Dawson calls for collective improvement
7 June 2016
Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson has given his players a clear message ahead of Wednesday's group game against Middlesex in the Royal London Cup at the Brightside Ground - more of the team have to contribute if results are to turn their way.
Defeats to Somerset at Taunton and to Glamorgan in Cardiff on successive days have left Gloucestershire at the bottom of the south group, with Dawson now pondering how he will structure the side for their first home match.
"We've been outplayed in both games so far" Dawson said. "We got ourselves back into the Somerset match and you should be winning when the last pair need 63, although to be fair they batted well and played some good shots. At Cardiff, Glamorgan were the better side and deserved to beat us."
"What it comes down to is pretty black and white. However you shape the team, you're going to struggle if only two batsmen and two bowlers contribute. Last year we had seven or eight players doing so, and the team worked as a collective unit. So far we haven't had that."
SQUAD :
There are no changes to the squad named for the first two games in the group, and again selection of the final eleven will be made from a squad of 14.
Klinger (c), Dent, Cockbain, Roderick, Marshall, Howell, J Taylor, Smith, Miles, Norwell, M. Taylor, Van Buuren, Noema-Barnett, Payne.
Dawson conceded that Jack Taylor's bowling ban was a problem he could do without as Gloucestershire strive for a more efficient combination in the field.
"We are a bowler down and we have to think about that tactically" Dawson went on. "We have played some good Championship cricket and we've won two away games in the T20 but in this competition we need to step things up, and that was the message in the dressing room after the two losses we've had."
Middlesex have a poor record in List A games at the Brightside Ground, with their last success coming back in 1991. When the teams last met in this competition in 2012, Middlesex won a game played at Cheltenham. Their most recent visit to Bristol was in 2008, when a century by Hamish Marshall saw Gloucestershire chase down 184 for victory.
Middlesex started their campaign with a home defeat against Hampshire on Tuesday. Big hitting New Zealander Brendon McCullum top scored with 74 out of a total of 295-8, but the visitors successfully reached a revised target of 202 under Duckworth Lewis in the final over, and Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson says the high scores around the country could be replicated at Bristol.
"We scored 289 against Durham last season but the bottom line is you have to go out there and prove it's a wicket with 300 (or so) runs in it. Michael Klinger and Hamish Marshall are good at assessing what a decent score is when they bat, and you're looking to your opening bowlers to judge it from a fielding point of view."
"Middlesex have got some big names in their side, and it was useful seeing them last week in the T20. We know their strengths and weaknesses, and we'll be expecting James Fuller and James Franklin to play, but we have to look after our own game and perform to our ability."
A reminder the match starts at 2.00pm with gates open from 12 noon.
COVERAGE :
You can follow the match via the live scorecard available on the website, or via Twitter @Gloscricket
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