The South Group is striking back. Last year, all four teams at Finals Day were northern. But Hampshire have won away, and now Glamorgan have beaten Leicestershire at home

The T20 Blast quarter-finals get underway on Tuesday. ESPNcricinfo runs the rule over the eight teams left in the competition

Alex Hales continues to excel in limited-overs cricket, so much so that it invites the thought whether an Ashes call-up this winter can be entirely ruled out

ESPNcricinfo rounds up the highlights from the latest matches in the NatWest T20 Blast

Middlesex have focused on creating the right environment - which includes enrolling players in part-time degrees - to help sustain their on-field success

Mason Crane has already prompted much excited chatter, but the young Hampshire legspinner is putting in the hard yards to take the next step up

The punt on young Jhye Richardson in the final gave a peek into coach Justin Langer's broad vision, which has made Perth Scorchers one of the most formidable BBL outfits

While there have been fears of a premature expansion, the Big Bash League's soaring popularity has outweighed its possible drawbacks

The Perth Scorchers bid the WACA ground farewell with their third Big Bash League title in four years and a vintage performance straight from their tried-and-tested copybook

Mitchell Johnson's early burst, Jhye Richardson's middle spell and Michael Klinger's beligerence helped Perth Scorchers cruise to their third BBL title

The Sydney Sixers did not appear to have made enough, but they fielded like demons and bowled in miserly fashion to beat the Perth Scorchers by seven runs

The Sydney Sixers and the Perth Scorchers, the top two teams from the league stages of the second Women's Big Bash League, etched out dominant wins in the semi-finals

ESPNcricinfo's best XI of the 2016-17 BBL includes the league's biggest draw, a mellowed yet effective fast bowler, and a captain who had fans flocking to the Gabba

While the Perth Scorchers have hit the straps at the right time, with dominant wins in the last week, the Sydney Sixers have had a more chaotic build-up, with a Super Over in the semi-final

Adam Voges and Moises Henriques have thrown their support behind the decision to expand the Big Bash League to 10-games-a-team ahead of the seventh edition

Brendon McCullum has helped build an image for the Brisbane Heat as a team of fighters, and his players and the fans have responded wonderfully

The Sydney Sixers gave away an easy chase with a collapse of 6 for 31, before coming back to clinch it in the Super Over against Brisbane Heat in the second semi-final

Stand-in captain Alyssa Healy's 77 was the backbone of the Sydney Sixers' match-winning total of 169, with supporting roles from Sara McGlashan, Marizanne Kapp and Ashleigh Gardner

Mitchell Johnson has mellowed and is unmoustachioed these days, but the menace remains. That much was clear at the Waca as he blasted Perth Scorchers into their fifth BBL final in the competition's six seasons

Mitchell Johnson's 3 for 3 - the most economical four-over spell in the Big Bash League - led Perth Scorchers to their fifth final in six seasons