NATWEST T20 BLAST:-Somerset vs Gloucestershire, South Group

 

• Teams
  Gloucestershire  (From): Phil Mustard(w), Michael Klinger(c), Ian Cockbain, George Hankins, Jack Taylor, Benny Howell, Thisara Perera, Thomas Smith, Matt Taylor, David Payne, Chris Liddle, Kieran Noema-Barnett, Craig Miles, Liam Norwell, William Tavare, Graeme van Buuren, Miles Hammond, Chris Dent, Cameron Bancroft
  Somerset  (From): Lewis Gregory, Jim Allenby(c), Peter Trego, Adam Hose, James Hildreth, Michael Leask, Tom Banton(w), Roelof van der Merwe, Craig Overton, Josh Davey, Max Waller, Corey Anderson, Tim Groenewald, Steven Davies, Johann Myburgh
• Match Odds

              Gloucestershire :- 2.00

               Somerset :- 1.90  

 About the Match

 Somerset finally won its first game in a sentational low scoring thriller against Kent and came in the middle of the table. But In today's Match their opponents is Gloucestershire, have one sided marginally better to be 2 wins from 4 matches and are currently at second on the table. Can Somerset keep the momentum going at home this weekend or will Michael Klinger and his men dominate this encounter- let's see in match preview

 Match Preview

• Gloucestershire

This is one of my favorite teams in the competition and has plenty of experienced T20 players in its squad. Gloucestershire has only won 2 games out its 4 games. The batting lineup for Gloucestershire seems to be in fine form and there has not been one standout performer, 4 batsmen including Bancroft, Cockbain, Howell, and Mustard have contributed. Michael Klinger himself have a great potential but a 25 in the last game signaled he was finding his feet as well. I think this Gloucestershire batting lineup is just beginning to peak and would back one of either Bancroft or Klinger to go big in the next couple of matches. Benny Howell has also been absolutely fantastic with the ball picking up 9 wickets and giving away runs at only 6.25 per over. Thisara Perera picked up three wickets in his last game and his role could be a crucial to this side thanks to his late order big hitting and the ability to change games in few deliveries.

• Somerset

I think that Somerset fans would be the first to admit their team is not the strongest when it comes to T20 performances. The last time a Somerset team made it to finals day was in 2012. This Somerset T20 team does not have any big names apart from Corey Anderson on its roster and he has been missing after playing one match due to injury. A return to the playing eleven will be a huge boost for Somerset but it is unclear as of now whether he will be available or not. Still, Somerset managed to put up a 200 plus total against Kent in last match thanks to some hitting from Adam Hose and James Hildreth. Both of them scored at a strike rate of 200 or more and changed the course of the game. Unfortunately, we think this is going to be an exception rather than the norm for Somerset. None of their batsmen have totaled 100 in this tournament and the top-order has failed to contribute anything of note. Playing on a small ground at Taunton, their bowling tends to come under pressure as well. Roelof van der Merwe and Craig Overton have been the best among the bowlers but neither is likely to run through a side and forge a victory. 

 Pitch and Conditions

There is some rain around in Taunton and we could see a delayed start or a reduced over match. This would make batting second a huge advantage especially when you take into account the short boundaries. We think this will be a high scoring match irrespective of the conditions on flat pitch and if the weather allows a full 20 overs to be bowled, teams will look to get 180-190 minimum. 

Some Key point that create a difference in both team

• Somerset lacks T20 specialists in the team
• Gloucestershire has a strong, in-form batting lineup 
•  The short boundaries at Taunton will favor Gloucestershire's power hitters to hit boundaries on batting pitch

My Prediction about this Match

• Bet on Gloucestershire to win at 2.0