Northamptonshire Steelbacks and Worcestershire Rapids have bagged the coveted Friday night slot on Sky Sports, Worcestershire again in front of the TV cameras having played out a thrilling tie with Nottinghamshire Outlaws on Wednesday.

Having raced to 76-0, quite how the Outlaws failed to chase down a victory target of 153 is still hard to fathom, but great credit must go to a Rapids bowling attack that is sure to rely heavily on spin duo MOEEN ALI and Ish Sodhi throughout the summer.

Sodhi was a late signing in place of Sandeep Lamichhane but he bowled beautifully on Wednesday and the veteran Kiwi will be a handful if the dry weather in England continues.

Two wickets for Moeen suggests he is set to continue the rich vein of form he displayed at the IPL for Chennai Super Kings and he looks worth a bet for Man of the Match honours.

Before the IPL was postponed, Ali had struck 206 runs in only six matches at a strike-rate of 157.25, while his bowling had earned him five wickets.

With his Test career now seemingly over, and perhaps the pressures that come with it also lifted from his shoulders, Ali played with real freedom and confidence in India, and we can expect more of the same this summer.

As ever, he is Worcestershire’s captain and main man in this form of the game and I’m happy to bet that he can drive his side to victory on this occasion.