Somerset must win to progress

Somerset v Warriors, October 5, Bangalore
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)

Most of the matches at the end of the group stages are almost knockouts and this one is no different. Its crunch time for Warriors and Somerset and given the rivalry that exists between South Africa and England, they will want to do each other no favours.

Warriors will want to avoid a backdoor entry into the semi-finals and victory against Somerset will take them through. If they lose by a small margin, though, and Royal Challengers Bangalore also beat South Australia by a small margin in the second game of the day, Warriors will still qualify. It's a simpler equation for Somerset, who must win to claim a semi-final spot, otherwise they will be on their way home.

Warriors were Champions League runners-up in 2010 and are the only South African team left in this tournament, after Cobras crashed out against Trinidad & Tobago. They have asserted their authority on the competition and, with their dynamic bowling attack as their trump card, have the right ingredients to go further. However, Mark Boucher's injury ahead of the match could hamper them. Boucher strained his hamstring, and though he tweeted that it was "not too serious", will miss the rest of the CLT20. Somerset came through the qualifying stage and were convincing throughout, until they were beaten by Chris Gayle.

After another snub from South Africa's selectors for the home series against Australia, Roelof van der Merwe will have more to play for than just another match for his county. van der Merwe made a statement with his performances in a qualifying match and a group game against Kolkata Knight Riders, but was poor against Bangalore. He will also be competing against countrymen and team-mates, which should add some extra spice to the contest against Warriors.

Warriors have stuck to the three-pronged pace attack of Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Rusty Theron and have no reason to change that. Lyall Meyer and Craig Thyssen are still competing for the allrounders spot but Warriors are not likely to tinker too much with their XI.

Somerset may consider benching left-arm spinner George Dockerell, who went for 28 in two overs against the Royal Challengers in Bangalore.

The pitches in Bangalore have been the best to bat on in the Champions League and teams have preferred to chase at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The surfaces have been true, with ball coming on to the bat, and boundaries are short. There's been rain in the city in the lead-up to the game, but the forecast for Wednesday is clear.

Quotes

"We are still one of the better teams here at this tournament. Rather get the shaky performances out the way and iron the creases before it gets to the knockout stages."
Warriors fast bowler Rusty Theron says his team is confident of securing a spot in the semi-finals.

"There might be days when a part-time keeper does the job well, but you need to find a wicketkeeper for the job or there can be some fatal errors."
Somerset's Craig Kieswetter is in favour of specialist wicket-keepers, even in the twenty-overs format.