Match Preview: Dawson - Glos in positive frame of mind ahead of One-Day Cup kick off v Yorkshire
25 July 2015
Gloucestershire will be hoping for a repeat of last year’s win over Yorkshire when they begin their Royal London One-Day campaign at Scarborough on Sunday.
A three-wicket victory over the Vikings at Headingly helped Glos qualify for the quarter finals in 2014 and head coach Richard Dawson says he is optimistic his team can get off to a good start against his former club.
He said: “It will be a good challenge for us. Gloucestershire beat Yorkshire last year so we will be turning up in a positive frame of mind.
“We’ve shown in the T20 we can compete with teams. We’ve played some very good cricket and there’s no reason we can’t replicate that in the 50 over competition.”
Gloucestershire finished third in their group last season before losing to Kent in the last eight.
Since then the format has been reinvigorated with a high-scoring World Cup and record-breaking ODI series between England and New Zealand.
That series saw a combined total of 3,151 in total including England’s highest score (408-9) largest winning margin (210 runs) and biggest successful run chase (350).
But Dawson - who says he hasn’t spoken to any of his former Yorkshire colleagues ahead of the match - is unsure whether the ultra-aggressive approach will transfer to the domestic competition.
He said: “At international level the wickets are pretty flat but going into the back end of the season I am not sure whether the pitches will allow teams to play that type of cricket. Teams may look to play in an aggressive way but you still have to adapt to the conditions.”
Gloucestershire will be hoping to build on last season’s success in the 50 overs-a-side format and Dawson says they will take confidence from their performances in the NatWest T20 Blast.
He said; “You’ve got to play to your strengths so we won’t try to reinvent what has worked well in T20s. Whoever we pick the important thing is that they take responsibility for their role and nail it down. That’s a big thing me and Michael (Klinger) have been trying to get across to the players.
Squad TBA
Yorkshire Vikings
Top of the LV=County Championship and near the foot of the NatWest T20 Blast table it is hard to predict how Yorkshire will fair in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
The Vikings finished top of their group last season before losing to eventual champions Durham in the quarter finals.
Gloucestershire were one of only three sides to beat Yorkshire in the 2014 competition and will be hoping for a repeat on Sunday.
After a string of poor results in T20 cricket Yorkshire head coach Jason Gillespie has issued a stark message to his players that may well have a knock on effect on their 50 over performances.
He said: “To cut to the chase, we haven’t done the business, and we need to try to find some solutions.
“The fact is, our senior players haven’t stepped up to the plate and done the job in this form of the game.
“Our best bowler has been a 17-year-old seamer in Matt Fisher, who has been outstanding, and our frontline batsmen haven’t really fired.
“The key areas for us have been our up-front bowling and our bowling at the end of the innings, as well as our consistency with the bat.
“We just haven’t had that, and that’s why we’ve struggled.”
Squad TBA
Key Man
Australian allrounder Glenn Maxwell was due to be in India with Australia A but has been granted permission to remain with Yorkshire following the season-ending injury sustained by fellow countryman Aaron Finch.
The hard-hitting Victorian has established himself as a key man for Australia in both of the shortest forms of the game.
His ability to dominate attacks was showcased in the World Cup where he had the tournament third highest strike rate – 182 – as he made 324 runs at 64.8. His 50 off 21 balls v Afghanistan was the third fastest of the competition.
Opta Facts
- Gloucestershire have won 10 of their last 13 against the Vikings.
- Yorkshire have won the last five tosses between these teams.
- Five of Yorkshire’s last six home games have been won by the chasing team.
- Adil Rashid recorded the best figures (5-33) in Royal London One-Day Cup 2014 – he was the second highest wicket-taker last season with 21.
Last Time We Met
Royal London One-Day Cup
July 29 2014 at Headingly
Yorkshire 192 all out (41.4 overs) (Rashid 71, Payne 3-31)
Gloucestershire 193-7 (45.2 overs) (W Gidman 71 not out, Rashid 3-43)
Gloucestershire won by 3 wickets
Head-to-Head
| Yorkshire Vikings | Gloucestershire | |
| Games | 50 | 50 |
| Won | 20 | 30 |
| Lost | 30 | 20 |
| Tied | 0 | 0 |
| Win % | 40 | 60 |
