T20 Blast Preview: Essex vs Glamorgan

T20 Blast Preview: Essex vs Glamorgan

Friday night sees the final Natwest T20 Blast Group game for Essex and Glamorgan at the Essex County Ground.

There is much riding on the outcome of the game at Chelmsford on Friday night. Essex are in fourth place, needing a victory to guarantee a quarter final birth, and Glamorgan are in second place aiming for top spot in the South Group.

Essex are coming off the back of an impressive run chase against Middlesex at Lord’s on Thursday night and a victory over Glamorgan in the RLODC at Chelmsford on Tuesday, where they chased down 324 runs for victory. Glamorgan, on the other hand, had a frustrating evening at Hove where the match was unable to be completed due to rain, and of course the last over loss to their Friday night hosts.

The game will be a tight affair, where the toss will be vital: most sides win the toss and bat first under lights. Essex have the upper hand, as the momentum is with them and they have more to play for.

Key Men

The veteran all-rounder Graham Napier retires at the end of this season and he will want to go out with a blast, forgive the pun. His ability to bowl first up and at the death with accuracy and pace make him a vital cog in the Essex machine. Throw in his ability to clear the boundary rope with ease when batting, and no chase is ever out of reach or total unable to be boosted.

Glamorgan’s second overseas player Shaun Tait is one of fine T20 pedigree, a wicket taking threat whenever he has ball in hand. His raw electric pace, and his ability to bowl an accurate Yorker at said pace, makes him the jewel in the Glamorgan pace attack. He has experience of playing in the IPL and T20 franchise competition around the world. He has also previously plied his trade for Essex so will be keen to remind the Eagles of what they are missing.

Team News

Essex – TBC
Glamorgan – TBC

Form

Essex: WWLLWW
Glamorgan: WWLLWA

Weather and conditions

The weather looks to be set fair for the last T20 group game at Chelmsford this year, with pleasant temperatures it should be a comfortable night of watching cricket for the sell out crowd. The rumour is that they will use the same pitch as for the RLODC Match on Tuesday evening, which saw 650 runs scored. If the pitch plays in the same way, we can look forward to another night of bountiful runs.

Date: 29th July 2016
Time: 18.30pm
Ground: Essex County Ground, Chelmsford
Umpires: Tim Robinson and Nigel Cowley
Odds (SkyBet): Essex 4/5   Glamorgan Evens

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