04-18-2019, 06:49 AM
The international season got underway on Thursday, but lovers of the shortest form of the game are also well catered for on Sky Sports this summer, because the NatWest T20 Blast starts on Friday night. The tournament is set to play out in front of packed crowds with ticket sales up a third on last year, as fans eagerly book in advance to make sure they can watch some of the biggest names in world cricket.And Englands vibrant performances at the World T20 in India, where they reached the final before losing a thriller to West Indies, have really whetted the appetite for this years Blast. Six matches get the tournament going on Thursday night and the Sky Sports 2 cameras will be at Chelmsford to watch Essex Eagles take on Surrey under the floodlights.Essex are looking to reach finals day (Edgbaston, August 20) for the first time since 2013 and they have a squad packed with quality T20 performers.Former England man Ravi Bopara has taken over as one-day skipper and he will be joined in the side by other crowd pleasers such as Jesse Ryder, Ryan ten Doeschate, Graham Napier and experienced wicket-keeper James Foster. The T20 Blast is back this Friday as the Essex Eagles takes on Surrey, live on Sky Sports 2 from 7pm Most intriguingly of all, top-notch Pakistan international paceman Wahab Riaz is set to make his debut for the Eagles, having previously played for Kent and Surrey.Essex may also give a debut to another Pakistani in the shape of Ashar Zaidi, an all-rounder who was player of the tournament in the 2015 Bangladesh Premier League.However, the Eagles will have their work cut out on Friday against a Surrey side who can name one of the greatest batsmen of all time in their T20 squad. Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara is a prolific run scorer in all formats Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara has been in prolific form in the County Championship this summer but is also an excellent white ball performer, winning the man-of-the-match award in the World T20 final of 2014 after making an unbeaten half-century to steer his country to glory.Big-hitting Jason Roy played some superb innings for England in this years World T20 and is also a reliable source of runs at the top of the Surrey order.The duo will be key figures in a side which could also include Steven Davies, Azhar Mahmood and a pair of hugely exciting prospects in the shape of the Curran brothers, Sam and Tom. Big-hitting Chris Gayle was a big hit at Somerset last summer! Once the Indian Premier League has finished, some of the games biggest hitters will be heading around the other counties, headed by master blaster Chris Gayle, who will be back for a second spell with Somerset.The West Indian smashed 29 sixes in the tournament last year and several of Somersets home games have already sold out, with punters eager to watch Gayle - and the Sri Lankan great Mahela Jaywardene.Other household names who will be in action at various times during the Blast will be Brendon McCullum (Middlesex), Shahid Afridi and Darren Sammy (both Hampshire), Ross Taylor (Sussex) and Dale Steyn (Glamorgan). Lancashire ran out deserved winners of the Blast in 2015 Top-class New Zealand opener Martin Guptill will be at Lancashire Lightning, and it is easy to argue that last years winners go into the tournament as the team to beat once again.Guptil will be joined in the batting line-up by Englands Jos Buttler, one of the most destructive T20 players on the planet on his day, and the Lightning also have an array of spinners well-versed in keeping things tight under pressure.Dont miss Essex Eagles v Surrey in the T20 Blast, live on Sky Sports 2 HD from 7pm on Friday. Also See: Glamorgan to unveil Steyn WATCH: Top Blast catches of 2015 WATCH: Blast funnies 2015 WATCH: Top Blast moments Calgary Flames Jerseys . The team reported the signing on its website Thursday, but said Friday the deal was off in "a mutual parting of the ways that had to do with the language of the contract. Theoren Fleury Jersey . You can watch coverage on TSN, TSN2 and CTV beginning today at 3pm et/Noon pt. 