Natwest T20 Blast 2017 to kick off from July 7

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The constant tinkering with county cricket's schedule in recent years has been a bit like the Hokey Cokey: you put your schedule in, you take your schedule out, in, out, in, out and shake it all about. And this year is no different with more changes to the shape and feel of England's domestic season, confirmed today (November 24) with the release of next season's Natwest T20 Blast fixtures. The remaining county schedule will be released later this evening.

In a change to last year's format, the group stages of next year's Blast will take place in a six-week block, starting on July 7 and ending on August 18, aimed to coincide with the best of the English summer weather and the school holidays. There will be no 50-over cricket throughout the group stages to distract and minimal Championship action too.

The quarter-finals will be played the week after the end of the group stages and Finals Day, which will be hosted at Edgbaston as last season, will take place on September 2. The competition format has not changed, with two groups - North and South - of nine teams, each playing 14 group games. In all, there will be 133 matches, 86 of which will be played under floodlights.

Reigning Champions Northamptonshire start their campaign at home against Derbyshire and then two days later will take on last season's runners-up Durham at The Riverside. The two losing semi-finalists from last year's competition, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, will play each other on the first match day and the best team from the last season's South group, Gloucestershire, open their campaign at home to Championship winners Middlesex.

Other notable fixtures are the two Roses matches between Yorkshire and Lancashire on July 14 at Old Trafford and at Headingley on August 11, and the London derbies between Surrey and Middlesex at Lord's on July 13 and at The Kia Oval on July 21. There will also be matches at several outgrounds including Arundel, Beckenham, Chesterfield and Cheltenham.

Whilst the school holidays and weather are important for drawing crowds in, the new format is also intended to allow the players to focus better on specific formats of the game, to develop their skills in practice and matchplay without constantly swapping between 50 and 20-over cricket and the County Championship.

Several prominent players such as Alex Hales have been vocal in their support for a block of T20 fixtures for just that reason and it is a persuasive argument. Whatever the advantages for the players, though and the intention of attracting kids in the holidays, the new schedule does carry the risk that families will not be able to afford to attend a number of games in such a short space of time.

Derbyshire have three home games in six days starting July 25 and Leicestershire have five home games in 15 days at one stage. Last season, with the games spread over a two-month period, mainly on Friday evenings, expenditure was more easily spread out and planned for.

The new schedule also carries a risk for the counties themselves. In September, the ECB voted to continue to review a city-based franchise competition in the mould of the IPL and Australia's Big Bash. It is clear that the proposal has gained serious momentum and if next season's block of fixtures, which would be similar to the schedule for any new competition, works for players and spectators, it would give a serious boost to the proposal.

Natwest T20 Blast 2017, Full Schedule:

Date Home Team Away Team Venue Type

Friday, July 07, 2017 Yorkshire Nottinghamshire Headingley Group

Friday, July 07, 2017 Durham Lancashire Emirates Riverside Group

Friday, July 07, 2017 Essex Surrey Chelmsford Group

Friday, July 07, 2017 Glamorgan Hampshire SSE SWALEC Group

Friday, July 07, 2017 Gloucestershire Middlesex Cheltenham Group

Friday, July 07, 2017 Northamptonshire Derbyshire Northampton Group

Friday, July 07, 2017 Worcestershire Birmingham New Road Group

Saturday, July 08, 2017
Derbyshire Yorkshire Chesterfield Group

Saturday, July 08, 2017
Birmingham Nottinghamshire Edgbaston Group

Sunday, July 09, 2017
Durham Northamptonshire Emirates Riverside Group

Sunday, July 09, 2017
Kent Essex Beckenham Group

Sunday, July 09, 2017
Lancashire Leicestershire TBC Group

Sunday, July 09, 2017
Surrey Somerset Kia Oval Group

Sunday, July 09, 2017
Sussex Glamorgan Arundel Group

Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Northamptonshire Yorkshire Northampton Group

Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Sussex Hampshire
The 1st Central County Ground
Group

