Bears opener Pollock has licence to attack Northants

Northants v Birmingham
Sky Sports Cricket, 6.30pm Tuesday

Rain has been frustratingly influential in the group stage of the T20 Blast and thunderstorms could disrupt the televised clash between Northamptonshire and Birmingham Bears.

Both teams will be eager to get out on the park as holders Northants have won three of their last four completed matches and the Bears have taken seven points from their last four games.

Birmingham’s T20 Blast challenge has picked up thanks to the impact of young batsmen Adam Hose and Ed Pollock.

Hose, signed from Somerset, made a spectacular impression on his debut at Edgbaston, scoring a quickfire 76 in Sunday’s victory over Lancashire.

And opener Pollock had a similarly memorable first outing, with an innings of 66 off 40 balls against Derbyshire including three sixes (one off South Africa spin star Imran Tahir).

Pollock has made five and ten in two subsequent innings but he scored an unbeaten 93 out of 134-3 in a Second 11 T20 win over Nottinghamshire in June and clearly has licence to attack at the top of the order.

With a rain-shortened game a possibility, Pollock is a big price at 25-1 to be man of the match – fellow openers Richard Levi (6-1) and Ian Bell (7-1) head the market.

In the South Group, Kent are lively outsiders for their trip to Hampshire, whose Friday-night win over Gloucestershire ended a run of three straight defeats.

Kent are prone to a batting collapse, hence their record of three wins in eight games, but a top four of Daniel Bell-Drummond, Joe Denly, Sam Northeast and Sam Billings gives them a puncher’s chance against another inconsistent side.

Recommendations
E Pollock to be man of the match
0.5pt 25-1 Betway

Kent
2pts 13-10bet365