Prior & Anderson get Finals Day nod
Source -
bbc.co.uk
England stars Matt Prior and James Anderson will play for their counties on Saturday on Twenty20 finals day.
Sussex will be boosted by the return of their number one wicket-keeper Prior on Saturday, while Anderson will feature in a strong-looking Lancashire side.
The Lightning are also poised to field Andrew Flintoff as a batsman only.
Gates open at 9.30am with the first Semi-final between Lancashire Lightning and Gloucestershire Gladiators scheduled to start at 11.30am.
In between the second Semi-final and The Final, the Edgbaston crowd will enjoy performances from ex-Sugababe Mutya Buena supported by 2001 Pop Idol and X Factor contestant, Haifa.
Mutya Buena is taking a break from her UK tour to be at The Twenty20 Final, fresh from her number one hit 'Real Girl' and huge-selling follow-up single with Groove Armada, 'Song For Mutya'.
The 22 year-old from north-west London has received rave reviews for her debut album, 'Real Girl' which also includes collaborations with Amy Winehouse and George Michael. Described as 'R&B flavoured pop', Mutya's influences are extensive and the title track takes the beautiful orchestral hook from Lenny Kravitz's 'It aint over 'til it's over'.
Haifa is a rising star who came into the public eye during the 2001 Pop Idol series where she made the final 12. Shortly afterwards, Haifa signed to the Ministry of Sounds' Incentive label and toured for two years before entering the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004. In 2004, Haifa again made the final 10 in the XFactor.
The second semi-final, scheduled to start at 3pm will be preceded by the popular npower Derby, the race for team mascots. Nineteen mascots will take part in the assault course including the Sussex Shark, Lanky from the Lancashire Lightning and the Warwickshire Bears.
A host of other entertainment will take place throughout the day, hosted by Suzanne Dando including a Guinness World Record attempt, a tumbling troupe and hot seat prizes.
ECB Chief Executive, David Collier, said: "Twenty20 Finals Day is a unique sporting event. We are looking forward to a fifth fantastic Finals Day at Edgbaston offering cricket fans three exhilarating matches. I would like to thank the four teams for playing some great Twenty20 cricket to reach the Final and to Warwickshire CCC for hosting it."
"I would also like to thank the exhaustive efforts of groundsmen across the country who worked tirelessly to ensure we had some exciting group matches and four worthy Finalists".
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