Thursday, July 13, 2017
Middlesex Surrey Lord's Group

Thursday, July 13, 2017
Essex Somerset Chelmsford Group

Thursday, July 13, 2017
Gloucestershire Kent Cheltenham Group

Friday, July 14, 2017 Hampshire Middlesex Ageas Bowl Group

Friday, July 14, 2017 Lancashire Yorkshire Emirates Old Trafford Group

Friday, July 14, 2017 Surrey Kent Kia Oval Group

Friday, July 14, 2017 Worcestershire Leicestershire New Road Group

Friday, July 14, 2017 Birmingham Northamptonshire Edgbaston Group

Saturday, July 15, 2017
Glamorgan Somerset SSE SWALEC Group

Sunday, July 16, 2017
Middlesex Somerset TBC Group

Sunday, July 16, 2017
Essex Glamorgan Chelmsford Group

Sunday, July 16, 2017
Gloucestershire Sussex Cheltenham Group

Sunday, July 16, 2017
Birmingham Leicestershire Edgbaston Group

Sunday, July 16, 2017
Lancashire Derbyshire TBC Group

Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Kent Gloucestershire Canterbury Group

Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Surrey Essex Kia Oval Group

Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Worcestershire Derbyshire New Road Group

Thursday, July 20, 2017
Middlesex Kent TBC Group

Thursday, July 20, 2017
Hampshire Sussex Ageas Bowl Group

Thursday, July 20, 2017
Durham Leicestershire Emirates Riverside Group

Friday, July 21, 2017 Worcestershire Lancashire New Road Group

Friday, July 21, 2017 Surrey Middlesex Kia Oval Group

Friday, July 21, 2017 Somerset Gloucestershire
The Cooper Associates County Ground
Group

Friday, July 21, 2017 Nottinghamshire Derbyshire Trent Bridge Group

Friday, July 21, 2017 Leicestershire Northamptonshire
The Fischer County Ground, Grace Road
Group

Friday, July 21, 2017 Glamorgan Sussex SSE SWALEC Group

Friday, July 21, 2017 Yorkshire Birmingham Headingley Group

Friday, July 21, 2017 Essex Hampshire Chelmsford Group

Saturday, July 22, 2017
Nottinghamshire Northamptonshire Trent Bridge Group

Sunday, July 23, 2017
Lancashire Durham Emirates Old Trafford Group

Sunday, July 23, 2017
Birmingham Derbyshire Edgbaston Group

Sunday, July 23, 2017
Sussex Kent
The 1st Central County Ground
Group

Sunday, July 23, 2017
Somerset Middlesex
The Cooper Associates County Ground
Group

Sunday, July 23, 2017
Glamorgan Essex SSE SWALEC Group

Sunday, July 23, 2017
Yorkshire Worcestershire Headingley Group

Sunday, July 23, 2017
Hampshire Surrey Ageas Bowl Group

Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Durham Nottinghamshire Emirates Riverside Group

Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Gloucestershire Glamorgan
The Brightside Ground, Bristol
Group

Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Leicestershire Birmingham
The Fischer County Ground, Grace Road
Group

Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Derbyshire Lancashire
The 3aaa County Ground
Group

Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Yorkshire Durham Headingley Group

Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Nottinghamshire Worcestershire Trent Bridge Group

Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Somerset Hampshire
The Cooper Associates County Ground
Group

Thursday, July 27, 2017
Northamptonshire Worcestershire Northampton Group

Thursday, July 27, 2017
Kent Somerset Canterbury Group

Thursday, July 27, 2017
Middlesex Essex Lord's Group

Friday, July 28, 2017 Leicestershire Durham
The Fischer County Ground, Grace Road
Group

Friday, July 28, 2017 Sussex Middlesex
The 1st Central County Ground
Group

Friday, July 28, 2017 Lancashire Nottinghamshire Emirates Old Trafford Group

Friday, July 28, 2017 Gloucestershire Hampshire
The Brightside Ground, Bristol
Group

Friday, July 28, 2017 Derbyshire Northamptonshire
The 3aaa County Ground
Group

Friday, July 28, 2017 Birmingham Yorkshire Edgbaston Group

Friday, July 28, 2017 Glamorgan Surrey SSE SWALEC Group

Saturday, July 29, 2017
Essex Gloucestershire Chelmsford Group

Sunday, July 30, 2017
Somerset Sussex
The Cooper Associates County Ground
Group

Sunday, July 30, 2017
Birmingham Lancashire Edgbaston Group

Sunday, July 30, 2017
Kent Glamorgan Canterbury Group

Sunday, July 30, 2017
Derbyshire Leicestershire
The 3aaa County Ground
Group

Sunday, July 30, 2017
Worcestershire Durham New Road Group

Sunday, July 30, 2017
Nottinghamshire Yorkshire Trent Bridge Group

Tuesday, August 01, 2017
Northamptonshire Birmingham Northampton Group

Tuesday, August 01, 2017
Hampshire Kent Ageas Bowl Group

Wednesday, August 02, 2017
Leicestershire Nottinghamshire
The Fischer County Ground, Grace Road
Group

