2022 T20 Blast

2022 Vitality Blast
Dates25 May – 16 July 2022
Administrator(s)England and Wales Cricket Board
Cricket formatTwenty20
Tournament format(s)Group stage and knockout
ChampionsHampshire Hawks (3rd title)
Participants18
Matches133
Most runsJames Vince (678) (Hampshire Hawks)
Most wicketsRichard Gleeson (25) (Lancashire Lightning)
Official websiteVitality Blast
← 2021
2023 →

The 2022 Vitality Blast was the twentieth edition of the T20 Blast (currently known as the Vitality Blast), a professional Twenty20 cricket league played in England and Wales. The tournament was held from 25 May to 16 July 2022.[1] The tournament was run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), was branded as the Vitality Blast due to the tournament's sponsorship reason.[2] The Kent Spitfires were the defending champions, having won their second title during previous season.[3] On 20 January 2022, the ECB announced the fixtures for the tournament.[4]

On 17 June 2022, in the North Group match between the Birmingham Bears and the Notts Outlaws, the Birmingham Bears set a new record for the highest total in an English T20 match, with 261/2.[5] Four days later, Surrey became the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals, with their ninth win out of ten games.[6] Following the conclusion of matches played on 1 July 2022, Somerset,[7] the Essex Eagles,[8] and the Hampshire Hawks from the South Group had all confirmed their places in the quarter-finals.[9] The Birmingham Bears also qualified, after winning the North Group.[10] The Derbyshire Falcons and the Lancashire Lightning also qualified from the North Group,[11] with the Yorkshire Vikings taking the final place in the quarter-finals.[12]

The Yorkshire Vikings,[13] the Hampshire Hawks,[14] Lancashire Lightning[15] and Somerset[16] all won their quarter-final matches to secure their places at Finals Day. In Somerset's match, against the Derbyshire Falcons, Somerset set a new record for the highest team total in an English T20 match, with 265/5, breaking the record set earlier in the tournament by the Birmingham Bears.[17] In the final, the Hampshire Hawks beat Lancashire Lightning by one run to win their third title.[18]

  1. ^ "Domestic fixtures for 2022 season announced". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  2. ^ "All you need to know about the 2022 Vitality Blast". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  3. ^ "T20 Blast final: Kent Spitfires beat Somerset to lift trophy for second time". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  4. ^ "2022 Vitality Blast fixtures". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  5. ^ "T20 Blast: Birmingham Bears hit record total in win over Notts Outlaws, Surrey maintain unbeaten start". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  6. ^ "T20 Blast: Surrey beat Somerset in final-ball thriller as Gloucestershire, Glamorgan, Leics & Derbyshire also win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Somerset in quarters as Josh Davey inflicts another defeat on Middleex". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Simon Harmer throttles Sussex's hopes in 28-run win". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Hampshire through to knockouts as James Fuller, Liam Dawson extinguish Gloucestershire hopes". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Birmingham ride on Paul Stirling 81 to leave Yorkshire fate in the balance". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  11. ^ "T20 Blast 2022: Final round permutations as the quarter-final race hots up". The Cricketer. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  12. ^ "T20 Blast: Derbyshire win over Durham gives hope of home quarter-final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Yorkshire CCC: Jordan Thompson keen to repeat his T20 Blast heroics for Vikings on Finals Day". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Hampshire Hawks hammer Birmingham Bears to qualify for Vitality Blast Finals Day". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  15. ^ "T20 Blast: Steven Croft stars as Lancashire beat Essex by seven wickets to reach Finals Day". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Rilee Rossouw gives Derbyshire a rocket in record-breaking Somerset win". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  17. ^ "T20 Blast: Somerset reach Finals Day as they break records to destroy Derbyshire at Taunton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  18. ^ "T20 Blast Finals Day: Hampshire beat Lancashire in double final-ball thriller to win for third time". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 July 2022.