Root and Brook are set to play in a very strong Yorkshire XI
Yorkshire travel to Bristol this week, with a squad that would not look out if place in Division One and they will be keen to get their promotion bid into full swing after a rain interrupted opening game. They will be hoping for better weather than they were greeted with this time last year, when the match at Bristol was abandoned without a ball bowled. When they met in the reverse fixture in June, they shared the points in a high scoring game, centuries from Finlay Bean, George Hill and Matthew Revis taking Yorkshire to 550/9 declared before Gloucestershire replied with 464, thanks to a century from Ollie Price and 92 by Miles Hammond. Yorkshire then batted out the draw.
In their opening game, the dangerous Yorkshire seam attack was unable to get on top of a battling Leicestershire, their lower order batters putting up particularly stubborn resistance. Matt Milnes ended as the top wicket taker with 4/73, while Dan Moriarty was the favoured spinner, with no Dom Bess in the squad, finishing with 1/37. The Yorkshire reply was dominated by centuries for Adam Lyth and Harry Brook, the other batters being dismissed cheaply. They will be reinforced by Joe Root this week, with the likely changes being Hill moving down to six and the omission of one of the seamers. With Root playing they will have a second spin option, the Kookaburra having the desired effect with more overs of spin in the first round than might have been expected. Shan Masood remains the lone overseas signing, although there does not seem to be any need for another.
Gloucestershire spent four days in Derby staring at a sodden outfield in round one and will be itching to get playing. They went winless in the Championship in 2023 and know that things can only improve this year, as long as they do not suffer the same injury problems. They have a new coach in Mark Alleyne, although he will be no stranger to the Gloucestershire faithful, having spent 19 years at the club as a player, leading them to silverware in 2000, as well as three years as coach. They tried to spice up the pitches last summer, as the County Ground had become notorious as a feather bed, but it rebounded on them when their new signing Marchant de Lange only managed to get on the field for four Championship games with David Payne not appearing. De Lange is now fit, but Payne is restricting his appearances, at least for the moment, to white ball cricket.
The squad named for the Derbyshire game was without Tom Price (rib injury) and Matt Taylor (toe injury), leaving a youthful quartet of Zaman Akhter, Ajeet Singh Dale, Dom Goodman and Josh Shaw to support de Lange. Dale suffered a thigh strain last August, but has been working hard in the winter and can deliver the ball with genuine pace. On the spin front, Ollie Price took 18 wickets in the Championship last season with his off spin and is becoming a reliable performer with bat and ball. Pakistan’s Zafar Gohar was Gloucestershire’s top wicket-taker in 2023 and has signed for a fourth season, but was absent from last week’s squad, while 23-year-old leg spinner Ed Middleton was included.
Gloucestershire did spend time in South Africa preseason, but did not manage to get out on the field for any warm up games after they returned. A number of players took advantage of a second XI fixture against Worcestershire, but Middleton was the only one of the possible starters to take advantage with the bat. Cameron Bancroft has come in to bolster the batting and they will be looking to Miles Hammond and Ollie Price to continue their form from last summer.
As racing followers might say, Gloucestershire are short of a gallop and Yorkshire will start as firm favourites with the XI they are able to put on the park (five with Test match experience), particularly if there is any assistance for the bowlers from the pitch.
Key players:
22-year-old Ollie Price is building a reputation at Gloucestershire, outshining his older brother Tom. He scored 763 runs at 42.38 in the Championship last summer, including three centuries and bowls more than useful off spin. He will have learnt from being away with the England Lions in the winter and now be keen to demonstrate his ability to turn out consistent performances this summer.
It is just over two years since Matt Fisher played his one Test, in England’s ill-fated tour to the West Indies. Since then he has been struggling with injury, playing just two Championship matches in the 2022 season and nine last year. Last summer he took 28 wickets at 28.53 and will undoubtedly be looking to get closer to the 50 mark this summer. At 26-years-old he still has time and will be praying for the fitness gods to shine on him.
Team News:
Gloucestershire are unlikely to make any changes to the squad that travelled to Derby, unless Tom Price or Taylor is fit. It is unclear about Gohar’s status.
Gloucestershire squad (probable): Graeme van Buuren (c), Zaman Akhtar, Cameron Bancroft, James Bracey (wk), Ben Charlesworth, Ajeet Singh Dale, Marchant de Lange, Chris Dent, Dom Goodman, Miles Hammond, Ed Middleton, Joe Phillips, Ollie Price, Josh Shaw
For Yorkshire, Joe Root will come into the starting eleven, with the likely omission of one of the seamers.
Yorkshire squad (probable): Shan Masood (c), Finlay Bean, Harry Brook, Ben Coad, Matthew Fisher, George Hill, Adam Lyth, Matt Milnes, Dan Moriarty, Matthew Revis, Joe Root, Jonathan Tatersall (wk), Jordan Thompson, James Wharton
Weather and Conditions:
The current forecast is for a dry first three days with sunny intervals and then showers coming in on Monday.
Two out of the four matches started in Bristol last summer (one was washed out) ended in positive results and there may be something in the pitch for the seamers. Expect the captain winning the toss to put the opposition in.
