'Ludicrous' scheduling leaves T20 Finals Day shorn of star billing

The T20 Blast's "absolutely ludicrous" scheduling will see all four teams involved in Saturday's Finals Day missing key players for the showpiece occasion of the county calendar.

Now in its 23rd season, the Blast is the oldest professional T20 competition in the world, but also the longest. The 2025 edition started in late May and will finally come to an end more than 15 weeks later at Edgbaston on Saturday, with Lancashire playing Somerset in the first semi-final, Northamptonshire facing Hampshire in the second, and the final rounding out the day.

Counties have chosen to stage the Blast's knockout stages in September for the last two seasons, given that a long gap after the group stage - during which the Hundred takes place - allows them more time to sell tickets for the quarter-finals. But it also limits player availability for Finals Day, with overseas players leaving and England involved in white-ball series.

The ECB confirmed on Friday that the Blast's knockout stages will be shifted forwards next summer with Finals Day set for July 18, immediately before the Hundred starts. The Blast's format will also change next year, with teams split into three groups of six rather than two groups of nine, and each team playing 12 group games instead of 14.

Lancashire are particularly badly affected this year, with four players missing on England duty - Jos Buttler, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt and Luke Wood - and both of their overseas players unavailable. Chris Green is at the CPL with Barbados Royals, while Ashton Turner has been recalled by Western Australia ahead of the start of the state season next week.

"It's not ideal," Keaton Jennings, their captain, told BBC Radio Lancashire. "I don't want to point fingers [but] I do think the scheduling is absolutely ludicrous. You can't have eight weeks between a last group-stage game and a final. There's no other competition in the world that does that… It is frustrating. It feels like a massive kick in the teeth."

Steven Croft, Lancashire's head coach, has hinted that they could even hand a player their T20 debut on Saturday, with mystery spinner Arav Shetty named in their squad after taking nine wickets in seven One-Day Cup appearances. Lancashire last won the Blast in 2015 when Croft was captain, with Liam Livingstone also involved.

Somerset, their opponents, will be missing Riley Meredith (recalled by Tasmania), Matt Henry (recalled by New Zealand) and Tom Banton (England duty). They have named a single overseas player in their squad, the South African Migael Pretorius, who has made only two previous T20 appearances for them across the last two seasons.

Hampshire have two available overseas players in Chris Lynn and Bjorn Fortuin, but are without Liam Dawson (England duty), Dewald Brevis and Lhuan-dre Pretorius (South Africa duty) and Hilton Cartwright (recalled by Western Australia). They are targeting a record fourth title and a domestic white-ball double in Adi Birrell's final season as head coach.

Northamptonshire are considered outsiders by the bookies after their shock win at The Oval last Wednesday but will have the same squad to choose from, with Tim Robinson and Lloyd Pope both available as overseas players. Pope's availability owes to the fact that his state - South Australia - are not scheduled to start their domestic season until next Saturday.

However, South Africa's Matthew Breetzke will not be available as hoped. "We've had some bad news today about Breetzke," Darren Lehmann, Northants' head coach, said. "We were hoping to get him back, but he misses out due to personal and family reasons. We wish him and his family all the best. Everyone's health and wellbeing is the most important thing."

Overseas players at T20 Blast Finals Day:

Somerset: Migael Pretorius (South Africa)
Lancashire: None
Hampshire: Chris Lynn (Australia)
Northamptonshire: Tim Robinson (New Zealand), Lloyd Pope (Australia).