Live blog on today's three NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals, as Surrey, Lancashire Lightning and Birmingham Bears secured places at finals day.
By Matt Somerford and Dominic Farrell
9.30pm - That’s all from us tonight, as players from Surrey, Lancashire and Birmingham retire to bed with a good deal of satisfaction. Join us tomorrow to find out whether Notts Outlaws or Hampshire join that trio at finals day.
We’ll catch you then. Here’s a summary of today’s results.
Surrey (144/7) beat Worcestershire Rapids (141/9) by three wickets at the Kia Oval. Jason Roy’s now expected pyrotechnics at the top of the order meant Surrey were able to sustain a late wobble and see off the Rapids
Lancashire Lightning (137/8) beat Glamorgan (136/7) by one run at Emirates Old Trafford. Glamorgan looked to be firmly on the road to Edgbaston before Jordan Clark illuminated a soggy Old Trafford with a simply sensational triple-wicket maiden. Earlier, Usman Khawaja’s half-century was vital to the Red Rose posting a competitive total.
Birmingham Bears (197/2) beat Essex Eagles (178/5) by 19 runs at the Essex County Ground. Varun Chopra and man-of-the-match Rikki Clarke were Birmingham’s heroes with the bat before Essex battled gamely, but lacked an individual innings of similar substance despite Ryan ten Doeschate's customary fireworks.
Post-match reaction
Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate: "I don’t think we got our skills right tonight but you can’t take anything away from Chops and Rikki. It wasn’t a 200-run wicket. We didn’t execute yorkers particularly well. Overall, I think the Bears out-skilled us tonight.
"I thought if we got to under 20 for the last over then we’d have a chance but those slower balls really gripped. Gordon out-thought me there.
"It is disappointing. I’m very proud of the way the guys have played all year. The volume of runs the batters have scored has been incredible; the bowling injuries have been tough.”
Birmingham all-rounder and man of the match Rikki Clarke: "Obviously it’s a very difficult place to come and I’ll definitely be sharing this (bottle of champagne) with Varun Chopra after his knock at the top of the innings.
“Our formula is that the lads bat through a little bit for us to come in at the end and play with a bit of freedom. To come to a place like this (and win) it definitely works.
“You never know at Chelmsford, they’ve got a brilliant line-up. Ten Doeschate was playing unbelievably well.
“2003 was the last time we reached a finals day so we’re going to stay very well grounded and hopefully we can go all the way.”
10pm - RESULT! Birmingham Bears (197/2) beat Essex Eagles (178/5) by 19 runs at the Essex County Ground. Having snuck into the the quarter-finals, Birmingham unseat one of the country’s form sides to secure a home finals-day appearance. Brilliant innings from Varun Chopra and Rikki Clarke paved the way for success and the Bears’ bowlers found wickets at vital times whenever the Eagles appeared set to challenge their daunting total.
8.56pm - Gordon pulls things back very well after those early boundaries and Essex need 29 from the last over. Birmingham are almost there.
8.53pm - DROPPED! Oh, how Evans and Warwickshire might rue that. Ten Doeschate is dropped and runs two, with Gordon wides either side. Essex need 32 from nine and the visitors appears to be feeling the pressure slightly.
8.52pm - Ten Doeschate pulls Gordon for a powerful, flat six and chips him for four down the ground. That’s a 30-ball half-century and Essex need 35 from 10. Surely they can’t… can they?
8.46pm - Patel ends a superb spell with figures of 0-23, meaning Essex require an imposing 56 from the final three overs. Oliver Hannon-Dalby will bowl the first of those.
8.42pm - WICKET! Foster c sub b Rankin 15; Essex 134/5 - Foster’s eight-ball cameo ends as he targets another six. In comes Tim Phillips for Essex, who still have Graham Napier to come.
8.36pm - That, maybe, should have been that for Essex. Ten Doeschate sends one spiralling but the ball drops over Rikki Clarke as the normally reliable fielder makes an untimely misjudgement. The next delivery is planted over wide long-on for a maximum; two balls later James Foster gets the same result. Essex need 77 from the last five overs.
8.32pm - WICKET! Bopara c Evans b Gordon 24; Essex 102/4 - But he goes next ball! Bopara sends a waist high full-toss down Laurie Evans’ throat on the midwicket fence. Huge wicket.
