RAIN at Edgbaston threatens to make Durham and Yorkshire wait until tomorrow for their chance to win English cricket's Twenty20 competition for the first time.

Their tie is the second semi-final in the NatWest T20 Blast, scheduled for 2.30 today. But if necessary it will be played on tomorrow's reserve day.

That might cause a problem for some of the many fans in the sell-out crowd, but neither team will allow any sense of anti-climax as both are gracing finals day for only the second time.

Durham lost to Middlesex in the 2008 semi-final at the Rose Bowl and Yorkshire lost to Hampshire in the 2012 final.

Both scraped through the group stages this year before winning quarter-finals away from home.

“We got in through the back door but are peaking at the right time,” said Durham skipper Paul Collingwood. “We have some good athletes in the field, everyone knows their role and our death bowling has improved.

“Mark Wood has taken early wickets and he and Usman Arshad bowl well at the end of an innings. Scott Borthwick turns it both ways and having Ben Stokes is a huge boost because he's a match-winner.

“This is a form of the game we have not got quite right in the past. We keep scratching our heads, trying to find the key to success and we have played our best in the last two games. We want to take that form and belief into finals day.

“Getting there is a big achievement but it means nothing unless you pick up the trophy. It's an opportunity to do something special for the club.

“To go out there and win would prove to everyone how good the talent in the North East is and how much we stick together.

“It’s great for the youngsters who don’t always get the opportunity to play in this sort of atmosphere. Some of them have the responsibility of big positions in the team and they can go out there and show what they’re capable of.”

For Gordon Muchall it is an opportunity to end his Durham career on a high, completing the full set of championship, one-day cup and T20 medals.

He also needs 25 runs to become the second Durham batsman after Phil Mustard to reach 2,000 in Twenty20 cricket.

Neither side will include an overseas player, while Nottinghamshire must choose two from three for their semi-final against Northants.

They have Andre Russell, Dan Christian and Imran Tahir on their books. But the side languishing at the bottom of division one will have to overcome their reputation for under-achieving if they are to win the T20 for the first time.

Northants are the classic example of how a team with few stars can excel in this competition, having won it three years ago and reached the final last year.

They no longer have David Willey, however. He was signed by Yorkshire to improve their one-day performances and after winning only one of their first seven T20 games this season they have been unstoppable recently.

They made their record T20 score of 223 for six against Durham at Headingley four weeks ago, winning by 49 runs, and thrashed Glamorgan by 90 runs in the quarter-final.

That was without their Test trio, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance, but Collingwood is confident Durham have the players to match them.

“It’s not just one or two people that have got us through - everyone has had good days,” he said. “With Wood and Stokes we have two X-factor players who are as excited as anyone to perform for Durham.

“They really are the heartbeat of the side. Stokesy is a great character to have around, even when he’s been injured. He also brings his skills with the bat and the experience of big games.

“He's young but he’s played in some huge games, so he’ll keep the atmosphere relaxed and enjoyable, which is crucial on big occasions.

“Woody is exactly the same. The humour and character he brings is gold dust on days like this.”

Durham (from): P D Collingwood (capt), M D Stoneman, K K Jennings, B A Stokes, S G Borthwick, M J Richardson, G J Muchall, R D Pringle, P Coughlin, M Wood, U Arshad, C Rusworth.