The T20 Blast Group Stage is reaching an exciting climax and after a further few days of limited overs action, Charlie Jennings was tasked with the tough challenge of picking his all star XI for the week, here's whose made the cut.
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Mark Wallace Glamorgan – A steady innings from the opening batsman guided Glamorgan to an easy nine-wicket win over Middlesex. Wallace notched up seven boundaries and a six to make an unbeaten 69 from 50 balls, the highest score in the South Group on Friday evening. Wallace was supported most notably by David Lloyd, who made 49 with one six, and Colin Ingram who raced the Welsh county to victory with an unbeaten 19, which including 3 consecutive sixes off Olly Rayner in what turned into the last over of the match. It was the first fifty of the season for Wallace, in just his second appearance, a good day for the opener.
 
Mark Pettini Leicestershire – The experienced opener blasted 71 from 48 balls to punish a below par Derbyshire to confine the Falcons to a heavy nine-wicket loss with over 4 overs remaining. Leicestershire chased down 164, Pettini and opening partner Mark Cosgrove adding 106 of those before Cosgrove departed for a 27-ball 52. However, it was the former Essex man who controlled the innings without ever playing a shot in anger. The innings contained just 11 fours and was the perfect example of how to chase down a score in T20 cricket.
 
Jos Buttler Lancashire – England wicket-keeper and opening batsman Buttler showed the form that has propelled him to be named alongside the most powerful hitters in today's game to lead Lancashire to an astonishing seven-wicket win over Worcestershire. The ex-Somerset man punished the Rapids with a brutal display of power-hitting, making 57 off of just 22 balls. Incredibly, Buttler departed before the end of the powerplay – having launched his side to 94 runs inside 5.4 overs before his dismissal. Four sixes and seven fours were hit by Buttler who continued the destructive form he had showed for England in the recent ODI series versus Sri Lanka and this was an innings which displayed Buttler at his destructive best – the Red Rose can have a lot to look forward to.
 
Dan Christian Nottinghamshire – Captain Christian led by example for his Nottinghamshire side, scoring a match-winnings 56 off 32 balls in their six-wicket win over North Group table-toppers Northamptonshire. Having restricted Northants to 122 all out, Christian contributing 2 overs for 20 in that effort, a Nottinghamshire victory never looked in doubt after the skipper strode to the crease. His side were wobbling on 22-2, but that became 101-3 when he departed, having hit 4 fours and 4 sixes in a partnership of 79 with Michael Lumb which took them to the brink. Victory was sealed with three overs remaining by Samit Patel, but it was Christian's contribution with the bat that Notts will be thankful for.
 
Benny Howell Gloucestershire – The all-rounder had a good day with bat and ball, but his effort came in vain as Kent recorded a tight victory over the Bristol side. Howell started off by taking an impressive 3-29 from his four overs, recording the wickets of Tom Latham, the in-form Sam Northeast and the dangerous Darren Stevens. The good form shown with the ball continued with the bat, Howell struck a six and 3 fours in his 23-ball 37. His wicket was a crucial one, and when he fell run out by Alex Blake, Kent pressed home their advantage and strangled Gloucestershire's lower order – winning by just 3 runs. Howell can be proud of his efforts, and with support from just one other batsman he would be celebrating victory, not just a good performance.
 
Ashar Zaidi Essex – Zaidi makes it consecutive call-ups to the VTFO TOTW after an impressive all-round performance in Essex's three run win over Hampshire. He made a crucial 47 at just over a run a ball, including just two fours and six – the innings held together the Essex effort and consequently pushed them to a narrow victory. His bowling effort was however the most impressive, he went for a cheap 16 runs and took two vital wickets – those of recently England-capped all-rounder Liam Dawson and the experienced Sean Ervine for single figure scores. His bowling kept Hampshire in check as Essex ran through their batting order with just James Vince threatening to spoil the Essex party as the England man held the Hampshire reply together but when Vince departed bowled by Napier, the host came up just short in their victory effort.
 
Scott Borthwick Durham – England touted all-rounder Borthwick took four wickets in Durham's comprehensive victory over Leicestershire, finishing with spectactular figures of 4-18 from his four over allotment. Borthwick along with fellow England leg spinner Adil Rashid are quickly putting an end to the conception that leg spin is a weakness in the shorter form – the bad balls often get wickets. Borthwick's figures add weight to the theory that a leg-spinner in the team is a positive; the wickets of dangerous overseas batsmen Cameron Delport and Faraan Behardien were pivotal in his side's win. He also added the tail-end wickets of Ben Raine, a useful all-rounder himself, and Tom Wells. The margin of victory, 5 wickets, was such that Borthwick wasn't required to bat but his bowling efforts are by far impressive enough to earn him a spot in this week's TOTW.
 
