Grace Ballinger, The Blaze’s left‑arm seamer, looks at Women’s T20 Blast Finals Day at The Oval on Friday. 2026 has been a colossal year for English cricket, with retirements, a World Cup, Test defeats and a men’s series against India.

This weekend the top four women’s teams battle for silverware, with Edgbaston hosting the men’s Finals Day 24 hours later. It’s the second Finals Day since the domestic game went fully professional, and Surrey and The Blaze return.

The Blaze finished third, not fourth, and will face last year’s champions Surrey in the opening semi‑final, while Hampshire will take on Durham, who reach the group stage for the first time. The final is at 18:45 BST.

I’ve enjoyed the group stages, winning eight of twelve games, the same as Hampshire and Surrey. Many players were absent, yet the team adapted, with youngsters Maria Andrews and Prisha Thanawala stepping up. I look forward to the dance floor on Friday and to beating last year’s champions for the trophy.