Vitality Blast watch | How overseas signings and England’s T20 stars have fared thus far

Carlos Brathwaite -  91 runs in 5 inns @ avg 22.75 and SR 154.23; 9 wickets in 5 inns @ ER 7.23

Carlos Brathwaite was not someone who was earmarked to be a show-stealer this season, but in week one of the Blast, the Barbadian all-rounder turned out to be just that. Barring taking four 2-wicket hauls in a row - 3 of which came at an ER under 7.00 -  Brathwaite also smacked almost 100 runs in the first 5 games, including a match-winning 18-ball 44 against Nottinghamshire. Making a very late case for a T20I recall? Perhaps. 

Not much to read into Woakes’ performances apart from the fact that he finally got to play not one, but two games of cricket. And yes, Woakes was indeed rested for one of Warwickshire’s fixtures to ‘manage his workload’. Does it make sense? Probably not. But at least he has *some cricket* under his belt before he takes to the field against Sri Lanka in four days’ time.

Jimmy Neesham started the 2021 Vitality Blast off in the perfect fashion imaginable - a 53 (25) which helped Essex chase down 186 vs Somerset - but his performances post the initial burst proved to be disappointing. The 53 was followed by scores 28, 21 and 19, and he did not do the greatest of jobs batting at #5. And as far as his bowling goes, welp, let’s not talk about that. 

If Marnus Labsuschagne does indeed become a great T20 player one day, he’d probably look back on this Vitality Blast campaign as the turning point of his career. Left behind in England only due to logistical complications, Labuschagne, in week one, batted like a man possessed. The Queenslander started the season with scores of 93*, 59 and 74, but most importantly knocked those runs at a SR of 135.23, exceptional numbers for someone performing the role of an anchor. More impressively, he proved that his run with the ball in BBL 10 was no fluke - the leg-spinner bowled at least 3 overs in 3 of the 5 games, and picked a wicket in all but one of the matches. 

There is no worse place to bat in a T20 game than #4, but Glenn Phillips, taking the gloves, not just excelled but proved to be Gloucestershire’s best batsman. In 3 of his 4 knocks Phillips posted over 35, and it was the ineptitude of the other Gloucestershire batsmen that resulted in the side losing half their games. But despite being rock solid, the dynamic Kiwi would be hoping to go big in the games to come, having not posted a fifty in the competition to date. 

By his own high standards, D’Arcy Short had a hideous BBL season - 345 runs @ 24.64 - but while improving on those numbers in week one of the Vitality Blast, the southpaw’s performances left a lot to be desired. Short failed to convert each of his three starts and was at the heart of a Hampshire batting unit that collectively under-performed. 

Kent

Lancashire

Liam Livingstone - 254 runs in 5 inns @ average 63.50 and SR 141.89; 3 wickets in 5 inns @ ER 6.75

Lancashire weren’t expecting to be 5th in their group with 3 wins when they knew Jos Buttler was going to be available for the first six games.  The right-hander started his Vitality Blast campaign off with a scratchy 30 against Derbyshire, and never really found any rhythm batting at #4. The 55 he struck against Worcestershire came off 47 balls and, tellingly, he finished his mini-run off with a duck. Of all people, the Sri Lanka T20Is will be of huge significance for Buttler.

That strike rate says it all. Earmarked by Ponting as a potential WT20 bolter, the Aussie selectors perhaps did the wise thing by not calling Inglis up for the Windies T20Is. The right-hander’s 32-ball 87 against Yorkshire proved to be one of the best knocks in week one, and you’d imagine that he’ll only grow from strength to strength as the season progresses. Certainly it seems that a national call-up for this dynamic batsman is imminent. 

Morgan’s numbers in week one of Vitality Blast were a significant upgrade on his IPL showing, but by no means did the England skipper set the stage on fire. Batting at 3 and 4, Morgan played blistering cameos against Gloucestershire and Surrey, but his inability to post the big score resulted in Middlesex losing 4 of their 5 matches. Like Buttler, the Sri Lanka T20Is will prove to be crucial for Morgan, who is in desperate need of some big runs. 

What has happened to Tom Banton in T20 cricket? No one quite knows. Since tearing the Blast apart in 2019, he’s struggled immeasurably - in 19 T20s (non International) since the start of 2020, Banton has averaged 15.1, scoring just two fifties. 18, 1 and 9 have read his scores in the ongoing Blast thus far, and he’s looked a shadow of the batsman who not too long ago put the fear of god in bowlers. Perhaps we can assert with confidence now that his hopes of playing in the WT20 2021 are all but over. 

Forget his Vitality Blast numbers, let’s just traverse through his scores since he landed in England. 9, 8, 20, 1, 0, 14, 18, 20, 2, 23, 27. Alright, Travis Head simply cannot catch a break. Somebody book the poor chap a flight back to South Australia, please!

Worcestershire

Ish Sodhi -  2 wickets in 4 innings @ ER 8.25

Jonny Bairstow - 295 runs in 4 innings @ average 73.75 and 175.59

Scores of 23, 10, 6 and 2 in T20s succeeding a marathon 199 against Sussex in red-ball cricket. Is Dawid Malan back to being a Test specialist? Decide for yourself.

Lockie Ferguson - 6 wickets in 4 inns @ ER 7.44