Timm Van Der Gugten Glamorgan – Dutchman Van Der Gugten is having a very impressive season, particularly in the shortest form. His 4-17 versus Sussex and 2-13 versus Middlesex took his season tally of wickets to 16, third in the list on highest wicket-takers – the signing may have been overlooked by many but has worked out well for the Welsh county. Van Der Gugten's four against Sussex included the top three of the Sharks batting order, removing Chris Nash for a laboured 4 off 17 balls, Luke Wright for 2 off 5 and Phillip Salt for 9 off 10. Against Middlesex, the Dutchman's spell of three included a maiden as well as the scalps of John Simpson and former New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin.
 
Nuwan Kulasekera Sussex – Sri Lankan seamer Kulasekara showed his worth as a replacement for the talented Bangladeshi Mustafizur Rahman by taking a four-fer in Sussex's heavy loss to Glamorgan on Thursday. His four for 28 included the wickets of Mark Wallace, the experienced Jacques Rudolph, Aneurin Donald for a first ball duck and Graham Wagg. The Sri Lankan may have been a late-notice replacement but he sure does come with international pedigree, having played second fiddle to Lasith Malinga for much of his international career Kulasekara seldom disappoints. His nagging length, and variations are pivotal and any side is lucky to have him in their XI – Sussex may be ruing their luck that Mustafizur can't fulfill his contract, but in Kulasekara they have a more than ample replacement.
 
Imran Tahir Nottinghamshire – South African leg-spinner Tahir makes it two leg-spinning bowlers in the side, his 3 for 13 from 4 helped Notts rattle through Northamptonshire's batting order to bowl them out for 122. Tahir is renowned as somewhat of a limited overs specialist and these figures only back-up that tag, his variations often baffle batsman who struggle to pick his action – and he has been a dangerous bowler on the County circuit for Middlesex, Hampshire and Warwickshire in the various forms of limited overs cricket we have seen across the years.
 
Clint McKay Leicestershire – The experienced paceman added three wickets to his tally in the Foxes' romp to victory over Derbyshire, as well as contributing a run out to the cause. His first wicket was the crucial one of James Neesham who was piling runs on for the Falcons at some lick, eventually falling for a handy 45 from 23. McKay then added two further wickets, bowling Alex Hughes and Tom Milnes with those deadly yorkers we have come to expect from the Aussie.
 
Picked by T20 specialist Charlie Jennings. 

Michael Klinger Gloucestershire – Captain Klinger led by example yet again for his West Country side as they again took the spoils over local rivals Somerset. The Australian's match-winning century guided Gloucestershire to a comfortable derby victory, sealing it with four balls remaining. The skipper hit four sixes and ten fours in his perfectly paced 71-ball 101 and only departed in the penultimate over before Chris Dent assured victory. Klinger yet again showed just why he has earned the reputation that has seen him touted by some for a national call up, and on this form, he should not be far off. 

Ravi Bopara Essex – As destructive an innings as you'll see across the Blast this season. The experienced Englishman dominated a sorry Kent attack to strike a 43-ball 81. His innings included six sixes as well as four fours, and in partnership with Ashar Zaidi, the duo added 131 in just under ten overs to guide their side to a huge score of 204-3 from their 20 overs. Perhaps most impressively, Bopara took to young South African Kagiso Rabada in the penultimate over of the innings, striking a six and four in consecutive balls. Such an innings has become common fair for Essex fans, the experience and nous of Bopara often bearing fruit either with the bat or in the field.

Matt Machan Sussex – Sussex's Scot led them to an easy victory in their encounter with Middlesex. Machan struck 41 of the 147 required and guided his Sharks, alongside Kiwi Ross Taylor to a seven-wicket win. Of the two, Machan was the aggressor – Taylor scoring at just over a run a ball while the Scot hit 3 fours and a single six in his 30-ball stay. That partnership with Taylor was worth 74 runs and it proved to be an invaluable one after the departures of Phillip Salt and Luke Wright in the space of five balls had the Sharks wobbling. Machan and Taylor calmed the innings, though, rotating the strike and milking the Middlesex bowlers for easy runs before the victory was sealed in the penultimate over of the match – Middlesex left to rue another batting collapse after Paul Stirling's breezy 24-ball 52 had propelled them to a strong position before the last seven wickets fell for just 73.

