Sussex Sharks | 15 | 14 | 614 | 135.84 | 96 | 0 | 7 |
| Aaron Finch | Surrey | 9 | 9 | 589 | 182.35 | 131* | 2 | 3 |
| Ian Bell | Birmingham Bears | 14 | 14 | 580 | 139.09 | 131 | 1 | 4 |
| [4] Source: ESPNCricInfo | ||||||||
Most wickets
| Player | Team | Mat | Wkts | Ave | Econ | BBI | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Brown | Worcestershire Rapids | 16 | 31 | 13.35 | 7.64 | 4/21 | 10.4 |
| Matthew Parkinson | Lancashire Lightning | 15 | 25 | 16.60 | 7.32 | 3/19 | 13.6 |
| Jamie Overton | Somerset | 16 | 24 | 22.50 | 10.25 | 5/47 | 13.1 |
| [5] Source: ESPNCricinfo | |||||||
References
- "Vitality announced as new title partner for T20 cricket". England and Wales Cricket Board. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- "Kia Super League & Vitality Blast Tickets on Sale". England and Wales Cricket Board. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- Twenty20 Cup (England) Table - 2018, CricInfo.
- "Cricket Records | Records | Vitality Blast, 2018 | | Most runs | ESPNcricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- "Cricket Records | Records | Vitality Blast, 2018 | | Most wickets | ESPNcricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 16 September 2018.