Steelbacks ready to make one Blast push as they target T20 quarter-finals

The County claimed a crucial six-wicket win in an eight-over thrash at Durham on Sunday afternoon, a result that saw them move up to fourth in the table and also ensures qualification for the quarter-finals is very much in their own hands.

The Steelbacks host league leaders Birmingham Bears on tonight (Thursday, 6.30pm) and then wrap up the group section with a trip to second-placed Lancashire Lightning 24 hours later.

And the route to a place in the last eight for the first time since 2020 is quite clear - win one of the two matches and the Steelbacks will qualify, win them both and they will qualify and also set up a home quarter-final.

The first target though is to just reach the knockout stages, something the team has managed only once since they last won the Blast back in 2016.

Bears have already qualified for the last eight and thanks to their win over Derbyshire Falcons on Sunday are also guaranteed home tie in the quarters.

The Steelbacks were thrashed by 90 runs by the Bears when the two teams met at Edgbaston last month, and Sadler knows Thursday night's encounter in front of a bumper County Ground crowd would be the perfect time to exact a bit of revenge!

"We take it game by game, and we have had a couple of days to recap as we have been on the road and had a couple of late nights and long drives," the head coach told BBC Radio Northampton following the win over Durham.

"It is in our hands and we have to win one out of two.

"It would be very nice to beat Birmingham and then go and have a free play up at Lancashire.

"A couple of results went our way the other day, they didn't go our way on Sunday, but the most important thing is we got that win and we are in a great position."

One player who could be a key man on Thursday is seam bowler Jack White.

The paceman was handed his T20 debut at Durham on Sunday at the age of 32, and immediately made his mark, taking one for five from his two overs to open the innings.

He now looks likely to start against the Bears on Thursday, and could be something of a T20 secret weapon in the closing stages of the North Group campaign, with Sadler saying: "I thought Jack bowled magnificently on his debut.

"We know how good Jack is but he has been in and out through injury this year and it has been a tough first half to the season.

"But for him to come in and bowl as he did on debut was tremendous.

"We felt that his skill, his height, his freshness, and the control and nip that he gets with the new ball in the powerplay would be good.

"Out of all the different phases with bat and ball, the powerplay with the ball is one that we are just trying to improve a bit.

"Jack is one of our best components of that so we felt the time was right. Then when it got reduced to a shorter game it made even more sense.

"It is horses for courses and we keep saying that, but we are just trying to pick the best team each time and on Sunday it worked."

Australian Ashton Agar will again be involved against the Bears, having been kept on in place of Zimbabawe captain Sikandar Raza.

Raza had been scheduled to return for the final two group games after his country’s 4-1 T20i series defeat to India in Harare, but the decision has instead been made to stick with Agar.