Wayne Madsen Derbyshire – An outstanding half century brought Derbyshire a valuable victory over the Worcestershire Rapids at New Road in their quest for qualification from the North Group. Madsen struck a not out 59 from 33 balls that turned the match in the Falcons' favour. It was the 18th over of the Derby innings that sealed the Rapids' fate; Madsen, who continued his fine form in this year’s competition, struck the usually reliable Joe Leach for a six and two fours. The Falcons’ skipper added 99 with Chesney Hughes to take Derbyshire to their third victory of the campaign and take them to within three points of local rivals Nottinghamshire, the current occupants of the final qualification place in the North Group.

Ashar Zaidi Essex – Former Sussex man Zaidi played second fiddle to his skipper but also struck a quick-fire fifty to help guide Essex to a huge total and a comfortable victory over Kent. Playing as a specialist batsman despite being a useful spin option, Zaidi displayed the form he has shown throughout the Blast so far. His 54 came from 33 balls and included five boundaries along with three sixes. His partnership with Bopara, which was worth 131, took the game far away from Kent and in their reply they struggled to mount a serious challenge to the 204 Essex had amassed – which indeed was largely thanks to Zaidi and his captain Bopara.

Ben Cox Worcestershire – A rapid fifty from Worcestershire keeper Cox pushed his side to a total of 185 from their 20 overs. Although Cox's innings did turn out to be in vain, he punished the Derbyshire bowler with an array of shots that brought seven fours and two sixes. The last over of the innings saw Andy Carter take particular damage, four fours in succession saw the over go for 19, which, at the time gifted all of the momentum to the Rapids. 

Matt Taylor Gloucestershire – An economical three wicket-haul for the opening bowler turned the screw for the Bristolians in their West Country derby at Taunton. Taylor took 3-16 from his four overs including the big wickets of Jim Allenby and Mahela Jayawardene. The other batsman to fall to Taylor's bowling was young Scotsman Michael Leask, and as wickets fell at regular intervals during the hosts' innings they struggled to post a score that would challenge Gloucestershire who eventually got home with four balls remaining largely thanks to Michael Klinger's impressive century.

Danny Briggs Sussex – Slow left-armer Briggs underpinned the Middlesex innings in taking 3-24 from his four overs, including one over at the top of the innings. Briggs took the big wicket of Paul Stirling who was threatening to take the game away from the Sharks after striking a breezy fifty, eventually holing out for 52. Nick Gubbins and Ryan Higgins also fell to the spinner with 7 t20 caps for England, and the former Hampshire man will be looking to recapture the form that earned him those caps. Briggs' contribution was vital as Sussex comfortably ran home victors after visitors Middlesex were restricted to a lacklustre 146 all out.

Steven Patterson Yorkshire – The Vikings' paceman bowled a tight final over to seal victory for Yorkshire in the Game of Roses clash at Headingley. In what was an 18 over match, Patterson's overs were crucial in sealing victory and it was left to Patterson to take the final wicket of Steven Parry with only six runs left to be scored to gain an unlikely win. Patterson had led the Tykes attack alongside the one-time England capped Tim Bresnan, but Patto outshone his teammate in taking figures of 3 for 23 from 3.4 overs. Lancashire's chase had indeed been dramatic, Liam Livingstone striking Karl Carver for three consecutive sixes earlier in the innings before falling in the same over for a breezy 36 – Lancashire lost wickets regularly and ultimately couldn't muster enough runs to overcome their White Rose rivals.

Richard Gleeson Northamptonshire – A quick three-wicket burst at the top of the Birmingham innings prevented any momentum from being created as the hosts stumbled to a terrible 86-8 in a rain-affected innings. Gleeson's opening salvo brought the wickets of Sam Hain and Ian Bell for single figure scores, and he followed that up with the wicket of overseas wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Ronchi. Gleeson's eventually finished with figures of 3-12 from his four overs, a great return for the Steelbacks' opening bowler as they recorded a comfortable chase in a one-sided affair at Edgbaston.

Paul Walter Essex – The youngster's first three wickets at senior level helped push Essex to an easy victory over Kent by 50 runs. After Bopara and Zaidi had scored the runs, it was left to Walter to lead the bowling attack. The young seamer took a wicket with the second ball of the innings, beating the bat of the dangerous Joe Denly to bowl him for a golden duck. Walter then bowled two relatively cheap overs during the middle of the innings, before wrapping up Fabian Cowdrey's 18 run burst. James Tredwell was the last to fall to Walter, caught at fine-leg as the youngster capped a fine day off with figures of 3-26 from his four overs. 