8.31pm - If Essex bill players for lost balls, Bopara is making this an expensive evening for himself. Gordon clattered country mile (give or take!) over long-on.
8.29pm - The required rate for Essex is almost up to 15, as Jeetan Patel sends down another miserly over. His three have cost just 15. Recordo Gordon is into the attack and this could be a key moment - Bopara and ten Doeschate have enjoyed pace on the ball.
8.25pm - Brilliant scenes from Clark and the Lancashire lads in the tweet below. I dare say the all-rounder will not enjoy conceding a four that much for the rest of his career!
Match Action: The moment Lancs clinched victory @clarksy16 shows his delight http://t.co/uH2GDVZu3i
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) August 2, 2014
8.21pm - RAVI! The only people spilling drinks from that one are probably about a mile down the road - the England all-rounder launches Rankin back over his head and the ball sails out of the ground. Ryan ten Doeschate clips the replacement down to fine leg for four more. Essex’s best chance probably lies with this partnership.
8.17pm - A one-bounce four to the midwicket boundary from Ravi Bopara causes a member of the Chelmsford faithful to spill his pint. A few more of those and the unlucky punter won’t mind a jot!
Man of the match @Clarksy16 speaking to the media after his stunning performance @NatWestT20Blast#LANvGLAMpic.twitter.com/8po9Lfp9kO
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) August 2, 2014
8.10pm - WICKET! Pettini b Rankin 26; Essex 65/3. Full pint! Off stumps spinning out of the ground as Rankin comprehensively beats Mark Pettini for pace. That’s both set batsmen back in the pavilion and the Bears are in the box seat.
8.08pm - WICKET! Westley lbw b Rankin 13; Essex 64/2. Boyd Rankin is into the attack for the Bears and bang on the money straight away. His first delivery sees a strong lbw shout rejected but Tom Westley is trapped plumb in front next ball.
Boooooooom!!!!!
— Tom smith (@Tcp24) August 2, 2014
7.59pm - So, who out of Essex and Birmingham will be joining Surrey and Lancashire at the showpiece? The Eagles have started their chase well and are 49 for one at the start of the sixth over.
WICKET - Ryder tries to flick Gordon off his legs but finds Patel at mid-wicket. Essex 31-1 after three overs #YouBears
— Warwickshire CCC (@CricketingBears) August 2, 2014
7.44pm - 6th ball - RESULT! Lancashire Lightning (137/8) beat Glamorgan (136/7) by one run at Emirates Old Trafford. Salter works away four down to third man but Glamorgan fall agonisingly short. Rain meant this rescheduled contest lasted four-and-a-half hours but the sensational drama made every minute worthwhile. Jordan Clark’s spell to blow away Glamorgan’s lower middle order was ultimately decisive in Lancashire booking a fifth finals-day appearance and bears comparison with anything in the Red Rose club’s rich limited-overs history.
5th ball - Livewire work from Croft restricts Rudolph to a single. Andrew Salter must hit a maximum, or an unlikely five, off his second ball faced. Glamorgan would win by virtue of losing fewer wickets if the scores are tied.
4th ball - Rudolph drives and is dealing in twos. He has a brilliant 66 but must find a boundary.
3rd ball - DROPPED! White can’t hold on this time as Rudolph sends one skywards. That surely would have been that if the all-rounder had snaffled a tricky chance. As it is, Glamorgan need nine from three.
2nd ball - An uppercut over the wicketkeeper gets two more for Rudolph.
1st ball - Rudolph whips through midwicket, where Croft fields well, and gets back for two.
7.41pm - DROPPED! Ryder gets a let-off as Ateeq Javid runs round to shell a top-edged pull. In fairness, it would have been a fine catch but how dearly the Bears would have loved to see the back of the dangerous New Zealander.
Rudolph reverse-sweeps a four but it’s tidy enough from Jarvis elsewhere. Glamorgan need 15 off the last over - naturally to be bowled by Clark - and we’ll go ball-by-ball.
That's the stuff Jesse - huge 6 over fine leg! End of the over, and Essex have made a solid start - 8/0/ 190 from 114 balls #EssvBir
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) August 2, 2014
7.38pm - WICKET! Wagg c White b Jarvis 3; Glamorgan 114/7 - The bowling change works immediately, not least because White found himself under a steepler coming out of the sun to hold a fine catch. The batsmen cross to leave Rudolph on strike - exactly where Glamorgan need him.