Date: 12 – 15 April 2024
Time: 11:00
Ground: County Ground, Bristol
Root and Brook are set to play in a very strong Yorkshire XI
Yorkshire travel to
Bristol this week, with a squad that would not look out if place in
Division One and they will be keen to get their promotion bid into
full swing after a rain interrupted opening game. They will be hoping
for better weather than they were greeted with this time last year,
when the match at Bristol was abandoned without a ball bowled. When
they met in the reverse fixture in June, they shared the points in a
high scoring game, centuries from Finlay Bean, George Hill and
Matthew Revis taking Yorkshire to 550/9 declared before
Gloucestershire replied with 464, thanks to a century from Ollie
Price and 92 by Miles Hammond. Yorkshire then batted out the draw.
In their opening
game, the dangerous Yorkshire seam attack was unable to get on top of
a battling Leicestershire, their lower order batters putting up
particularly stubborn resistance. Matt Milnes ended as the top wicket
taker with 4/73, while Dan Moriarty was the favoured spinner, with no
Dom Bess in the squad, finishing with 1/37. The Yorkshire reply was
dominated by centuries for Adam Lyth and Harry Brook, the other
batters being dismissed cheaply. They will be reinforced by Joe Root
this week, with the likely changes being Hill moving down to six and
the omission of one of the seamers. With Root playing they will have
a second spin option, the Kookaburra having the desired effect with
more overs of spin in the first round than might have been expected.
Shan Masood remains the lone overseas signing, although there does
not seem to be any need for another.
Gloucestershire
spent four days in Derby staring at a sodden outfield in round one
and will be itching to get playing. They went winless in the
Championship in 2023 and know that things can only improve this year,
as long as they do not suffer the same injury problems. They have a
new coach in Mark Alleyne, although he will be no stranger to the
Gloucestershire faithful, having spent 19 years at the club as a
player, leading them to silverware in 2000, as well as three years as
coach. They tried to spice up the pitches last summer, as the County
Ground had become notorious as a feather bed, but it rebounded on
them when their new signing Marchant de Lange only managed to get on
the field for four Championship games with David Payne not appearing.
De Lange is now fit, but Payne is restricting his appearances, at
least for the moment, to white ball cricket.
The squad named for
the Derbyshire game was without Tom Price (rib injury) and Matt
Taylor (toe injury), leaving a youthful quartet of Zaman
Akhter, Ajeet Singh Dale, Dom Goodman and Josh Shaw to support de
Lange. Dale suffered a thigh strain last August, but has been working
hard in the winter and can deliver the ball with genuine pace. On the
spin front, Ollie Price took 18 wickets in the Championship last
season with his off spin and is becoming a reliable performer with
bat and ball. Pakistan’s Zafar Gohar was Gloucestershire’s top
wicket-taker in 2023 and has signed for a fourth season, but was
absent from last week’s squad, while 23-year-old leg spinner Ed
Middleton was included.
Gloucestershire
did spend time in South Africa preseason, but did not manage to get
out on the field for any warm up games after they returned. A number
of players took advantage of a second XI fixture against
Worcestershire, but Middleton was the only one of the possible
starters to take advantage with the bat. Cameron Bancroft has come in
to bolster the batting and they will be looking to Miles Hammond and
Ollie Price to continue their form from last summer.
As
racing followers might say, Gloucestershire are short of a gallop and
Yorkshire will start as firm favourites with the XI they are able to
put on the park (five with Test match experience), particularly if
there is any assistance for the bowlers from the pitch.
Key players:
22-year-old Ollie
Price is building a reputation at Gloucestershire, outshining his
older brother Tom. He scored 763 runs at 42.38 in the Championship
last summer, including three centuries and bowls more than useful off
spin. He will have learnt from being away with the England Lions in
the winter and now be keen to demonstrate his ability to turn out
consistent performances this summer.
It is just over two
years since Matt Fisher played his one Test, in England’s
ill-fated tour to the West Indies. Since then he has been struggling
with injury, playing just two Championship matches in the 2022 season
and nine last year. Last summer he took 28 wickets at 28.53 and will
undoubtedly be looking to get closer to the 50 mark this summer. At
26-years-old he still has time and will be praying for the fitness
gods to shine on him.
Team News:
Gloucestershire are
unlikely to make any changes to the squad that travelled to Derby,
unless Tom Price or Taylor is fit. It is unclear about Gohar’s
status.
Gloucestershire
squad (probable): Graeme van Buuren
(c), Zaman Akhtar, Cameron Bancroft, James Bracey (wk), Ben
Charlesworth, Ajeet Singh Dale, Marchant de Lange, Chris Dent, Dom
Goodman, Miles Hammond, Ed Middleton, Joe Phillips, Ollie Price, Josh
Shaw
For
Yorkshire, Joe Root will come into the starting eleven, with the
likely omission of one of the seamers.
Yorkshire squad
(probable): Shan Masood (c), Finlay Bean, Harry Brook, Ben Coad,
Matthew Fisher, George Hill, Adam Lyth, Matt Milnes, Dan Moriarty,
Matthew Revis, Joe Root, Jonathan Tatersall (wk), Jordan Thompson,
James Wharton
Weather and
Conditions:
The current forecast
is for a dry first three days with sunny intervals and then showers
coming in on Monday.
Two out of the four
matches started in Bristol last summer (one was washed out) ended in
positive results and there may be something in the pitch for the
seamers. Expect the captain winning the toss to put the opposition
in.
Date: 12 – 15
April 2024
Time: 11:00
Ground:
County Ground, Bristol