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Spezza scored a power-play goal with 5 minutes left and Stephane Da Costa had the other two goals to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.WINNIPEG -- Head coach Mike OShea checked himself as he was describing how he felt about a pass interference rule change that was a contributing factor to his Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-22 pre-season loss to the Toronto Argos. Toronto coach Scott Milanovich was the first in the CFL to avail himself of the chance to challenge the officials failure to rule pass interference on a play and subject it to video review. His challenge stood and it helped set up Steve Slatons second touchdown of the game to put Toronto ahead 24-16. "It worked out well for coach Milanovich, for Scott, and it was pass interference, I believe it was pass interference," he said. "The rule worked and do I like the rule? Not really. There might be some problems with it at some point." But he cut himself off when asked to go any further. "I dont think Im allowed to talk about it." The loss hurt but he was happy with a lot of what he saw on the field. The Bombers saw CFL rookie running backs Paris Cotton and Nic Grigsby deliver some of the same stuff theyve flashed in practice and Canadian receiver Julian Feoli-Gudino scored his first touchdown. They also got solid performances from the two players auditioning for the kicking job. Slaton meanwhile was also happy after his performance and while it was only a pre-season game he said a win is always worth something. "Yeah, everybodys competing for jobs," he said of the solid performance of some Argos rookies. Toronto got a few good carries from running back Jeremiah Johnson, those two touchdowns from Slaton and a solid first quarter out of quarterback Trevor Harris, not a rookie but a likely candidate to move up to Ricky Rays No. 1 backup this season. Harris completed eight of 12 throws for 81 yards. Drew Willy debuted as the starting quarterback for the Bombers. Willy completed six of his 12 passing attempts for 108 yards and one touchdown before he left the game. "Its fun to get out and play in a real game with these guys," he said. Running back Anthony Coombs also got to appear in front of a hometown crowd Monday as a CFL player for the first time, although not in a Bombers uniform. The former University of Manitoba Bison was drafted by the Argos third overall this year. He had six carries for 19 yards rushing, another four yards on a punt return and 30 on a kickoff return. "Any role that they put me in I just want to help the team," he said. "Theyve got me on some special teams, some running back, Im very versatile so whatever they see fit that I can contribute the most Ill be more than willing to do to help us win.dddddddddddd" He also said he had few friends in the stands. The Bisons share Investors Group Field with the Bombers and is located on the campus of the University of Manitoba. "The response was good. I had a couple of cheers." The CFL Players Association is expected to vote this week on a tentative contract with the league that may determine whether the pre-season, or regular season, continues beyond Monday. Glenn January is Winnipegs CFL players representative and he says he doesnt know when the vote will be held. "My job as a player rep is just to inform the guys, Im not here to sway them one way or the other," he said. "Well definitely sit down tomorrow and hammer everything out and have a nice little session of discussions and see where we go from there." The Bombers scored first on a 43-yard field goal from Lirim Hajrullahu, a rookie Canadian out of Western, set up by a 47-yard pass from Willy to veteran receiver Clarence Denmark. Toronto made it 7-3 with a little more that three minutes to go in the first after a one-yard run by sophomore running back Curtis Steele. Slaton then ran 13 yards for Torontos second touchdown about three minutes into the second quarter as the Argos moved ahead 14-3. The Bombers came back with a solid 76-yard drive capped by a short touchdown pass to an unguarded Feoli-Gudino and closed the gap to four points. Brett Maher closed it to one with a 47-yard field goal before the first half ended. Maher is the import also vying for the kickers job and he had a 35-yarder in the fourth. Torontos Josh Jasper missed a 41-yard field-goal attempt in the third but connected with a 14-yard kick later in the quarter. Both teams had touchdowns called back. The Bombers lost theirs on a penalty and Toronto did so when a video replay showed the ball was lost before it broke the goal line. Winnipeg tested all four of its quarterbacks Monday. Toronto didnt dress veteran starting quarterback Ricky Ray, going with their three backups. The two teams should know each other well, although both have made significant changes since last season. Former Winnipeg head coach Tim Burke (defensive co-ordinator) heads a cast of former Bomber coaches now working for the Argonauts and former Toronto special teams co-ordinator Mike OShea took over from Burke as head coach of the Bombers. If it isnt derailed by a work stoppage, the Bombers and Argos are also set to open the regular CFL season when they meet again in Winnipeg June 26. The attendance for the game was 24,000. ' ' '