ESPNcricinfo joins up with our team of supporters to preview the South Group in the NatWest T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2017South Group

Essex Eagles
Captain: Ryan ten Doeschate
Overseas: Mohammad Amir (Pak)
One to Watch: Amir, fresh from his Champions Trophy triumph with Pakistan, will give the Eagles real star quality.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2013 (Semi-finals)
bet365: 14

Supporters Zone: Essex will get to Finals day. The lower order hitting often led by Ryan ten Doeschate and Azhar Zaidi along with Varun Chopra, Dan Lawrence and Tom Westley at the top will see the batting prosper. Simon Harmer is in red hot form, Zaidi will add some spice to the bowling with Jamie Porter and Paul Walter keeping it tight. Mohammad Amir will be influential under lights but the key man is all-rounder Bopara who can script a fairy tale on Finals day. Watch out for Adam Wheater playing as a batsman and youngster Kishen Velani as a pinch hitter.
Chanaka Wirasinha

Glamorgan
Captain: Jacques Rudolph
Overseas: Rudolph (SA) – plus fellow South Africans Colin Ingram and Marchant de Lange as Kolpaks.
One to Watch: Ingram hit a record-equalling 29 sixes in last year’s competition to lead Glamorgan to a home quarter final.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2004 (Semi-finals)
bet365: 25

Supporters Zone: Glamorgan’s surfeit of allrounders suit the short form. Ingram was dominant in the Royal London Cup and should expect to be so here, backed up by big hitting from Aneurin Donald, David Lloyd, and Chris Cooke. The pace bowling is also strong, but a lack of spin quality and tendency to collapse probably means a quarter-final place would be a success.
Matt Yano

Gloucestershire
Captain: Michael Klinger
Overseas: Klinger (Aus), Thisara Perera (SL)
One to Watch: Has to be Klinger – a run machine for the last four seasons.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2007 (Runners-up)
bet365: 16

Supporters Zone: Every time the cricket journalists make Gloucestershire favourites for a game they lose. The Glosters need to be underdogs to succeed and so this season looks set to be a winning one. Thisan Perera will find he plays like a Chris Gayle at Bristol, just like Michael Klinger does, and Benny Howell and Jack Taylor’s performances will once again embarrass the England selectors.
James Young

Hampshire
Captain: James Vince
Overseas: George Bailey (Aus), Shahid Afridi (Pak)
One to Watch: Mason Crane, the 20-year-old leg-spinner, showed his star potential in two T20 international appearances for England last month.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2015 (Semi-finals)
bet365: 11

Supporters Zone: Prediction? Finals day, I think. We have a good record at getting that far and we have been playing well recently. Spin twins of Mason Crane and Shahid Afridi make us worth watching, to go with some elegant stroke makers. Our ability to collapse with the bat will let us down though.
Matt Warwick

Kent Spitfires
Captain: Sam Northeast
Overseas: Adam Milne (NZ), Jimmy Neesham (NZ)
One to Watch: Sam Billings – after travelling the world as a T20 specialist this winter, would love to lead Kent to an overdue Finals Day return.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2009 (Semi-finals)
bet365: 16

Supporters Zone: Kent will look to harvest the fruits of the kiwi with bowling relying heavily on Adam Milne’s pace. Jimmy Neesham provides batting fire power to support Darren Stevens and Sam Billings; expect Kent to chase as often as possible. Sam Northeast’s captaincy of his bowlers could be pivotal to a successful campaign.
Chris Smith

Dan Vettori and Brendon McCullum make up a formidable brains trust at Middlesex•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesMiddlesex
Captain: Brendon McCullum / Dawid Malan
Overseas: McCullum (NZ), Tim Southee (NZ)
One to Watch: Malan, a clean hitter, has had international recognition and could be reaching his peak. He can only be helped by the involvement of Dan Vettori, who has been appointed as a specialist T20 coach.
bet365: 11

Supporters Zone: Middlesex made their first quarter-final in nine years last year, and will fancy their chances once again. In Brendon McCullum, Eoin Morgan, and now Malan, there is international quality with the bat, and expect contributions from Paul Stirling and Nick Gubbins too. The bowling is much improved too, though may lack a little nous at the death – long Middlesex’s Achilles heel. Middlesex are a very streaky side – if they get off to a good start they can fly, but if they lose their first few, things could fall apart pretty quickly (see every T20 season bar 2008). Lord’s isn’t your ‘traditional’ ground for T20 with fireworks and loud music, but there’ll be plenty of full houses, and the atmosphere for the London derby next Surrey will be electric.
Will Atkins, @willatkins92

Somerset
Captain: Jim Allenby
Overseas: Corey Anderson (NZ)
One to Watch: Roelof ven der Merwe – easily overlooked, but his combination of powerful hitting and off-spin is crucial to Somerset’s balance.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2012 (Semi-finals)
bet365: 12

Supporters Zone: How will we do? Hopefully better than a tame 3-10 last year. A second straight year of being good at 50-over cricket will hopefully translate into the shorter stuff. Johann Myburgh will open and he tries to hit every ball he sees for four. Check his recent (50 over!) innings against Notts and Essex for examples. It’s great fun. Fast bowling may let us down. Bowling at Taunton is not always rewarding, and the Overton twins and Lewis Gregory struggle to put their four-day talents to work in the 20-over game.
Will Colwell

Surrey
Captain: Gareth Batty
Overseas: Aaron Finch (Aus), Kumar Sangakkara (SL), Moises Henriques (Aus)
One to Watch: Kevin Pietersen – making a welcome return to the domestic scene after a two-year absence.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2014 (Semi-finals)
bet365: 8

Supporters Zone: Surrey will inevitably reach Finals Day in a high-scoring blaze of glory before capitulating on a rainy Saturday. We are worth watching for Jason Roy playing with the carefree brilliance we know him for and Kevin Pietersen’s somewhat surprise return to the Oval. What will let us down? Jade Dernbach’s death bowling.
Santokie Nakulendran

Sussex Sharks
Captain: Ross Taylor
Overseas: Taylor (NZ)
One to Watch: Tymal Mills – desperate to get back on the field after suffering back problems following his lucrative IPL stint, and could form a mouthwatering pace combination with Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer and George Garton.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2012 (Semi-finals)
bet365: 16

Supporters Zone: At Sussex we have ‘the fiz’ but worry about our (Will) Beer being flat and past its best-before date. At least we didn’t have to pay a million pounds for Tymal Mills. At least I hope not. If Arundel is any guide, watch out for Jofra Archer threatening a fastest ever 50 before being denied by Ben Brown urging an innovative declaration from Ross Taylor. Effectively out before August.
Geoff Chapman