Birmingham Bears v Essex predictions and cricket betting tips

Where to watch Birmingham Bears v Essex

Sky Sports Cricket, Main Event & Action, 6.30pm Thursday

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Sam Hain top Birmingham Bears runscorer
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Birmingham Bears v Essex predictions

Birmingham Bears won the North Group of the T20 Blast thanks to 11 victories in 14 matches and they are 4-7 to see off Essex in their home quarter-final at Edgbaston.

A win for the Bears would take them to Finals Day at Edgbaston on July 15 and they are bidding to extend a club-record seven-game winning streak in the Blast.

Birmingham, missing England Test players Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, have an injury concern over influential spinning all-rounder Dan Mousley, who suffered a hand injury after taking two wickets in his first two overs in Sunday's eight-run win over Durham.

The Bears' spin threats include Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and Jake Lintott but Essex are also strong in that department, with Simon Harmer and Matt Critchley sharing 38 wickets in the South Group.

Daniel Sams, another Australia international, has proved an excellent signing, smashing 340 runs at a strike-rate of 174 and claiming 22 wickets in 14 games, so the visitors pose a threat at Edgbaston.

Essex needed a final-ball six from Feroze Khushi to seal victory at Surrey in their final group game, taking them into the quarter-finals, and they will be wary of Birmingham batsman Sam Hain.

The Hong Kong-born middle-order man was out for 12 against Durham but his previous five Blast scores at Edgbaston this summer were 35, 79 not out, 97 not out, eight and 83 not out.

Hain also made 100 in his most recent County Championship innings against Nottinghamshire, having cracked an unbeaten 112 off 52 balls against the same opponents in last season's Blast.

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