Preview: Dawson names unchanged squad for home clash against Kent
11 September 2017
Gloucestershire return to the Brightside Ground for their penultimate home Championship game when they face Kent on Tuesday (10.30am)
Unsurprisingly after the win over Leicestershire, head coach Richard Dawson has rewarded the players who delivered a 10 wicket victory by naming the same 11 plus Tom Smith, who was the ultimately omitted spin option at Grace Road.
Squad:
Bancroft, Dent, Roderick, Bracey, Hankins, Mustard (c), J.Taylor, Noema-Barnett, Smith, Shaw, Norwell, M.Taylor.
"It was pleasing that we decided to make three changes at Leicester and the three players who came in all stood up and did something towards the result" Dawson said.
"Josh Shaw and Matt Taylor bowled well and got among the wickets in the first innings and then James Bracey made his half century. The pitch offered swing and seam movement throughout the game and he built an innings in a disciplined way, leaving the ball well and relying on two or three main areas to score."
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Kent come to Bristol having secured a draw at Durham last week with the last pair at the crease for the final 11 deliveries. One of them, wicket keeper Sam Billings, made an unbeaten 70 to keep Kent's slim hopes alive of edging out Worcestershire to take the second promotion place, and Richard Dawson thinks they will come with a positive mind set.
"Kent are an attacking team with people like Northeast and Denly as well as Billings and wicket taking bowlers" he said.
"I would say they generally play fast cricket so their approach won't be a surprise to us and it won't change because they need a win."
The match - the first Championship fixture in Bristol for three months after the Cheltenham Festival and three successive away fixtures - also gives Gloucestershire's leading wicket taker Liam Norwell the chance to close in on his previous best tally of 61 wickets back in 2015. His 10-95 against Leicestershire took his total for this year to 56, and Dawson feels he deserves to set a new benchmark by the end of the month.
"Liam keeps things simple and works hard" he added.
"He bowled fantastically at Leicester and through the season he hasn't just got the tail enders out. A lot of his wickets have been top order batsmen and that consistency is very pleasing."
"It seems a long time since we drew the last four day game at the Brightside Ground against Nottinghamshire. Even at the end of our T20 fixtures most of the games were away and we've been to Worcester and Leicester since. We played some good cricket in Bristol earlier in the year and we want to continue that this week."
Coverage:
You can follow the match via the live scorecard available on the website, or via Twitter @GlosCricket
