Wales backs Chris Jordan to alter their mindsets for the Somerset Blast problem.

The Twenty20 captain downplays the emergence of the England stars for Finals Day.

Less than 48 days after the exciting climax to their County Championship struggle down at Taunton, Surrey and Somerset are set to continue their competitiveness up at Edgbaston on Saturday, with a fight of their T20 Blast semi-final from 12 months before.

And despite his team's sorrow on both occasions, Surrey's T20 captain Chris Jordan insists there'll be no hangovers from both, as they continue their search towards what had already been a magnificent double-winning time.

" Over the last few years particularly, this device has produced some interesting, aggressive results," Jordan told ESPNcricinfo. " It's ironic that in the year leading into Finals Day, we've been playing against the exact same team.

Every street to the last is always straightforward, and you'll eventually have to defeat the best team. Obviously, they're defending champions, and rightly so, so we'll need to be straight on it. But it's always hard-fought battles, and the team that plays best on the day normally wins this particular encounter, so we do n't see it being any different. "

It does, however, require a very different intensity from Surrey, and a timely transfer of mindset, after their attempts to garden the bus at Taunton and prevent their way to a possible title-sealing draw backfired in impressive fashion. Despite Dom Sibley's doughty 56 from 183 balls, their resistance was swept aside in a stunning collapse of 7 for 14 in 18. 1 overs, by Somerset's latest spin pairing, Jack Leach and Archie Vaughan.

" It can be tough, but the best players just make the switch," Jordan said. " The main thing is it's a mindset shift, your technique is not going to change too much between formats. You simply need to assess the circumstances, the circumstances, and an appropriate course of action. I do n't see it as being too different. With the type of multi-format cricketers we have, they can do it quite effortlessly. "

Sibley is perhaps the case in point for Surrey. He had been the toast of the Kia Oval a few days prior to his Taunton rearguard debut when Surrey needed the boost to defeat Durham's 163-ball target in their Blast quarter-final against Surrey. His scintillating 67 from 48 balls gave Surrey the boost they needed. It was an innings that defied the reputation he made for himself during his stint as an England Test opener, not least with an eye-catching reverse-scoop for six over deep third, but Jordan said it had n't come as a surprise to his team-mates.

" It was an unbelievable knock, but well deserved, because he's been working so hard on his power game since he came back to Surrey," Jordan said. " He's a lot more expansive, but his batting in the powerplay has been key, because this year the brand-new white ball has been doing a bit more than normal. He's just played some good cricketing shots, with a good technique, and that quarter-final was a great template for him. His tempo was excellent, which made that chase more manageable. "

" We'll have a few changes to the line-up but that's been the theme of the season. We're blessed with a squad where so many of our guys are internationals, so we're trusting the team to get the job done"

Chris Jordan on Surrey's absent England quartet

Given the personnel they will be without on Saturday, Sibley's poise might be all that much more important to Surrey. Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, and Reece Topley will all be missing because of their involvement in England's T20I series against Australia, despite the anticipated return of three of the four players who played in the Sri Lanka Test series. Gus Atkinson missed out on that game after suffering a niggle.

It's a situation that Tymal Mills, Sussex's captain, last week described as" stupid", as he faced up to the prospect of losing Jofra Archer for his team's Finals Day campaign, while Alec Stewart- Surrey's ongoing director of cricket- last year decried the ECB's so-called Super September as "anything but". However, Jordan took a more phlegmatic approach to the sport's ongoing fixture congestion.

" Obviously, we'll have a few changes to the line-up but that's been the theme of the entire season," he said. We're fortunate to have a squad that has players who are capable of winning numerous international awards, so we're relying on all the players to go out and do the job.

" There's a lot to take in as captain, but I always knew what I was getting myself into. It can be challenging, but my mindset is just to find solutions. Obviously Covid has set back a lot of schedules, so everyone is playing catch-up, and for me, personally, I know from being involved in an England set-up that country comes first.

" International games are very high intensity, so to release players right in the middle of a T20 series, for a game the next day, would be quite tough, both mentality and on the body. It's about striking a balance between allowing the men to perform in their best way in an English shirt and making them available for one of our important days. It's unfortunate, but we just leave it to the powers-that-be. "

It's not just the international game that is encroaching on the county season, however. Jason Roy, who has already missed the majority of the Blast group stage to play for Trinbago's sister team, LA Knight Riders, in Major League Cricket, will be a notable absentee.

Following his decision to negotiate an early release from his ECB contract in order to become a free agent in May 2023, Roy's downward trend continued. Jordan felt sympathy for his former England team-mate, who he recognizes as a first-mover in the dynamic T20 world.

" Obviously, it's a little bit of an unusual scenario, but we're in unusual territory as well, with so much franchise cricket and different opportunities popping up over the world.

" The cricket community as a whole has n't fully come to grips with the moving times," Jordan added. " [Roy's ] taken his own decision in terms of his own career. We would have loved to have him, but we also wish him the best of luck with everything because dressing room is such a big part of it. "

On his own England ambitions, Jordan is realistic about the status quo. He acknowledges that despite his recent success at the T20 World Cup, including a memorable hat-trick in front of his friends and family in Barbados, his participation in the white-ball reboot under Brendon McCullum's expanded responsibilities as head coach is unlikely given that he is 36 years old.

" I'm the kind of person that likes to take a day at a time and control what I can control," he said. " The England team is in a bit of a transition period, and at some point, I knew that stage would come. It does n't necessarily mean that the door is shut, but all I can do is play the cricket that's presented in front of me, and try to do as best as possible.

It was nice to return after the World Cup and put in some performances for both Surrey and Southern Brave. But I'll just try to do my job on Finals Day, which will be leading the team as best as possible, but also performing my role. "