7.36pm - Not the fireworks of his previous set of six, but it’s another superb over from Clark that costs just five. Rudolph did manage to slap one through extra cover to bring up a half-century. Glamorgan need 24 from 12 balls. Kyle Jarvis comes into the attack under no little pressure.
Essex's response to Birmingham's fine innings is underway. The visitors are without Chopra, who completed his innings with a runner following the Topley collision. Porterfield will be calling the shots in the field.
7.32pm - The first over after the restart costs nine. Glamorgan need 29 from the last three. Unsurprisingly, Clark will continue.
7.26pm - END OF INNINGS! Birmingham 197/2; Chopra 86, Clarke 70. The Bears might have been concerned after losing the toss but Essex will have their work cut out here after Chopra and Clarke play fine hands. The latter’s knock came from just 37 deliveries, while Chopra welted a pair of huge maximums in the final over.
Meanwhile, the teams are back out at Emirates Old Trafford. Wayne White to bowl to Rudolph, who holds a fair weight of Glamorgan’s hopes on his shoulders.
7.18pm - It’s a century stand for Chopra and Clarke, who have timed their assault perfectly so far. The score is 168 for two with two overs left and it might be time for some of the spectators at Chelmsford to take cover.
Bears are flying - Clarke's 50 comes up off just 27 balls with another 4. 156/2 off 17, and Essex will have to chase a big score #EssvBir
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) August 2, 2014
7.08pm - Thwack! Clarke booms a flat six over wide long-on. Essex need a wicket to check the Bears’ charge.
7.03pm - Chopra heads through to a fine-half century and his stand with Rikki Clarke for the third wicket is worth 58. The latter has 26 from 18 balls and the Bears are eying a big total on 121 for two in the 15th.
More superb Topley fielding in the deep prevents a 4. Chopra then hits a big 6. A 4 through 3rd man follows. Chopra is on 44. 88/2 off 11
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) August 2, 2014
6.44pm - WICKET! Lloyd c Smith b Clark 0; Glamorgan 100/6 - TRIPLE WICKET MAIDEN FOR JORDAN CLARK! Simply phenomenal stuff from Clark and Lancashire will really fancy their chances now. The strapping Cumbrian has time to see an lbw shout rejected before Smith pouches a fine catch at slip to remove David Lloyd without scoring.
As if this frankly ridiculous spell of 4-4 wasn’t enough, it’s started raining pretty heavily again at Emirates Old Trafford. Glamorgan still have Rudolph there unbeaten on 40 and will be delighted get back to the sanctuary of the dressing room for the time being, even though they are now behind on Duckworth-Lewis thanks to Clark.
6.41pm - WICKET! Walters b Clark 0; Glamorgan 100/5 - Bowled him again! Clark is sending the ball down with some serious heat from the Statham End and it’s simply too hot for new man Stewart Walters to handle.
6.40pm - WICKET! Webb b Bopara 1; Brimingham 63/2 - Ravi’s slower ball did the trick three balls ago but he pushes through a quicker one to break through Jonathon Webb’s defences.
6.39pm - WICKET! Cooke b Clark 2; Glamorgan 100/4 - Clark gets his second wicket as leg stump goes cartwheeling. These are exactly the kind of heroics Lancashire need to stand any chase.
6.37pm - WICKET! Porterfield b Bopara 32; Birmingham 61/1 - The England all-rounder crowns an impressive few minutes with the ball for Essex with one out of the back of the hand that grips and disturbs Porterfield’s furniture.
6.33pm WICKET! Goodwin b Clark 17; Glamorgan 92/3 - The veteran Zimbabwean aims an expansive stroke at Jordan Clark and chops on. Six overs to go.
6.32pm - Reece Topley doesn’t get a wicket with an lbw shout in his first over, but an enthusiastic appeal inadvertently sends Chopra tumbling as the Bears opener scampered a leg-bye. Nevertheless, the left-arm paceman starts with a highly impressive maiden as Porterfield gropes repeatedly outside off stump.
6.26pm - Rudolph moves to 32 with a four as Croft drops short, before Murray Goodwin dishes out more of the same off Parry. Glamorgan need 53 from 47 deliveries and are heavy favourites.
6.23pm - Porterfield and captain Varun Chopra are both striking it nicely for the Bears. Essex need a breakthrough with the score 49 without out loss after six.
Left-arm spinner Tim Phillips is into the attack.
