HAVING moved to top spot in their County Championship group on Sunday, Somerset turn their attention to T20 cricket now, with their Vitality Blast campaign starting at home to Essex Eagles tomorrow (Wednesday, 6.30pm).
As well as Essex, Somerset’s other South Group opponents are Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent Spitfires, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex Sharks.
The aim is to qualify for the quarter-finals, alongside the best teams from the North Group, and then Finals Day at Edgbaston on September 18.
Somerset’s first three group stage matches (and five of their first seven) are at home, and so a strong start looks essential.
Somerset will have Devon Conway - who scored a double hundred on his Test debut for New Zealand against England last week - as their second overseas signing, between June 23 and July 18.
That will make him available for at least nine of Somerset’s Blast group stage matches, as well as two County Championship fixtures.
Other overseas players in the South Group include Australians Sean Abbott (Surrey) and D’Arcy Short (Hampshire), New Zealanders Colin de Grandhomme (Hampshire), Daryl Mitchell (Middlesex), Jimmy Neesham (Essex) and Glenn Phillips (Gloucestershire), and former Pakistan star Mohammad Amir (Kent).
Somerset have named the following squad for tomorrow's match:
Lewis Gregory (c), Tom Abell, Kasey Aldridge, Tom Banton (wk), Jack Brooks, Eddie Byrom, Josh Davey, Marchant de Lange, Ben Green, James Hildreth, Tom Lammonby, Will Smeed, Roelof van der Merwe, Max Waller.
Somerset T20 fixtures
Wednesday, June 9: Somerset v Essex
Friday, June 11: Somerset v Surrey
Tuesday, June 15: Somerset v Kent
Friday, June 18: Sussex v Somerset
Saturday, June 19: Somerset v Glamorgan
Wednesday, June 23: Surrey v Somerset
Friday, June 25: Somerset v Hampshire
Monday, June 28: Kent v Somerset
Tuesday, June 29: Essex v Somerset
Thursday, July 1: Gloucestershire v Somerset
Friday, July 2: Somerset v Middlesex
Friday, July 9: Hampshire v Somerset
Friday, July 16: Glamorgan v Somerset
Sunday, July 18: Somerset v Gloucestershire
*Tuesday, August 24-Friday, August 27: T20 quarter-finals
*Saturday, September 18: T20 Finals Day (at Edgbaston)
* = Subject to qualification
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