Team compiled by View From the Outfield’s official T20 Team Manager Charlie Jennings. Agree? Tweet us with your views to @ViewfromtheOut or to Charlie himself @AVCJX!

An exciting night of Blast action saw derby wins for Surrey and Gloucestershire. In the other completed South Group match, Glamorgan dominated Kent in a rain-affected match. There were wins for Birmingham and Northamptonshire in the North Group. Meanwhile, rain forced washouts in the matches between Hampshire and Sussex, Leicestershire and Worcestershire, and Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.

David Lloyd Glamorgan – The highest score of the night left Welshman Lloyd an absolute cert to make the XI this week. The opening batsman's assault on the Kent bowling attack took him 3 runs short of a maiden century in this form, to help Glamorgan pile on 175 from their 16 overs, a score which was adjusted to 177 for Kent to chase. Lloyd hit 10 fours in his innings, along with four huge sixes. His career-best score dominated the Glamorgan innings and Kent would never recover to pose a threat to Glamorgan's total. The sixth over of the innings was particularly impressive for Lloyd, striking the veteran Darren Stevens for three fours and a six in an over worth 19 runs. Lloyd set the tone for Glamorgan, and once he'd finished there was only one winner. 

Michael Klinger Gloucestershire – Klinger is becoming a run scoring machine for Gloucestershire, his 60 in their West Country derby versus Somerset was invaluable to their negotiation of a difficult chase of 159. The Australian's innings came from 43 balls, but more importantly held together his side's innings as no other Gloucestershire batsman made a score over 30. It truly was a captain's innings – perfectly paced and after the skipper departed in the penultimate over his side crept home with one ball to spare. The Gloucestershire management can once again be thankful for their overseas star for what is now becoming a typical occurrence, plenty of runs and a wealth of experience. His exploits on Friday came after an astonishing 78 from 49 on Thursday to see his side defeat Essex comfortably by 8 wickets. A prized possession.

Colin Ingram Glamorgan – The South African looks on a mission to atone for missing the first part of this year's blast by blasting runs as quick as he can for the Welsh county. His 60 played second fiddle to David Lloyd's 97 not out – but the internationally experienced batsman was just as commendable for his brutal innings which came from just 29 balls. Ingram was the earlier aggressor after the early loss of Jacques Rudolph, striking 3 of his first 5 balls to the boundary and following that up a four and six in the next over. Ingram's score was a continuation of the brilliant form which has seen him score 95 not out and 85 in his last two innings. His partnership with Lloyd yielded a huge 132 in just 10 overs – and was worth more than the whole of Kent's innings as the visitors never had a foot in the match.

Josh Cobb Northamptonshire – Captain Cobb is fast becoming a regular in our team of the week, this week's contribution of 68 from 48 balls, along with a handy couple of wickets with the ball saw his Northamptonshire side home despite some Paul Coughlin brilliance late in the innings. Josh Cobb is quickly gaining a reputation as a more than handy T20 player, often adding wickets to go with what this season has been plenty of runs. Cobb's 4 sixes on the night took his tally of maximums for the season to 10 – fourth in the six-hitting standings and he also hit five fours to have Durham quickly on the back foot after the early loss of Adam Rossington. With the ball, Cobb took the crucial wicket of Paul Collingwood who was threatening to put the match back in the balance. He also had Paul Coughlin caught to finish with figures of 2-29 from his spell of four overs. In truth, Cobb was only finishing off Durham after four early wickets had in earnest left the match over. A more than impressive performance from captain Cobb.

Zafar Ansari Surrey – Impressive contributions with bat and ball saw the England touted spinner help his side to an eventual comfortable derby day victory over Middlesex. Ansari scored 34 from 25 balls to help manufacture an imposing score of 173 from his side's 20 overs. When he made his way to the crease, the innings was losing its momentum as three wickets had Middlesex in the ascendency after Jason Roy's early onslaught. Ansari had other plans, his rotation of the strike combined with the four boundaries he hit redirected Surrey in the right path, and in partnership with young Tom Curran added crucial late impetus to the innings. He and Curran added 54 in the 22 balls they were together. Then, with the ball the left-armer took the wickets of Nick Gubbins and Toby Roland-Jones to reinforce Surrey's stronghold on the Middlesex innings. Three cheap overs for the Englishman saw him finish with 2-16 and it was a fine day all-round for someone who is clearly already in the minds of England selectors.