WATCH @gwilson14 chatting to Church after Surrey book their place at Finals Day in @NatWestT20Blasthttp://t.co/f5hP5C7bc5
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) August 2, 2014
6.18pm - WICKET! Allenby c Horton b Croft 38; Glamorgan 64/2 - Boy, how Lancashire needed that. Skipper Paul Horton takes a stunning catch diving forward at short midwicket. Steven Croft is the bowler celebrating and he and fellow spinner Stephen Parry have a vital role to play as the operate in tandem during the middle overs.
6.11pm - A good third over for Birmingham shows Porterfield to be up and running, with Graham Napier’s first set of six costing 12.
Ashwell Prince tumbles over the midwicket boundary while holding a difficult chance from Rudolph. The South African follows that with four more and Glamorgan are very well-placed on 56 for one.
6.06pm - Essex are showing why they are such a tough nut to crack during the opening stages at Chelmsford. Will Porterfield drives inside-out for a handsome, one-bounce four but it’s otherwise miserly stuff from Tom Westley and David Masters as the first two overs cost just eight.
We will have a result now 5 overs of Glamorgan's inns has been completed. They are 31-1 (D/L is 30 after 5) need 107 off 90 balls
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) August 2, 2014
6.03pm - An edge through slip the ball after Smith is removed from the position shows fortune to be smiling on Allenby. He capitalises with another authoritative cut to the fence off Kyle Jarvis. In this mood, the Australian-born all-rounder could take the game away from Lancashire quickly.
6pm - Allenby drives and cuts Smith for a pair of fours and the Glamorgan skipper has 17 of his side’s 21 for one after four overs. They need 118 more.
The players are out and ready for action at the Essex County Ground.
We're all set here at Chelmsford for @EssexCricket vs @CricketingBears starting at 6pm. #NatWestBlast#quarterfinalpic.twitter.com/fsmIcFeYY2
— 5 live sports extra (@BBC5LSX) August 2, 2014
5.52pm - WICKET! Wallace c Davies b Smith 2; Glamorgan 5/1 - It’s a dream restart for Lancashire as Tom Smith, arguably their star performer across the formats this season, encourages the Glamorgan skipper to edge behind. Jacques Rudolph emerges from the pavilion and this stand with regular partner-in-crime Jim Allenby could be key.
The hover departs-hopefully for the last time today-and we are set to resume play @Tcp24 to bowl, Glamorgan 4-0 (1.1ov) Target 138 #LANvGLAM
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) August 2, 2014
5.45pm - History appears weighted against the Bears this evening. In six previous attempts they have never won a T20 quarter-final, while Essex are yet to lose one on home turf.
5.37pm - Roy, unsurprisingly, scoops the man-of-the-match award at the Kia Oval after another explosive display. Here’s what he told Sky Sports while clutching a well-earned bottle of bubbly.
“It was good fun. A lot of credit to our bowlers - they were quality out there on that pitch.
“I’ve worked hard and it’s just nice to get out there and express yourself. It’s not always easy chasing that sort of total.”
5.32pm - Essex Eagles win the toss and will bowl first at the Essex County Ground. Birmingham Bears must post a total against the South Group winners and there is bright sunshine at Chelmsford as the mopping-up operation continues in Manchester.
So @surreycricket are officially the first team at #T20Blast Finals Day. They've beaten @WorcsCCC by three wickets. pic.twitter.com/3pO6OGRB6a
— NatWest T20 Blast (@NatWestT20Blast) August 2, 2014
5.17pm - RESULT! Surrey (144/7) have defeated Worcestershire Rapids (141/9) by three wickets - Surrey get there in the end. Peterson flashes down the ground to the rope to send last season's runners-up back to finals day. They win with 21 balls in hand, but they almost made a meal of the chase after Roy's sensational start.
5.16pm - Robin Peterson swipes a six and now Surrey need just two runs.
5.12pm - WICKET! Ansari c Cox b Munro 2; Surrey 128/7 - Zafar Ansari falls to the short ball now. He gloves another attempted pull that lobs up for Ben Cox to take a simple catch with the gloves. Fifteen needed. Three wickets left. This is officially tense.
5.10pm - The news from Manchester is that the light rain persists and the covers remain on. That bowl-out lurks back into mind.
