Glamorgan are now on a four match winning streak following their defeat of Middlesex on Sunday and three Championship victories, which took them up to third place in Divison Two. Meanwhile Surrey have had a relatively quiet start to the season by their high standards, although two wins from their last three Championship matches sees them in second place in Division One; but they slipped up against Somerset in the Blast last Friday.
They were unable to deal with Somerset’s Antipodean pace imports, Riley Meredith and Matt Henry, who helped restrict them to 146/9 from their 20 overs, only Jason Roy (92) and Sam Curran (22) reaching double figures. The fact that five of their top six batters have represented England, and the other, Laurie Evans has played for more franchise teams than I’ve had hot dinners, suggests they are likely to post a big total anytime soon.
Sam Curran has taken over the captaincy from Chris Jordan, who remains in the side and he is joined by brother Tom. They are still without Reece Topley and Mitchell Santner, who might be available for the next game against Hampshire on Thursday, having completed their stints with Mumbai Indians, who went out of the IPL at the final qualifier stage.
Glamorgan have had a lean time of it in this competition, but put in a strong performance against Middlesex, led by the leg spin of Mason Crane, who has been unable to force his way into the Championship side after an early season injury. He is the only Glamorgan player involved with a Hundred franchise, and was able to peg back the MIddlesex batters on Sunday.
There is a mix of youth and experience in the Glamorgan batting line up, and 21-year-old Asa Tribe has looked composed at the top of the order in the Championship side, and impressed with 40 from 26 balls in the win against Middlesex, his maiden Blast appearance.
Surrey won both encounters in last year’s competition, 76 from Jamie Smith helping them to 200/8 in the first game, Glamorgan falling short by 19 runs, despite half centuries from Colin Ingram and Marnus Labuschagne. The second match was a more one-sided affair, as Glamorgan could only manage 107/9 from their 20 overs, and Surrey reached the target with 11 overs to spare.
On paper, there looks to be a gulf between these two sides, but games aren’t won on paper.
Key players
Kiran Carlson leads Glamorgan’s white ball sides and was their top run scorer in last year’s Blast. This was thanks mainly to a breathtaking 135 from 64 balls against Somerset in the last game of the group stages. He managed a short sharp 16 from 10 balls against Middlesex, but will be hoping for some bigger scores as he looks for higher honours. Inconsistency has probably inhibited his progress to the next level.
Carlson’s opposite number Sam Curran will have been disappointed with his contributions in the IPL, but there is no doubting his explosive qualities with bat and ball, and two seventies in his one Championship game demonstrate that he is finding the middle of the bat. Surrey have been to finals day the last two years, but have not won the competition since the inaugural year, back in 2003. Sam Curran will be keen to change that statistic.
Team news:
The likelihood is that Glamorgan will stick with the same squad that travelled to Northwood, assuming Ben Kellaway and Asa Tribe are not involved in University exams.
Glamorgan squad (probable): Kiran Carlson (c), Tom Bevan, Chris Cooke (wk), Mason Crane, Dan Douthwaite, Andy Gorvin, Colin Ingram, Ben Kellaway, Hayden Kerr, Ned Leonard, Jamie McIlroy, Will Smale, Asa Tribe, Timm van der Gugten
Surrey have announced the same 13 that travelled to Taunton.
Surrey squad: Sam Curran (c), Tom Curran, Laurie Evans, Matt Fisher, Chris Jordan, Yousef Majid, Ryan Patel, Ollie Pope (wk), Jason Roy, Dom Sibley, Nathan Smith, Ollie Sykes, Dan Worrall
Weather and Conditions
Early morning rain should have disappeared, and the forecast is for a dry evening.
The one weakness in the Surrey squad is spin, while they await the appearance of Santner. It would therefore seem unlikely that Glamorgan will be asking for a pacey pitch, although that is a rarity in Cardiff.
Date: 3rd June 2025
Time: 18:30
Ground: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
