Five players to watch in the 2022 Vitality Blast

Jordan Cox

Jordan Cox was the name on everyone’s lips as Kent Spitfires stormed to victory on Vitality Blast Finals Day in 2021. The 21-year-old recovered from a duck in the semi-final against Sussex to be named player-of-the-match in their stunning win over Somerset in the final.

Cox somewhat saved the Spitfires’ innings with a nine-over cameo which saw him build through the gears to end with 58 from just 28 balls to help set Somerset a challenging 168 to win.

But even that excellent innings was cast into the shadows by his exploits on the field and his ‘Air Jordan’ acrobatics on the boundary edge to dismiss Lewis Gregory.

Whilst Cox’s name won’t be found next to the wicket on the scoresheet, his feat of incredible skill produced one of those rare moments that not only goes viral around the cricketing world, but also transcends the sport into general consciousness. The kind of feat that’s almost exclusively been reserved for Ben Stokes in recent years.

He averaged over 50 with the bat in last season’s competition, snagged 10 catches and was generally a menace to opposition batters as he patrolled the square boundaries. Carry on like this and the sky’s the limit for Cox.

Tim David

Rewind 12 months and few people on these shores were familiar with Tim David when Surrey signed him for their final two Vitality Blast games in the midst of an injury crisis at the Kia Oval.

He impressed, stuck around to dominate in the Royal London Cup, got a call-up to the Southern Brave as they won the Hundred and ultimately received a million-dollar contract in the IPL auction.

After a sticky start for the struggling Mumbai Indians, David took the final games of the competition by storm, striking at a ridiculous 216 for the tournament – the highest for any player with more than 65 runs – and scoring 80 runs from just 39 balls across his final two games to silence a few doubters.

Lancashire Lightning are David’s proud new employers for the 2022 Vitality Blast, with the Singapore international adding to an already formidable batting lineup and providing a useful bowling option as well.

Liam Livingstone

Bowlers in the North Group will not be looking forward to their matches against Lancashire this campaign, with Jos Buttler, Tim David and Liam Livingstone in the batting order.

Livingstone, 28, has been the talk of the white-ball world over the past couple of seasons thanks to his fearless assaults on opposition bowlers. The number of highlight reel sixes the Barrow batter has seen fly off his chunk of willow is nothing short of ridiculous.

He scored 437 runs for Punjab Kings – the sixth highest tally in IPL 2022 – at a strike rate of 182. His 34 tournament sixes were second only to Lightning teammate Buttler, and only three players bettered his four scores of fifty-plus.

Now, Livingstone will return to Emirates Old Trafford looking to help drive Lancashire to their first Blast title since 2015, as well as solidifying his form ahead of a crucial white-ball summer for England Men.

Shadab Khan

There will be a few spin-bowling tandems around the Vitality Blast this summer, but arguably none more exciting than Yorkshire Vikings’ leg-spin duo of Adil Rashid and Shadab Khan.

The 23-year-old Pakistan all-rounder joins the Vikings for their first five Blast matches, before returning for the final six group-stage games after international duty.

Despite his relatively young age, Khan has played 188 T20 matches in his impressive career, notching 217 wickets and averaging nearly 20 with the bat.

Khan and Rashid teamed up for four wickets in their first outing together in a warm-up match against a Lancashire 2^nd XI on Monday – a tantalising taste of things to come.

Remarkably, Yorkshire have never won the Vitality Blast in the 20 years since its inception. International call-ups may rob them of some of their best talents once again this season but Khan will help bring an extra bit of magic to the Headingley faithful in the coming weeks.

Sam Hain

Sam Hain’s white-ball achievements get a fair amount of attention in the press and social media, but it still feels the Birmingham Bears batter doesn’t really get the recognition he deserves in the shortest format.

Hain is exactly the sort of player every team needs in their lineup – averaging 37 in T20 cricket with a strike rate of nearly 130 – but maybe the fact he doesn’t smash it out the park as much as others around him leaves him a little under the radar. He’s the perfect foil for Bears thrashers like Carlos Brathwaite, Adam Hose and new signing Alex Davies.

North Group rivals Notts Outlaws will be particularly aware of his prowess, with Hain averaging an insane 301 at Trent Bridge.

If Birmingham Bears are to win their first title since 2014, you’d expect Hain to be heavily involved again this year – building his innings and turning the screw in the final overs.