WICKET! Mahmood has gone, and Surrey are on 121 - 6. 21 from 34 needed: #T20Blastpic.twitter.com/mU6cU1mFZX
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 2, 2014
5.05pm - WICKET! Mahmood c Leach b McClenaghan 9; Surrey 121/6 - Did I say Surrey didn't need to anything stupid. Mahmood top-edges a hook that Leach holds onto in the deep. Not very sensible from the veteran with just ones and twos needed. They don't even need twos.
5.03pm - Surrey still do not have to do anything silly to win this. Mahmood makes sure they stay well in front by slapping Shantry over the midwicket rope. With six overs left Surrey need 22 runs.
4.53pm - WICKET! Burns run out (D'Oliveira) 2; Surrey 106/5 - What are Surrey doing? Rory Burns wanted to run on a misfield, but Azhar Mahmood was not interested at all. It still needed a Brett D'Oliveira direct-hit to catch him out as he dived back for his crease.
4.51pm - Rain has sent the players off at Old Trafford with Glamorgan four without loss after 1.1 overs. There is still plenty of time left to get the 3.5 overs needed to constitute a game.
4.49pm - WICKET! Pietersen c Kohler-Cadmore b Leach 29; Surrey 104/4 - Another soft dismissal. Surrey are keeping the Rapids interested here. Pietersen picks out mid-on when he really need not have.
Glam 4/0 after one over
— Glamorgan Cricket (@GlamCricket) August 2, 2014
4.44pm - WICKET! Wilson c Shantry b Leach 12; Surrey 89/3 - Wilson gets tucked up as he tries to pull and manages only to squeeze the ball to midwicket. A soft dismissal although the Rapids hardly celebrate it.
4.42pm - Surrey are coasting towards finals day. Kevin Pietersen and Gary Wilson both find the rope with clever shots behind the wicket after Mitchell brings himself on. The hosts need 54 from 11 overs.
4.34pm - END OF INNINGS! Lancs 137/8; Clark 6 Parry 0 - Apart from Khawaja's 67 no other Lancashire batsman got going. Croft was the next best scorer with 16. Wagg and Hogan both took three wickets to give Glamorgan real belief they can pull off yet another away upset this season.
White departs hitting out, Allenby the catcher at extra cover. Stephen Parry in for last 2 balls
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) August 2, 2014
4.28pm - WICKET! Roy c Mitchell b Shantry 52; Surrey 67/2 - Roy finally clinks one and Daryl Mitchell holds the catch at a deep mid-on. The powerplay is not yet over, but you feel the Surrey opener has taken the game away from Worcestershire already. A superb innings to further his growing reputation in the sprint format.
4.35pm FIFTY! Roy (20b 8x4 3x6) - I think those numbers on the left sum up what we're seeing from Roy. Fittingly, he brings up his half-century - his sixth in eight Blast games at the Kia Oval this season - with a straight six.
4.23pm - WICKET! Croft c Allenby b Wagg 16: Lancs 122/6 - Glamorgan claim two wickets in three balls to get both set batsmen. With nine balls left in the innings that is a major blow for the Lightning.
Lancs 121/5 as Cosker at backward point takes a superb diving catch to end Khawaja's innings on 67.
— Glamorgan Cricket (@GlamCricket) August 2, 2014
4.17pm - Khawaja has hit the first six of the innings in the 17th over. Again he targets the spin of Cosker and the Aussie is on 65 from 50 balls. The Lightning are 117 for four with three overs left.
4.15pm - WICKET! Dilshan c Choudhry b Shantry 1; Surrey 35/1 - The Dil-scoop lets down Dilshan. He balloons the ball up for Shaaiq Choudhry to walk around from short fine-leg and take the simple catch.
4.12pm - Roy is on a roll. He takes 18 from Mitch McClenaghan's first over including a bruising pull as he advanced down the wicket.
Fifty to @Uz_Khawaja off 42 balls. @LancsCCC 100-4 (15.1ov) #LANvGLAM
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) August 2, 2014
4.08pm - Jason Roy makes his intentions clear by smacking Jack Shantry over the long-off rope from the fourth ball of the innings. Surrey get 11 from the first over.
4.01pm - Lancashire are 77 for four after 12 overs. Khawaja is unbeaten on 36 off 33 balls and carrying the charge in difficult conditions after all of that rain.
Khawaja hit the first boundary in 22 balls in the last over from Dean Cosker. It is tough going.