Thursday, August 03, 2017
Glamorgan Gloucestershire SSE SWALEC Group

Thursday, August 03, 2017
Yorkshire Derbyshire Headingley Group

Thursday, August 03, 2017
Sussex Surrey
The 1st Central County Ground
Group

Thursday, August 03, 2017
Middlesex Hampshire Lord's Group

Thursday, August 03, 2017
Northamptonshire Lancashire Northampton Group

Friday, August 04, 2017
Surrey Glamorgan Kia Oval Group

Friday, August 04, 2017
Birmingham Worcestershire Edgbaston Group

Friday, August 04, 2017
Durham Yorkshire Emirates Riverside Group

Friday, August 04, 2017
Leicestershire Lancashire
The Fischer County Ground, Grace Road
Group

Friday, August 04, 2017
Kent Sussex Canterbury Group

Friday, August 04, 2017
Gloucestershire Somerset
The Brightside Ground, Bristol
Group

Friday, August 04, 2017
Derbyshire Nottinghamshire
The 3aaa County Ground
Group

Friday, August 04, 2017
Hampshire Essex Ageas Bowl Group

Saturday, August 05, 2017
Nottinghamshire Durham Trent Bridge Group

Saturday, August 05, 2017
Worcestershire Northamptonshire New Road Group

Sunday, August 06, 2017
Somerset Surrey
The Cooper Associates County Ground
Group

Thursday, August 10, 2017
Hampshire Glamorgan Ageas Bowl Group

Thursday, August 10, 2017
Middlesex Sussex Lord's Group

Friday, August 11, 2017
Durham Worcestershire Emirates Riverside Group

Friday, August 11, 2017
Nottinghamshire Birmingham Trent Bridge Group

Friday, August 11, 2017
Sussex Gloucestershire
The 1st Central County Ground
Group

Friday, August 11, 2017
Northamptonshire Leicestershire Northampton Group

Friday, August 11, 2017
Kent Hampshire Canterbury Group

Friday, August 11, 2017
Essex Middlesex Chelmsford Group

Friday, August 11, 2017
Yorkshire Lancashire Headingley Group

Saturday, August 12, 2017
Somerset Kent
The Cooper Associates County Ground
Group

Saturday, August 12, 2017
Leicestershire Yorkshire
The Fischer County Ground, Grace Road
Group

Sunday, August 13, 2017
Gloucestershire Essex
The Brightside Ground, Bristol
Group

Sunday, August 13, 2017
Somerset Glamorgan
The Cooper Associates County Ground
Group

Sunday, August 13, 2017
Surrey Sussex Kia Oval Group

Sunday, August 13, 2017
Worcestershire Nottinghamshire New Road Group

Sunday, August 13, 2017
Durham Birmingham Emirates Riverside Group

Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Derbyshire Durham
The 3aaa County Ground
Group

Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Middlesex Gloucestershire TBC Group

Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Lancashire Worcestershire Emirates Old Trafford Group

Thursday, August 17, 2017
Essex Kent Chelmsford Group

Thursday, August 17, 2017
Leicestershire Derbyshire
The Fischer County Ground, Grace Road
Group

Thursday, August 17, 2017
Surrey Gloucestershire Kia Oval Group

Thursday, August 17, 2017
Yorkshire Northamptonshire Headingley Group

Friday, August 18, 2017
Lancashire Birmingham Emirates Old Trafford Group

Friday, August 18, 2017
Sussex Essex
The 1st Central County Ground
Group

Friday, August 18, 2017
Northamptonshire Durham Northampton Group

Friday, August 18, 2017
Kent Surrey Canterbury Group

Friday, August 18, 2017
Hampshire Somerset Ageas Bowl Group

Friday, August 18, 2017
Glamorgan Middlesex SSE SWALEC Group

Friday, August 18, 2017
Derbyshire Worcestershire
The 3aaa County Ground
Group

Friday, August 18, 2017
Nottinghamshire Leicestershire Trent Bridge Group

Tuesday, August 22, 2017
TBC TBC TBC Quarters

Wednesday, August 23, 2017
TBC TBC TBC Quarters

Thursday, August 24, 2017
TBC TBC TBC Quarters

Friday, August 25, 2017
TBC TBC TBC Quarters

Saturday, September 02, 2017
TBC TBC Edgbaston Semis

Saturday, September 02, 2017
TBC TBC Edgbaston Semis

Saturday, September 02, 2017
TBC TBC Edgbaston Final

Natwest T20 Blast 2017 to kick off from July 7 - Cricbuzz
 
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