Has T20 still got Vitality?

By Grockle
May 29 2025

We move into the white ball section of the 2025 domestic season after finally getting sorted in our red ball campaign. The CC1 goes onto the back burner for about a month before we head off to Birmingham and we now go into the Blast this Friday. What does that mean and how optimistic should we be that we can find ourselves at Edgbaston for a sixth consecutive Finals day later in the summer?

Blast - are we a good fit for it?

The Somerset Blast squad only really welcomes one extra overseas player for it specifically - in comes Riley Meredith for his second season with the county. We also welcome back Ben Green from his loan period with Leicestershire. Tom Kohler-Cadmore comes back from the Pakistan franchise setup as well. Alfie Ogborne will go to Kent for a period. Jake Ball was expected to join him but has now picked up an injury so how that works will be a question answered as we move on. Kasey Aldridge is off to Durham for the 'league' playing games. We have three overseas players up for selection as Migael Pretorius is with us for the season and Matt Henry has finally arrived and is with us until the end of July.

We have lost a couple of players for the start of the first part of the Blast. James Rew is captaining the Lions for a couple of one day games at the end of May and the beginning of June while Tom Banton is with the white ball squad for games against the Windies and Ireland over the next couple of weeks. Shoaib Bashir will also be moving on after his 6-fer in the first Test of the summer versus Zimbabwe. Will he be available for our T20 stuff and will we pick him is he is?

So... we have the following players available with a chance of playing one would assume.

Will Smeed will almost certainly be one part of the opening pair for T20 games. His usual partner will not be available at the start so one wondedrs who will open with him. Archie Vaughan, Andy Umeed, Lewis Gregory might all be probables. TKC may move up the order from his usual first change position but he may also be called upon to keep unless we go for the most 'out there' decision and call up Thomas Rew to start his full time first team squad by keeping in our T20 side. If that is the case TKC may stay away from being an opener. Tom Lammonby is also coming into some interesting form at the start of this phase with Banton away at the start. Lewis Goldsworthy's slow ball skills may see him being a character in this side. Sean Dickson is getting over an injury so will most probably not be an option for the first few games at least. In the middle order there are people already mentioned plus the batting and bowling of Green and somewhere in here we will place Tom Abell as well.

Slow bowling options are interesting as Josh Thomas is looking to come into consideration alongside the Vaughan and Goldsworthy possibilities plus Jack Leach if we want him. There's also Umeed who is no slouch at taking white ball wickets.

Whether Gregory will bowl or not is not certain as he left that arrow in his quiver for the last two games of the CC1 first phase. We will have Craig Overton, Matt Henry, Riley Meredith and Josh Davey to call on (not bad options). Miggy P will be there for rotation as we can only play '2 from 3' in his case but he is certainly a batting option as well if he plays and a damn useful option if we need to rest someone of we get injuries. Our second string of bowlers are mostly off doing other things or injured but JT Langridge is available along with Josh Heywood should we need their skills as they both come off a very good T20 win last week. Hopefully we will be looking to develop them for the Metrobank competition in August.

So, who will be playing against Surrey at home on Friday?

You would expect the definites to be

Overton, Henry, Meredith, Gregory, TKC, Davey, Abell, Smeed, Lammonby which leaves 2 extras in the slow ball batting section of the squad (everything else is covered?) Vaughan and/or Umeed? Will Ben Green be in if Gregory is not bowling? Suggestions are that Goldworthy is struggling to find form. We are expecting TKC to keep. Others are possible but most likely not probable but I am sure there will be surprises.

It is still quite a formidable unit. It is certainly a seam bowling attack you really would not want to face (and that is not including the possibility of left arm stuff from Lammers if required). We have batting that can score, but can also be brain dead. We have resources that will return after the first couple of games - is this the year for James Rew to enter the shortest white ball format in earnest? Banton will walk back in when he becomes available again one would assume though it is doubful he will have had much onfiled experience in the white ball side before he returns.. We certainly have a side that is capable of taking us all the way again.

The last time Henry and Overton came together in this format they took all comers before them and stormed through the qualifying rounds. Will that be the case again? Gotta hope so. Riley Meredith won't make us less dangerous that is for sure. We'll know a little more by the second week in June but it is exciting and starting with Surrey will certainly ask all types of questions early on. Let's hope we have the early answers!!

Well here are some as the first T20 squad has been declared on the club website.

Will Smeed, Tom Banton (did not expect that - he will keep then), TKC, Tom Lammonby, Tom Abell, Lewis Gregory, Ben Green, Lewis Goldsworthy, Thomas Rew (another surprise without being a neccesity - are they going to blood him as a keeper?), Craig Overton, Migael Pretorius, Matt Henry, Riley Meredith (well of the last three has to be left out), Josh Davey

So a squad of 13 effectively as only 2 of the named 3 overseas players can play. On that basis it probably is expected that Rew T may be in for experience and the only question is whether we will play a slow bowler, in which case Goldsworthy is the only option available or a full seam attack and the names there can be from any number.