3.55pm - END OF INNINGS! - Worcs 141/9; D'Oliveira 14 McClenaghan 3 - Despite the pitch being slightly on the slow side Worcestershire face a tough task to defend that score. Surrey bowled very well and never allowed the Rapids to get any momentum into their innings as wickets fell regularly.
Great diving catch by Murray Goodwin off a Horton reverse sweep top edge. @LancsCCC 67-4 (9.3) Khawaja 29. @Stevenjcroft new bat #LANvGLAM
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) August 2, 2014
3.51pm - WICKET! Shantry b Mahmood 8; Worcs 137/9 - Jack Shantry thumps the first ball of the final over for six and then misses the next. That is seven batsmen who have been bowled in this innings. New stumps required at the break.
Salter has Brown stumped. Lancs 59/3 after 8 overs
— Glamorgan Cricket (@GlamCricket) August 2, 2014
3.47pm - Choudhrey lbw Dernbach 4; Worcs 128/8 - Shaaiq Choudhry gets across his stumps and down the wicket, but appears to have been given out lbw. Gary Wilson caught the ball to create some confusion as to how Choudhry was given. What is certain is he is out and Worcestershire are scrambling.
.@LancsCCC going well, 20 runs off last 2 overs. Now 53-2 (7ov) Khawaja 20 Brown 13 #LANvGLAM
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) August 2, 2014
3.40pm - Lancashire are 45 for two after the six-over powerplay.
TIMBER! The stumps have taken a fearful battering today at Kia Oval. Dernbach's slower ball bowls Leach. WOR 115-7 pic.twitter.com/PAiQ9Kg2rq
— NatWest T20 Blast (@NatWestT20Blast) August 2, 2014
3.38pm - WICKET! Leach b Dernbach 20; 115/7 - Jade Dernbach bowls the perfect slower ball - Rafael Nadal gets less top-spin on the ball. Leach wanted to clout him again but instead he was soundly beaten as the ball dipped into the base of his off stump.
3.35pm - Joe Leach swipes Dunn for six over midwicket in an over that costs 14. Dunn returns 2-28 from his four overs. Worcestershire are 111 for six off 16 overs.
In Manchester, Usman Khawaja strikes three fours in a Michael Hogan over. Lancashire are 33 for two after five overs.
3.30pm - WICKET! Oliver b Peterson 34; Worcs 97/6 - The opener hit 34 from 36 balls before he tried to clobber a quicker ball from Peterson aimed at middle....the result was the stump going out of the ground again.
Smith is caught behind as Wagg strikes again. Lancs 19/2 after 3.1 overs
— Glamorgan Cricket (@GlamCricket) August 2, 2014
3.22pm - WICKET! Prince b Wagg 7; Lancs 8/1 - Graham Wagg strikes in the second over for Glamorgan. Ashwell Prince loses his leg stump. That's a complete set across the two games in the last minute.
3.20pm - WICKET! Cox b Dunn 5; Worcs 85/5 - Dunn sends the stumps flying again. Ben Cox plays around a delivery that takes out off and middle. The Rapids' bid to reach a first finals day is slipping away.
3.19pm - They have started at Old Trafford, much to the relief of everyone. Kudos to the Old Trafford groundstaff. Lancashire take two from the first over bowled by Andrew Salter.
3.15pm - WICKET! Whiteley b Batty 17; Worcs 78/4 - Ross Whiteley toe-ends the first six of the match over midwicket. He tried to do the same again but misses and Gareth Batty, bemused at seeing that last ball fly over the rope, enjoys the moment.
3.10pm - Worcestershire are 58 for three at the halfway point of their innings. Oliver has remained to be unbeaten on 22 from 21 balls. This may not be a high-scoring affair. Surrey are bowling very well though.
3.05pm - WICKET! Munro b Dunn 5; Worcs 47/3 - Munro's middle stump is uprooted by Dunn, who is a spit for former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen by the way. The Surrey man celebrates his wicket with a bit more gusto than the Icelander used to enjoy his goals - rememeber that little bow he did? Dunn races away finger raised and his side are on top.
3pm - Lancashire XI: Tom Smith, Ashwell Prince, Usman Khawaja, Karl Brown, Paul Horton (c), Steven Croft, Alex Davies, Jordan Clark, Wayne White, Steven Parry, Kyle Jarvis.
