Surrey return to the road to take on The Blaze in hopes of retaining status against the only team in the tournament who have taken a win over the Three-Feathers this season.
Surrey will take on The Blaze at Trent Bridge on Friday where play will commence at 14.30.
Surrey Squad
Bryony Smith’s squad remains unchanged after their success at Birmingham on Wednesday. Take a look below to see how it shapes up!
How can I keep up with play?
The match will be streamed on Trent Bridge’s YouTube channel, with a link posted on the Surrey Match Centre and the club’s social media channels.
Surrey Cricket’s social media channels will provide live updates, with clips and highlights posted throughout the match, with a written report and highlights will be available at the end of the match.
Last Time Out
The last time the two teams came face-to-face, The Blaze left the Three-Feathers defeated. Out skilling the hosts in both disciplines, Surrey’s Danni Wyatt-Hodge led a revival in Surrey’s batting innings, hitting 60 from 33 before being dismissed, caught at point.
Surrey’s only loss of the season so far, the team will be keen to regain status, and, with a win, confirm their place in the upcoming finals day on July 27th at The Kia Oval.
The Blaze
Previewed by Jon Culley, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Kirstie Gordon
Overseas players: Maddy Green (New Zealand, first four matches), Heather Graham (Australia, last 10 matches)
Key winter moves: The big change for The Blaze has been off the pitch, where former New Zealand Test batter Craig Cumming takes over as head coach in place of Chris Guest, who guided the Trent Bridge-based team to its first silverware in the Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition in 2024. Cumming arrives with a winning pedigree, though, having won two trophies in four years with Otago Sparks.
The big question: After last season’s impressive campaign established The Blaze at the top of the pile in the 20-over format, can anyone knock them off their perch? South East Stars, who ran them closest in 2024, have morphed into Surrey Women, with whom The Blaze shared 692 runs in an incredible 50-over tie at Beckenham earlier this month. There may be little between them over 20 overs too.
Wildcard watch: Charley Phillips – Such is the depth of The Blaze squad, some 15 of their number are already signed up for the 2025 edition of The Hundred. If they are to be joined by another team-mate, it may be Charley Phillips, who arrived from Sunrisers in the close season as a young bowler with pace and has already made a good impression.
Final thought: The Blaze squad contains four current England players but it is their Scottish triumvirate – skipper Kirstie Gordon and the Bryce sisters, Kathryn and Sarah – who are the heart of the team. Gordon was the leading 20-over wicket-taker in 2024, Kathryn Bryce the top runscorer and wicket-keeper Sarah had only one in front of her in the dismissals table. They may hold the keys to success again in 2025.
