Sussex T20 preview: Maxy's back and targeting T20 success
18 May 2016
Michael Klinger is calling on his Gloucestershire team mates to replicate their 2015 one-day success in the NatWest T20 Blast ahead of their first match against Sussex Sharks this Friday.
The game – the first at the Brightside Ground, Bristol under floodlights – starts at 6.30pm and tickets will be available on the gate.
The Australian – who flew in this week – will play his first match for the club since leading them to the Royal London One-Day Cup at Lord’s last September.
He said: “There is an expectation on us to make finals now. A lot of other teams probably share that expectation but we showed what we can do last year in one-day cricket.
“In the T20 we just missed out on the quarter finals. We want to try and go a step or two further this year and try and make the final in that as well.”
To watch the exclusive GlosTV video interview with Michael please click below
Michael was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the PCA (Professional Cricketers Association) rankings for the RL One-Day Cup and the NatWest T20 Blast last year where he scored 654 runs at an average of 81.75 – including an unrivalled three centuries.
But he has called on his team mates to grab the headlines in this year’s competition.
He said: “In T20 especially, every player needs to want to be man of the match. Justin Langer, the coach of the Perth Scorchers talks about it a lot. If you go in with that attitude I think that will go a long way towards helping us do well in the tournament.”
Michael says he is expecting a difficult match against the Sharks who did the double over them last year. And he identified Luke Wright – who made 111* in the win over Glos at Bristol last year and New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor as potential danger men.
He said: “They’ve got an excellent team. Ross Taylor is a world class player, Luke Wright as well and their bowling’s good too so it will be a tough game first up.
“But as long as our roles are clear and we execute well I think we can beat most teams.”
Gloucestershire Squad
Klinger (captain), Bancroft, Cockbain, Dent, Howell, Liddle, Marshall, Miles, Noema-Barnett, Payne, Roderick, Smith, J Taylor, M Taylor, Van Buuren.
Sussex Sharks
The Sharks will be targeting another successful NatWest T20 Blast campaign in 2016 having made the quarter finals last time around.
They did the double over Glos last year and are buoyed by the return to fitness of skipper Luke Wright and paceman Tymal Mills for the first time this year.
England allrounder Chris Jordan and Bangladeshi star Mustafizur Rahman are missing through IPL action but their 14-man squad boasts a number of experienced players including Ross Taylor, Danny Briggs and Ajmal Shazad.
For a full preview on the Sharks click here.
Squad
Luke Wright (captain), Will Beer, Danny Briggs, Ben Brown, Craig Cachopa, Harry Finch, George Garton, Matt Machan, Tymal Mills, Chris Nash, Ollie Robinson, Phil Salt, Ajmal Shahzad, Ross Taylor
Key Man Ross Taylor 
With 11,000 international runs- including more than 1000 in T20s, New Zealander Ross Taylor is one of the most prolific batsmen on the planet.
The former Black Caps skipper played in the recent World T20 and has previously enjoyed spells in the IPL and Caribbean Premier League.
His proven class, experience and cool head in the middle order could be just what the Sharks need to build on last year’s quarter final place.
Opta Stats
- Sussex Sharks have won five of their last seven meetings with Gloucestershire (L2).
- Gloucestershire have claimed victory in three of their last four T20 matches and the last seven games involving them have been won by the side chasing.
- Luke Wright’s (Sussex Sharks) most recent T20 century in England came when these sides last met (111*, June 2015).
- Michael Klinger recorded more innings of 50+ than anyone else last season (7) and he was responsible for 30.4% of Gloucestershire’s runs; the highest share of any batsman for any side last year.
- No batsman hit more sixes in the 2015 T20 Blast than Luke Wright (29).
Last Time We Met…
NatWest T20 Blast, June 27 2015 at the Brightside Ground, Bristol
Gloucestershire 185-4 (Klinger 61, Mills 2-31)
Sussex Sharks 188-7 (Wright 111*, Smith 2-32)
Sussex won by 3 wickets
Head-to-Head
| Gloucestershire | Sussex Sharks | |
| Completed Games | 9 | 9 |
| Won | 3 | 6 |
| Lost | 6 | 3 |
| Tied | 0 | 0 |
| Win % | 33.3% | 66.7% |
Michael Klinger is sponsored by SSC Laser Cutting