Glamorgan XI: Jacques Rudolph, Jim Allenby (c), Mark Wallace, Murray Goodwin, Chris Cooke, Stewart Walters, David Lloyd, Graham Wagg, Dean Cosker, Andrew Salter, Michael Hogan.
2.56pm - WICKET! Kohler-Cadmore b Peterson 13; Worcs 39/2 - Kohler-Cadmore drags Robin Peterson onto his stumps and out steps Colin Munro.
The Kiwi reverse sweeps his first ball in front of square to the ropes. Nice.
2.55pm - The Rapids are 37 for one after the powerplay. A tidy start.
Play to start at 3.15pm. Glamorgan win toss and bowl.
— Glamorgan Cricket (@GlamCricket) August 2, 2014
2.50pm - Tom Kohler-Cadmore biffs his second ball back over Dernbach's head for four. The pitch looks on the slowish side, not that you could tell from that shot. The Rapids are 31 for one after five overs.
Here is how Mitchell lost his wicket: Worcs on 21-1: #T20Blastpic.twitter.com/0L35CZJzMw
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 2, 2014
2.41pm - WICKET! Mitchell run out (Dunn) 10; Worcs 19/1 - Mitchell has to go now. He flicked a full toss straight to Matt Dunn at short fine-leg and was perhaps cursing his placement until he realised Oliver was calling him through. Dunn threw to Jade Dernbach at the non-striker's end and the bowler did the rest.
2.37pm - CHANCE! - Mitchell would have been caught short of his ground by a direct-hit from Rory Burns at cover after Richard Oliver called him through for a quick single. The skipper survives and the Rapids are 15 for none after two overs.
2.33pm - Worcestershire take nine from the opening over which, as Surrey usually do, is delivered by Tillakaratne Dilshan. Daryl Mitchell cut away a four as the Rapids otherwise took singles from every other ball.
Pre-Play News
2.27pm - Just before we are about to get started at the Oval here is our preview of the match with Rapids skipper Daryl Mitchell admitting that a first trip to finals day would be a major honour for Worcestershire.
2.25pm - The players are warming up in Manchester. The umpires are set to inspect again in five minutes. Fingers crossed, they might come back with a start time.
The outfield is a hive of activity and the sun is shining. NatWest T20 Blast #LanvGlamhttps://t.co/jlknNRGA1k
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) August 2, 2014
[TEAM NEWS] @WorcsCCC: Mitchell, Oliver, Kohler-Cadmore, Munro, Whiteley, Cox, Leach, D’Oliveira, Choudhry, Shantry, McClenaghan #T20Blast
— NatWest T20 Blast (@NatWestT20Blast) August 2, 2014
2.10pm - Surrey XI: Jason Roy, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kevin Pietersen, Gary Wilson (c), Rory Burns, Azhar Mahmood, Robin Peterson, Zafar Ansari, Gareth Batty, Jade Dernbach, Matt Dunn.
2.05pm - While the weather continues to cause problems in Manchester - they are set for a 2.30pm inspection - we are ready to go at the Kia Oval with Worcestershire Rapids to bat.
Surrey win toss and bowl
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) August 2, 2014
2pm - We spoke with Lancashire seamer Kabir Ali earlier in the week and he revealed that the Lightning had not prepared for a bowl-out. That is now a distinct possibility with this weather.
That would be a cruel way to decide this match and Lancashire have added reason to fear it after they were on the wrong end of a bowl-out when they last hosted a quarter-final five years ago. They lost that day 5-1 to Somerset in the indoor centre.
The @LancsCCC ground staff are hard at work. The covers are being removed and the mopping up will start soon pic.twitter.com/TUDJtwUl19
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) August 2, 2014
1.45pm - The rain has eased and the covers are coming off at Old Trafford. It is, however, still very wet. The groundstaff have a big job ahead to get the surface dry. Lancashire are suggesting that will take at least an hour - and that's as long as no more rain falls.
1.30pm - Welcome to today's live blog of the three NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals. Straight off the bat there is more bad news from Emirates Old Trafford where a 2pm start looks unlikely (see tweet below).
The game was, of course, quickly abandoned last night after heavy rain left some parts of the field under water. We've got more bad weather today and the covers are firmly on. Another Old Trafford bowl-off anyone?
No change at @EmiratesOT since the last update. It continues to rain and the covers are on. Clearly we are not going to start at 2pm
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) August 2, 2014