Twenty20 back with a bang
The Twenty20 Cup is back to celebrate its fifth domestic season and it all starts on Friday June 22 with nine matches, four of which are under floodlights.
The current holders Leicestershire Foxes take on Yorkshire Phoenix at Grace Road and it culminates in the finals day at Edgbaston on Saturday August 4.
Surrey have sold over 100,000 Twenty20 tickets this season and are counting on another successful campaign lead by their reality TV stars, Mark Ramprakash and Mark Butcher.
With the likes of James Benning and Ali Brown in their midst, the cup’s leading big hitters, Surrey should enjoy capacity crowds and many counties are reporting unprecedented ticket sales for their group matches.
Darren Gough’s return to Yorkshire has ensured a sell-out crowd at Headingley Carnegie for the Phoenix's clash against rivals Lancashire Lightning on Monday June 25.
Essex Eagles will hang out the house-full sign for all four of their home fixtures at Chelmsford.
At New Road, Worcestershire Royals have also sold out their group game against Warwickshire Bears and Derbyshire Phantoms report their highest advanced sales for the competition.
Surrey's Ali Brown (right) and Leicestershire's Paul Nixon are two of the stars of Twenty20
As the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 looms in September, some of the world’s leading players will adorn the domestic tournament this season.
Lancashire Lightning has bolstered their Twenty20 Cup aspirations with the signing of dynamic Sri Lanka batsman Sanath Jayasuriya.
Justin Langer, the competition’s leading run scorer win 2006, will hope to bring Twenty20 Cup glory back to Somerset Sabres after their 2005 success.
Leicestershire Foxes’ task of retaining the cup for the third time in five years will be made more difficult by the loss of hard-hitting Darren Maddy to group rivals Warwickshire Bears but Paul Nixon and Stuart Broad will ensure the unique team-spirit which has guided the Foxes to every Finals Day is evident again.
The tournament will be the most colourful yet as the Durham Dynamos become the men in black, Middlesex Crusaders play in pink to support Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Hampshire’s boys of summer turn up the heat at the Rose Bowl.
At Northampton, you can watch the Steelbacks take on the Royals from the Monty Zone on Friday June 22, complete with lookalike competition.
The hot tub returns to Grace Road for the opening match of the competition and if you want the best seats in the house then you can watch the Foxes take on the Phoenix from a ready made patio area complete with pizza delivery.
Alternatively, you could watch the Nottinghamshire Outlaws take on the Phoenix on Friday June 29 at Trent Bridge from your own private pitch-side seat.
Middlesex will be resplendent in pink for the Twenty20 Cup during the 2007 season
Warwickshire have introduced a Ladies day at Edgbaston on Tuesday June 26, including a game between England A ladies versus an Invitational XI under Twenty20 rules on the main square. A Pimms reception and beauty bus will also be at the ground.
Gloucestershire are providing additional entertainment including face painting and a bouncy castle plus free cricket coaching for the Under 16s in the mall galleries Kidzone.
Nixon confirms that the secret to a successful Twenty20 Cup is all about playing with freedom.
He said: “It’s all about us expressing ourselves and showing no fear.
"Our success has been based on having effective game plans and players thriving on the responsibility they are given within that plan.
“We face that same challenge again this summer, but the guys have every reason to believe we can be successful again.”
David Collier, the ECB chief executive, said: “The Twenty20 Cup has very quickly established itself as one of the fans favourite competitions.
“From a domestic tournament in 2003, Twenty20 will be a world event in 2007 and I am delighted that we host some of the greatest players and the greatest cricket here each summer.”
