The Colonel's view on the T20 Quarter-Final clash against Durham
5 August 2016
On Wednesday 10 August Gloucestershire face Durham Jets at the Brightside Ground, Bristol in what will be the first NatWest T20 Blast match that has ever been played between the two sides. Both teams have had a particularly good year in the competition and will be looking to go further and reach finals day at Edgbaston on Saturday 20 August.
Neither side has won the T20 outright and this match could be the changing point for both teams. Phil Mustard, who has been Gloucestershire’s latest signing, knows both Gloucestershire and parent club Durham well. On Friday 29 July when Gloucestershire found out that they will face Durham in the T20 Blast, Phil Mustard said, “When the draw came out, myself and Richard Dawson looked at each other and had a bit of a giggle. That’s all we could do as it was in the loan agreement that I couldn’t play if it happened so we’ve just taken it on the chin.” Unfortunately for Mustard and Glos, the draw now means he will not be able to face Durham in this significant T20 clash.
Gloucestershire’s last home Quarter Final was against Worcestershire in 2007 which ended up in a Glos victory. Hopefully Glos will be able to repeat this by defeating Durham next Wednesday. Phil Mustard believes that having home advantage is key in the T20 Blast and for Durham it is a challenge; “Durham’s away form has been the same in all the years I’ve played there, and they do travel the most miles.” However, he goes on to say “T20 is often about one individual performing really well, and both teams have people who can do that so it’ll be about which team has the most people doing the most damage.” For Gloucestershire, Michael Klinger and Ian Cockbain have been in magnificent form with the bat and Benny Howell has been outstanding with the ball.
Both Gloucestershire and Durham have been successful in winning silverware over the last couple of years with Gloucestershire winning the Royal London One-Day Cup in 2015 and Durham winning the same competition in 2014. The incentive on getting to Finals Day is of extreme importance for both sides and Mustard believes that it will be a nail biting encounter, he goes on to say, “It’s a huge carrot for both teams, in T20 neither team has ever won it, it looks to be an evenly matched game.”
Neither team has seen much of the other and this NatWest T20 Blast match has intrigue written all over it.
The match will commence at 6.30pm under floodlights at the Brightside Ground, Bristol. Make sure you don’t miss out on this crucial T20 clash.
To secure your tickets for this encounter, click here