Rikki Clarke Birmingham Bears – Veteran Rikki Clarke once again dazzled top order batsmen with four cheap overs at the top of Derbyshire's innings to leave them struggling at the halfway stage of their innings. Clarke began with a fiery bouncer which struck and shook up Billy Godleman before he was dismissed by Olly Hannon-Dalby in the second over. The former Derbyshire skipper was wreaking havoc on his former employers, having Chesney Hughes caught at mid-off two balls after he had launched the bowler for six – the only boundary Clarke conceded. Clarke then struck again as Neil Broom top-edged a pull to really put a stranglehold on the Falcons. His two wickets were worth just 17 runs, Clarke again showing what made him the bowler with most dot balls to his name last season.

Paul Coughlin Durham Jets –  Coughlin took the first hat-trick of this year's Blast, and the first five-wicket bag of his short T20 career to date but couldn't do enough to prevent Northamptonshire from recording a comfortable victory. The Northerner's hat-trick came in the last over of the Northants innings – which astoundingly became a triple wicket maiden for the young right-armer. He had Rob Newton, Graeme White and Richard Gleeson all caught to restrict the opposition to 161-9. His other two scalps were Josh Cobb, who looked in dangerous form, and Rob Keogh before his three in three sealed the five-fer. Coughlin's one regret would be the expense of his five wickets, coming at just over ten-an-over and eventually Durham fell well short of their victory target – however, that blame can be left at the top order batsmen who collapsed embarrassingly. 

Roelof van der Merwe Somerset – Despite ending up on the losing side, van der Merwe's performance can not be looked past as outstanding. He added late runs alongside Lewis Gregory to push his Somerset side up to a challenging looking score of 158 – making himself a handy 18 from 13 balls including a single six. Van der Merwe's real contribution, however, came with the ball. His four overs went for just 16 runs, and the Dutchman took three big wickets to leave Somerset well in the hunt with six balls remaining, with 14 Gloucestershire runs still required. Unfortunately for RVDM and Somerset, Yasir Arafat disappointingly lost his nerve – their fate sealed with a boundary off the penultimate ball. It was undeserved for an outstanding performance from the spinner, who is a more than useful county pro.

Dale Steyn Glamorgan – The South African ripped through Kent's batting line-up as Glamorgan demolished the Canterbury-based club by 55 runs (D/L). If David Lloyd and Colin Ingram's earlier exploits were explosive, then Steyn matched his teammates with a fearful bowling performance of 4 for 18 from four overs. The fifth-ranked Test bowler showed all his international nous, removing the in-form Daniel Bell-Drummond with the fifth ball of the Kent reply, a rare duck for the England touted opener. Steyn then followed that up with the wickets of Sam Northeast and Sam Billings and Kent had slipped to 44-4. The fast bowler then returned to remove James Tredwell for his last, but the game was long gone for Kent – Steyn's early salvo had ruined any chance of a thriller at the SWALEC, and it was a resounding victory for the Welsh side.

Moin Ashraf Northamptonshire – Ashraf's debut for his new side couldn't have gone much better. Having joined on a short-term deal from Leeds/Bradford University, the ex-Yorkshireman took three quick wickets at the top of the Durham innings – a setback from which the Jets never recovered. Having been set a victory target of 162, Durham faltered. Ashraf removed Phil Mustard for two and then Jack Burnham and Michael Richardson for ducks as they slipped to 9-4. Ashraf two over burst at the top of the innings dampened any Durham hopes of a victory, and despite a brief respite in the form of a fifty partnership between Paul Collingwood and Scott Borthwick, fell well short on a good day for Northamptonshire.

Ravi Rampaul Surrey – West Indian Rampaul took three wickets in Surrey's defeat of Middlesex, conceding only 21 runs in the process. Rampaul was greeted in his first over with a huge six off the bat of Brendon McCullum but soon exacted his revenge on the Kiwi, deceiving and bowling him with a slower ball to have the dangerman gone for 16. Rampaul returned later on in the piece to take two more in an over. He had all-rounder Ollie Rayner caught by Jason Roy, then took the big wicket of James Franklin who was looking threatening to really put pay to Middlesex's hopes of victory. The West Indian quick doubled his wicket tally for the season and what a match to do it in, he will now be looking to improve on this performance and help push Surrey toward the quarter finals.

Team as always picked by resident coach Charlie Jennings (@AVCJX) - Who would you have included? Tweet Charlie or #VFTO @ViewFromTheOut with your #T20BlastTotw!