WRW vs YOR Match Preview

The Bears added Moeen Ali and Ed Barnard to their squad from last season, a big plus, and lost out on Adam Hose and Olly Stone. Unfortunately, Moeen Ali and Glenn Maxwell (the overseas gun for the Bears) are not going to be available for this match as they are at the IPL. 

Keep in mind that the Bears finished first in the group stage last season and so are starting with s a strong base of players already.

The Bears also have Hasan Ali in their squad but he picked up a slight injury in the leadup to this game and may not be available for selection. We think Paul Stirling will step into the lineup until the entire squad becomes available. He leads a pretty strong batting lineup that also has Alex Davies, Sam Hain, Jacob Bethell, and Sam Mousley.

Chris Woakes (if made available by England) will step into the lineup as the all-rounder at 7.

A number of the bowlers for the Bears can score runs and that gives them a lot of depth.

Jake Lintott and Danny Briggs are two excellent spinners to have in the lineup. They will effectively control the middle order and play a massive role. Hasan Ali will also have to lead the pace attack now that Ollie Stone (the best Bears bowler by a margin) has left the squad. 

Yorkshire finished fourth in the North Group of the T20 Blast last season and eventually ended up losing in the semis. This season, they have added Matt Milnes, Ben Mike, Mickey Edwards, and Jafer Chohan to the group while getting rid of Tom Kohler-Cadmore, David Willey, Matthew Waite, and Tom Loten.

Losing Kohler-Cadmore and Willey is a massive loss and not easy to compensate for. 

David Wiese and Shan Masood are the overseas players, both good choices in our opinion. Wiese is quite underrated as a six-hitter and bowler while Shan Masood can the consistent batting force around which the rest of the team plays. 

For Yorkshire, player availability is always a massive problem. Harry Brook, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, and Adil Rashid are all a part of the squad but neither one of them will play this match. In fact, with the Test matches around, only Adil Rashid will really play a part this season (once he returns from the IPL).

Adam Lyth, Dawid Malan, Jonathan Tatrersall, and Jordan Thompson are the players that will lead the batting lineup. A lot of impressive options showing the depth that is still present in Yorkshire cricket.

The lineup is a bit left-hander and top-order heavy but the depth is also not bad. 

The bolwing lineup seems to be a bit on the weaker side, especially without Adil Rashid being available. Jordan Thompson and Matthew Revis will lead the attack with support from Dom Bess and Matthew Fisher.

Weather Report

The weather forecast appears to be pretty good at the moment and we don't expect any interruptions.

Pitch Report

The average first inning score at Edgbaston is 171 but the average first inning winning score is 186. That makes it a pretty good venue for batting, something that is the norm across the T20 Blast. Expect the batters to dominate and target the short square boundaries. 

Notable stats

Sam Hain: Middle Order Rock

Hain score 388 runs for the Bears last season and will have to play a central role in the T20 Blast 2023 season as well. He has scored 606 runs in 427 deliveries at a strike rate of 142 since 2022.

Team News

Both teams have not reported any major injuries in the leadup to ths match but Hasan Ali remains a bit doubtful for this match.

WRW vs YOR Probable 11

WRW Playing 11

  • Jacob Bethell
  • Paul Stirling
  • Alex Davies
  • Sam Hain (C)
  • Dan Mousley (Wk)
  • Chris Benjamin
  • Hasan Ali
  • Jake Lintott
  • Chris Woakes
  • Danny Briggs
  • Henry Brookes

YOR Playing 11

  • Adam Lyth (C)
  • Dawid Malan
  • Shan Masood
  • Jonathan Tattersall (Wk)
  • Jordan Thompson
  • Will Fraine
  • George Hill
  • Ben Mike
  • Dom Bess
  • Matthew Fisher
  • Jafer Chohan
This is not the official playing 11 for the match. This is a prediction of the expected playing 11 for each team based on the writers analysis.

Dream11 Prediction

We have the Birmingham Bears winning this match thanks to their familirity with home conditions, an excellent record last season, and a more settled lineup that is well stocked in all departments. 

Top Picks

Jake Lintott - An absolute gun in the middle overs, Lintott was the leading wicket-taker for the Birmingham Bears last season. He picked up 22 wickets and had an excellent economy rate as well. 

Adam Lyth - We rate Lyth very highly as a T20 player. He scored 525 runs last season, strikes the ball well from the start, and is very good against the pacers. 

Matthew Revis - The second highest wicket-taker for Yorkshire last season with 14 scalps, we think Revis is ready to take the next step in his development. He could be a nice differentiator for your lineup.

WRW vs YOR Dream11 Team 1

Keeper: A Davies (C)

Batters: P Stirling, A Lyth, S Masood, D Malan, S Hain, J Bethell

All-rounders: J Thompson (VC), M Revis

Bowlers: C Woakes, J Lintott

WRW vs YOR Dream11 Prediction - OCB Team Prediction