TWENTY20 FINALS DAY at Edgbaston, 23 AUGUST 2014

BIRMINGHAM BEARS
Odds: 4-1.
Key man: Jeetan Patel (23 NatWest T20 wickets at 11.52 runs apiece).
Handy man to have in your side: Will Porterfield.
Bat or bowl first? Not fussed. The Bears have enjoyed eight wins to date, four came when batting first, four chasing.
Coupled with home advantage, the Bears' welcome back England stars Ian Bell and Chris Woakes. Even though Birmingham sneaked through from their group, they blew away South Division winners Essex in the quarter-finals thanks to an unbeaten third wicket stand of 134 in 11 overs between Varun Chopra and Rikki Clarke.
Prediction: The Bears' best finish to date was as runners-up to Surrey in the first ever final. Two years later, in 2005, again it was Surrey, who beat them in the quarter-finals following a controversial bowl-out. But if Clarke and Jeetan Patel do a job on Jason Roy with the ball, there's every chance the hosts will gain their revenge. If Birmingham get to the final, they'll certainly give a good account of themselves.

HAMPSHIRE
Odds: 5-2.
Key man: Danny Briggs (21 NatWest T20 wickets at 19.14 runs apiece).
Handy man to have in your side: Will Smith.
Bat or bowl first? Seven of their ten victories this summer have been achieved when setting a target. However, the last two, against the much-fancied pair of Essex and Notts, came when batting last.
Hampshire will be making an unprecedented fifth successive finals day appearance. However, this will be their first finals day without an overseas player. That said, Abbott and Maxwell have hardly been key to Hampshire's continued success in the format. 23-year-old slow left-armer Danny Briggs has been, though. This year, Briggs has found an unlikely ally in Will Smith, who has transformed himself into a useful offie.
Prediction: Winners in 2012 and 2014 and losing semi finalists twice in the last three years, Hampshire have four batsmen capable of taking the game away from the opposition - Jimmy Adams, Michael Carberry, Owais Shah and James Vince. But, first up, the question is how will they fair against Jimmy Anderson?

LANCASHIRE LIGHTNING
Odds: 7-2.
Key man: Jos Buttler (239 NatWest T20 runs at an average of 39.83).
Handy man to have in your side: Karl Brown.
Bat or bowl first? Bat, definitely. All eleven of the Lightning's wins in the NatWest T20 Blast have been by runs.
Given that they only lost twice on their way to finals day and have won each of their last seven, it's something of a surprise that Lancashire aren't favourites. England's Jimmy Anderson and Jos Buttler have been cleared to play. Anderson's inclusion is a bonus, especially with seamer Kabir Ali facing a late test on his right shoulder. But the chances of the final being a battle between Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen appear to be receding, owing to Freddie's on-going calf problem.
Prediction: Runners-up in 2005, semi-finalists on three occasions and quarter-finalists four. Their time has to come soon. Buoyed by a cliffhanging championship victory over Durham on Monday, which keeps their Division One survival hopes alive, Lancashire's week looks set to end on a high.

SURREY
Odds: 9-4 favourites.
Key man: Jason Roy (619 NatWest T20 runs at an average of 47.51).
Handy man to have in your side: Gareth Batty.
Bat or bowl first? Surrey much prefer to chase. 70% of their victories in this year's competition were successful chases.
Fast bowlers Jade Dernbach (hamstring) and Matthew Dunn (back) look set to be fit in time for the big day, which is a relief given Surrey's faultless bowling display in the quarter-final victory over Worcestershire. Kevin O'Brien also returns, following his stint in the Caribbean Premier League, and could well take the opener's spot vacated by Tillakaratne Dilshan. But the stage is set for another returnee - a certain Kevin Pietersen, who has spent the last week sunning himself in Miami.
Prediction: Surrey will have just one player on show who has made a match-winning half-century in this summer's NatWest T20 Blast. That man, of course, is Jason Roy. It's a heck of a responsibility for a 24-year-old to carry on his shoulders. Whichever team is in front when Jason is removing his pads in the first semi-final will go head-to-head with either Hampshire or Lancashire.

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