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Match Preview: Essex will be dangerous - Dawson

11 June 2015

Gloucestershire will return to the top of the NatWest T20 Blast South Group if they beat Essex Eagles at Chelmsford on June 11.

Richard Dawson’s team will go into the match in positive mood after winning three of their first four matches - including a 34 run win over Friday’s hosts in the return fixture three weeks ago.

That match saw Michael Klinger (pictured) mark his return to Bristol with a sparkling 126 not out before Tom Smith sealed the win with a hat trick.

Essex – who finished top of the South table last year – have struggled this year with two wins out of six in 2015 and are currently second from bottom.

But despite the two teams contrasting form, Dawson will warn his players to ignore the table when taking on Essex at Chelmsford tomorrow night.

He said: “Essex will be extremely dangerous.
“They beat Surrey in their last T20 game and since then their batsmen have come into some form in the Championship match against Northants.
“It’s the nature of T20 cricket that players get in and out of form very quickly and previous results count for nothing. If we let our standards slip at all we will be in trouble.”

With a squad boasting the likes of Ravi Bopara, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Shaun Tait and Jesse Ryder it is no surprise that the Gloucestershire head coach isn’t taking the match for granted.

He said: “Essex have some very talented individuals, internationals and IPL players, so we will give them the respect they merit.
“I expect nothing other than a very tough game and we will have to be at our best to win. Things have gone well for us in the competition so far, but there is a long way to go.”

The match, which takes place under floodlights, is the first three Blast games in four days for Gloucestershire. With the side also taking on Glamorgan at Bristol on Friday and Middlesex at Richmond on Sunday, Dawson has named a 15 man squad in order to allow him to rotate it as required. Hamish Marshall is likely to miss the Essex match with a calf injury while allrounder Miles Hammond is included for the first time.

Gloucestershire Squad

(2) Michael Klinger (capt), (15) Chris Dent, (28) Ian Cockbain, (54) Peter Handscomb, (9) Hamish Marshall, (8) Geraint Jones (wkt), (11) Kieran Noema-Barnett, (13) Benny Howell, (10) Jack Taylor, (26) James Fuller, (6) Tom Smith, (14) David Payne, (36) Matt Taylor. (20) Robbie Montgomery, (88) Miles Hammond,

Essex Eagles

Head coach Paul Grayson has named a 13-man squad for Friday’s match with Gloucestershire but England skipper Alastair Cook, who played in last week’s success over Surrey, is not available.

However opener Mark Pettini (pictured), who missed that match because of a hip injury, does return.

Grayson was encouraged by the Eagles performance in last week’s win over Surrey at The Oval, a victory that saw them swap places with Surrey at the foot of the South Division Group

He said: “I was very pleased with the manner of the win although Surrey got a few more runs than we would have liked towards the end of their innings. But generally, I thought we bowled well and then produced a good run-chase.

“It was vital that we got a win after some disappointing results and hopefully, we can carry the momentum from that victory into these next two or three games in this format.”

“We will need to be at the top of our game if we are to build on last week’s win because Gloucestershire and Sussex have shown that can be dangerous opponents in this format."

Essex Squad

Ryan ten Doeschate (captain), Mark Pettini, Jesse Ryder, Tom Westley, Ravi Bopara, Kishen Velani, James Foster (wicket-keeper), Nick Browne, Greg Smith, Graham Napier, David Masters, Reece Topley, Shaun Tait

Essex Eagles v Gloucestershire: Opta Stats

• Gloucestershire have won their last two T20s against Essex, after losing the first four completed clashes.
• Essex have lost their last five home T20s, after winning the preceding five.
• Michael Klinger’s unbeaten 126 against Essex at Bristol this season was the highest ever score by a Gloucestershire player.
• Tom Smith’s hat-trick in that match was the first recorded by a Gloucestershire player.

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