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Match Preview: Tavare pleased to have Handscomb back for Leicestershire trip

30 August 2015

With Michael Klinger having returned to Australia, Gloucestershire have recalled his fellow countryman Peter Handscomb for the trip to Leicestershire.

The 24-year-old made 309 runs LV= County Championship runs at an average of 38.6 earlier in the season but hasn’t played a four-day game for the Glos since mid-May.
His last game for the county came in the NatWest T20 Blast against Hampshire at Cheltenham.

Since then he toured India with Australia, making notable contributions of 91 in an unofficial Test against India A in Chennai and 52 v South Africa in a one-day match.
And stand-in captain Will Tavare says the squad are looking forward to having the Victorian back in the team.

He said: “Pete gets on really well with the group so it won’t feel like much has changed. We played poker around at Pete’s house the other day so it shows how close we all are as a group. Even though he has been away with India A for a month and did well over there he just slots straight back in.”

To listen to the interview in full including talk of captaincy, poker and One-Day cup success click below

Gloucestershire go into the match unbeaten in their last four Championship games and having qualified for the semi-final of the Royal London One-Day Cup.

Will says the side will take confidence from their recent run of form ahead of this week’s encounter.

He said: “It definitely filters across. We are still quite ambitious on the four-day competition to try and make third position. Winning in the quarter finals gives you huge confidence as a squad and hopefully we can take that into Leicestershire.”

The home side go into the match having been denied a third win of the season by the weather against Northants.

And despite the fact that they lie bottom of the Championship table, Will says Glos won’t be taking them lightly.

He said: “We never take any team for granted, they aren’t an easy team to beat. They are a gritty set of lads and they won’t want to go down easily at the end of the season. Having sat that we feel it’s a game we can do well in.”
Will is set to captain the side at Leicester and says the closeness of the squad has helped him juggle the added responsibility of combing his batting duties with leading the team.

He said: “For me personally the way I like to captain, maybe because I’ve not played a huge amount of First Class cricket is I like the bowlers to take charge with their fielding positions. The fact that I am good mates with them means I trust what they do and I think that has paid dividends and makes it quite easy taking over.”

Squad: Tavare(c), Dent, Marshall, Roderick, Handscomb, Howell, Noema-Barnett, J Taylor, Fuller, Smith, Payne, Norwell

Leicestershire
Having been the whipping boys of county cricket for the last few seasons Leicestershire won their first Championship game since 2012 in May.
They followed that up with their win over Derbyshire in their last home match were well-set when rain intervened on the final day of their last game v Northants.
Under the direction of head coach Andrew McDonald – who was appointed last November – the side are no soft touch.
However they face injury concerns over all-rounder Ben Raine and experienced bowler Charlie Shreck ahead of the encounter with Gloucestershire.

Squad: TBA

Key Man

With 56 Championship wickets at 23.5 Australian Clint McKay has been the spearhead of the Leicestershire attack this season.
The experienced campaigner took eight wickets in the match v Glos at Cheltenham including 5-59 in the first innings.
He has also bowled more maidens (116) than any other bowler in Division 2 this season.

What they say:
Speaking after the recent draw v Northants head coach Andrew McDonald said: “It was a really good performance over the first three days of the game.
“You can't do much about the weather and what happened was totally out of our control.
“I'm really proud of the guys. To back up a good win over Derbyshire, and to bounce back from some disappointing one-day form in between, showed a lot of character and a lot of fight, which is what we are asking for.
“The way that Wayne White and Clint McKay went about it, with us two bowlers down (following injuries to Charlie Shreck and Ben Raine), was outstanding. For those two to front up and deliver was a significant step forward for the group. We know that we’re building and moving in the right direction, and that was another huge step forward.
“We got ourselves ahead of the game and once that happened, we started driving the game, which is something that we pride ourselves on.”

Opta Facts

• Leicestershire have gone five matches without a win against Gloucestershire (D1 L4).
• Gloucestershire have the chance to win three matches away at Leicestershire in a row for the first time since a five game streak between 1958 and 1963.
• If Leicestershire win however, it’ll be the first time since 2011 they’ve managed to win consecutive home games.
• Charlie Shreck has bowled more balls than any other player across both divisions this season (3034).
• The two bowlers to have recorded the most maidens in Division Two this season both ply their trade for Leicestershire (Clint McKay 116 and Charlie Shreck 115).

Last Time We Met
July 12-15 at Cheltenham College
LV=County Championship Division Two
Gloucestershire 218 (Roderick 61, McKay 5-59) and 321 (Howell 102, Shreck 5-82)
Leicestershire 215 (Cosgrove 74, Fuller 4-35) and 169 (Ali 41, Miles 3-27)
Glos won by 155 runs

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