Durham vs Northamptonshire Steelbacks prediction and bets Vitality Blast July 18 2025

Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street will be the venue for the United Kingdom Vitality Blast game 125 of the season as Durham will battle it out with Northamptonshire Steelbacks. The two teams are seated in the playoff spots and will feel confident going into this game. Can Durham take advantage of their turf? Below, I will preview this game while offering free betting options to consider. 

Durham vs Northamptonshire Steelbacks: Match Start Date and Time

This match is expected to take place on the 18th of July 2025. The kickoff time will be 20:30pm. 

• Match: Durham vs Northamptonshire Steelbacks
• Date: Friday, July 18th, 2025
• Kick-Off Time: 20:30pm (AEST)
• Stadium: Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street

Weather and Pitch Report

The weather in Chester-le-Street is expected to be partially cloudy with the possibility of light rain, which might cause delays during the game. The maximum temperature is expected to be 24°C during the game and the minimum temperature is expected to be 15°C. The average first innings score at Riverside Ground, Chester-Le-Street, in the ongoing T20 Blast 2025 in the previous five completed matches is around 180 runs. 

Durham vs Northamptonshire Steelbacks Match Analysis

Durham last league game against Leicestershire ended with no result after rain disruption. However, prior to that encounter, this team played Lancashire and Nottinghamshire and lost each game. Meanwhile, prior to those encounters, this team went unbeaten in five matches, where they picked up three wins and settled for a draw twice. In that run, this team defeated Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire/Birmingham Bears. Ahead of this game, Durham sit third in the North standings of the Vitality Blast with 30 points.  

Northamptonshire Steelbacks have a chance to finish second in the North division of the Vitality Blast but need a win in this game as the group stage comes to an end. The previous time out, this team made it two consecutive victories, defeating Warwickshire/Birmingham Bears in a 176-240 encounter, which was decided by 64 runs. Meanwhile, this team has had some struggling runs lately, losing consecutive matches to Lancashire, Worcestershire, and Leicestershire while settling with a draw with Kent. However, the visiting team has 32 points from their first 13 matches of the season, as they are four points adrift of first-placed Lancashire, who take on Nottinghamshire. 

Durham: Form

Graham Clark should be the player with the best batter for Durham in this game. This season, the Englishman has been impressive with consistent performances, which have seen him score 321 runs already. Meanwhile, James Neesham had a solid game against Lancashire, scoring two wickets, which extended his numbers to 20 this season at an economy rate of 8.8. 

Durham Expected Eleven

Alex Lees (c), Graham Clark, David Bedingham, Colin Ackermann, Oliver Robinson (wk), Will Rhodes, James Neesham, Kasey Aldridge, Matthew Potts, Nathan Sowter, Callum Parkinson

Northamptonshire Steelbacks: Form

Northamptonshire Steelbacks will rely on Matthew Breetzke to deliver top-level performance in this game after his 85 runs off 40 balls with seven fours and six sixes in his last outing against Warwickshire/Birmingham Bears. However, despite having a dull performance in the previous league game, Ben Sanderson is still the best wicket taker for Northamptonshire Steelbacks this season with 24 wickets and there will be a need for him to do better here. 

Northamptonshire Steelbacks Expected Eleven

Ricardo Vasconcelos, Matthew Breetzke, David Willey (c), Ravi Bopara, Saif Zaib, George Bartlett, Lewis McManus (wk), Luke Procter, Ben Sanderson, Lloyd Pope, George Scrimshaw

Who will win in Match - Durham vs Northamptonshire Steelbacks?

Durham and Northamptonshire Steelbacks matches have always been close and both teams have shared three victories equally in their last six meetings. In the meantime, their last two meetings ended in Durham’s favour, with the most recent ending by 15 runs in the Vitality Blast back in mid-June. 

Durham vs Northamptonshire Steelbacks Prediction

This is going to be a very competitive game, with the two teams expected to be at their best. Having now gone on to lose two consecutive matches, Durham are expected to respond to their flaws, as they have no excuse for losing here. In the meantime, the Northamptonshire Steelbacks seem to be on the right track and momentum might be drawn from their last matches, which they won. Yet, I feel the Durham team will do better with their home-ground advantage and hunger to return to winning ways. Meanwhile, Northamptonshire Steelbacks have been incredible offensively with over 200 runs in each of their last two matches, which suggests a bet on over 340.5 runs. 

Our match prediction is a a win for Durham with odds at 2.02 on 1Xbet bookmaker. 

Our betting tip is Northamptonshire Steelbacks over 167.5 runs with odds at 1.87 on Bc.Game bookmaker. 

Our final match prediction is over 340.5 runs with odds at 1.99 on Crickex bookmaker.