NCCA T20 Finals Day - Preview

Oxfordshire have included recently-capped Netherlands T20 international Zach Lion-Cachet in their side for Sunday’s semi-final against Cumbria in the re-scheduled National Counties T20 Finals Day at Chester Boughton Hall (10am).

Lion Cachet played four times for the Netherlands – twice each against Canada and the United States – in the triangular T20 series that took place in The Hague and Utrecht two weeks ago.

Lion-Cachet, a product of Oxfordshire’s age group system, is joined by his Sussex team-mate Harrison Ward in Oxfordshire’s side to face Cumbria.

Left-hand batter and left-arm spinner Tom Hinley returns to Oxfordshire’s ranks after a successful stint with Worcestershire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup. It will be Hinley’s first appearance for Oxfordshire since they beat Cheshire in the Durant Cricket National Counties Championship at Thame in July.

Oxfordshire have also called up batter Luke Hayes for his T20 debut and recalled leg-spinner Henry Welch.

Cumbria have made six changes to the squad they selected for the original Finals Day with Michael Slack returning to lead the side.

Slack suffered a knee injury which required surgery during the Super 12s event at Furness and was expected to miss the remainder of the season. But he has made a quick recovery and regains the captaincy from Matt Sempill who led Cumbria in May.

Former Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire batter Will Fraine will make his T20 debut for Cumbria having made a double century in their most recent match, a Championship defeat by Norfolk at Horsford.

Experienced all-rounder Paul Hindmarch has been recalled for his first county appearance in two years with batter Evan Williams, wicketkeeper Matthew Reed – another T20 debutant - and off-spinner Josh Stirling the other changes to the initial semi-final squad.

Lancashire batter Harry Singh is available for his first Cumbria appearance in almost four months since when he has made seven List A appearances.

Defending champions Staffordshire face Berkshire in the second semi-final at 1pm which is a re-match of the drawn Championship final earlier in the week which saw the title being shared for the first time in 19 years.

Former Warwickshire and England Under-19s all-rounder Liam Banks will make his seasonal debut for Staffordshire as one of five changes to the squad that was named to face Berkshire in May.

Pace bowler Rory Haydon returns having missed the Championship final because he was playing for Derbyshire Second XI and Matt Morris is included despite dislocating his right shoulder fielding against Berkshire last Sunday.

Slow left-armer Tom Brett, who would have missed May’s semi-final owing to paternity commitments, is included in Sunday’s squad along with Hem Heath’s batter/off-spinner Callum Leese for a possible seasonal debut.

Nils Priestley, the star player in last season’s Finals Day, returns for his first Staffordshire appearance since the defeat by Shropshire in their final National Counties Trophy group match in June.

Seamer Tommy Sturgess, who played for Cornwall against Staffordshire in last season’s T20 final, will face them again on Sunday, this time for Berkshire.

Sturgess took five wickets in Staffordshire’s first innings of the Championship final having spent a month on a short-term white ball contract with Worcestershire.

All-rounder Andy Rishton returns having been forced to miss the Championship final because of his teaching commitments and all-rounder Rhodri Lewis, who missed the final because of a dislocated shoulder, is included in the 13-man squad.

Eddie Campion, an 18-year-old left-hand batter and slow left-armer, is a possible debut. Campion, who left Wellington College during the summer, has been part of Berkshire’s pathway programme from the age of nine and is now on the Middlesex Academy.

National Counties T20 Finals Day

Sunday September 8

Semi-finals

Cumbria v Oxfordshire (10am)

Berkshire v Staffordshire (1pm)

Final (4pm)

Cumbria: Michael Slack (C), Sam Dutton, Freddie Fallows, Will Fraine, Harry Singh, Matt Sempill, Matthew Reed, Nico Watt, Paul Hindmarch, Josh Stirling, Sam Sharp, Evan Williams.

Oxfordshire: Jonny Cater (C), Harrison Ward, Zach Lion-Cachet, Jamie Harrison, Luke Hayes, Joe Gordon, Hayden Rossouw, Tom Hinley, Prav Chahal, George Tait, Henry Welch.

Berkshire: Dan Lincoln (C), Johnny Connell, Rhys Lewis, Matt Dalrymple, Josh Lincoln, Euan Woods, Rhodri Lewis, Charlie Dunnett, Eddie Campion, Andy Rishton, Toby Greatwood, Tommy Sturgess, Sully Akhtar.

Staffordshire: James Kettleborough (C), Nils Priestley, Liam Banks, Callum Hawkins, Michael Hill,Matt Morris, Reeve Evitts, Sam Atkinson, Liam Hurt, Rory Haydon, Tom Brett, Callum Leese.

Umpires: Bilal Shafayat, Connor McGarry, Mohammed Waseem.