Durham vs The Blaze Women’s Match 41 Predictions

The Blaze's only defeat of the 2026 Women's Vitality Blast came on May 31 at Trent Bridge when Durham beat them by seven wickets. Mady Villiers took 3 for 21 and then scored 47 from 34 balls. Hollie Armitage made 50 not out. Durham chased 154 with five balls to spare. Now on July 5, The Blaze travels to Durham's home ground at Banks Homes Riverside for Match 41, the reverse fixture. The Blaze has since won four of their next five matches. Durham continues its push for a top-four Finals Day spot. These Durham Women vs The Blaze Women fantasy cricket tips and this Durham Women vs The Blaze Women match preview cover everything you need for a match where the head-to-head advantage belongs to Durham but The Blaze has the momentum.

Match Details: July 5 at Chester-le-Street

Fixture: Durham Women vs The Blaze Women, Match 41, Women's Vitality Blast 2026. Venue: Banks Homes Riverside, Chester-le-Street. Date: Sunday, July 5, 2026. Time: 10:00 AM GMT / 11:00 AM local / 3:30 PM IST, per the series schedule. Context: This is the Durham Women vs The Blaze Women Women's T20 Blast 2026 reverse fixture. Durham is at home after winning the first meeting by 7 wickets at Trent Bridge.

What Happened in the First Meeting

The first meeting at Trent Bridge on May 31 produced one of the standout individual all-round performances of the 2026 season. Durham bowled first, and Villiers opened with her off-spin, taking 3 for 21 across her four overs. Only Georgia Elwiss, who scored 31 off 24 balls on her 35th birthday, and captain Marie Kelly, who hit 28 off 15, offered real resistance. The Blaze were bowled out for 153.

Durham's chase was controlled from the start. Villiers and Armitage put on 83 for the opening wicket before Villiers was dismissed for 47 by a stunning boundary catch from Tammy Beaumont. Armitage carried on to reach 50 not out off 47 balls. Bess Heath contributed a quickfire 36 off 18 balls in the middle order. Heather Graham finished the match with a four off Elwiss with one ball to spare in the final over, winning by seven wickets.

Durham Women's Season So Far

Durham enters Match 41 as one of the form sides in Tier 1. Four wins from six matches put them firmly in the top four with a Finals Day berth in their sights. Their campaign at a glance:

Won vs Hampshire by 32 runs: Armitage 64, Durham posted 178/5.

Lost vs Surrey by 2 wickets: Only defeat of the season in a closely contested match.

Won vs Warwickshire by 27 runs: Durham 140/5, Warwickshire 113 all out.

Won vs The Blaze by 7 wickets: Villiers 3/21 and 47, Armitage 50 not out.

Won vs Yorkshire (twice): Graham taking wickets in both wins.

Australian overseas Heather Graham is the second-leading wicket-taker in the competition. Mady Villiers has been outstanding across bat and ball in multiple matches. At home at Chester-le-Street, Durham is the most difficult team to beat in Tier 1 cricket this season.

The Blaze Women's Season So Far

The Blaze has been the competition's most impressive side in terms of performing without six internationals. Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amy Jones, Kathryn Bryce, Sarah Bryce, Kirstie Gordon, and Orla Prendergast are all away at the T20 World Cup. Despite those absences, The Blaze has won four of their five remaining matches. Charli Knott, their Australian overseas, scored 57 off 29 balls on debut against Yorkshire and has taken wickets with her seam in every match since. Tammy Beaumont scored a fifty in the most recent Blast match and has been the batting anchor throughout. A young opener recently scored 74 off 51 balls in their latest win, confirming The Blaze's batting depth extends beyond Beaumont and Knott.

The one loss remains the Durham defeat at Trent Bridge on May 31. The Blaze knows exactly what went wrong: Villiers's off-spin exploited a pitch that did not suit their batting, and the total of 153 was 15 to 20 runs short of competitive. At Chester-le-Street, The Blaze will look to post 165 plus and use their seam bowling attack to test Durham's top order in the morning conditions.

Durham Women vs The Blaze Women Prediction

The Durham Women vs The Blaze Women prediction leans toward Durham at home. Three factors support this:

Home advantage at Chester-le-Street: Durham has won every home Blast match this season. Banks Homes Riverside's morning pitch aids seam bowlers early, which suits Graham and Villiers's approach of taking wickets in the first ten overs.

Villiers's familiarity with The Blaze batting: She dismissed three of their top six in Match 19 at Trent Bridge. Her off-spin has a specific advantage against The Blaze's batting lineup that other bowlers do not carry.

Durham's all-round depth: Armitage, Villiers, Graham, Heath, and Levick all contributing in the same match is a pattern Durham has shown across multiple wins. The Blaze's depth, while impressive without their internationals, does not match Durham's combined all-round quality on their home surface.

The Blaze wins this match if Knott fires with bat and ball, and their young opener from the last match replicates that 74-ball innings against Durham's bowling. Both are possible, but home conditions at Chester-le-Street give Durham the edge.

Durham Women vs The Blaze Women Fantasy Cricket Tips

These Durham Women vs The Blaze Women fantasy cricket tips and Durham Women vs The Blaze Women Dream11 prediction picks are built around the Chester-le-Street conditions and both teams' 2026 form data.