Vitality Blast QF preview | Birmingham Bears vs Gloucestershire
5 September 2024
Gloucestershire feature in their first Vitality Blast quarter-final in four years on Friday as Mark Alleyne’s side visit Edgbaston for a knockout match against Birmingham Bears.
Eyeing a trip to Final’s Day back in Birmingham on Saturday 14th September, Gloucestershire head to the North Group table-toppers having secured a place in the quarter-finals on the last day of the group stage of the competition. Shire’s win over Middlesex coupled with Hampshire’s nail-biting victory over Essex Eagles secured fourth place for Gloucestershire and that all-important passage through to the last eight. Captained by Jack Taylor, Gloucestershire finished on 15 points with seven wins and a tie to snatch the final qualification spot.
Birmingham Bears, meanwhile, were the dominant force in the North Group, winning 10 of their 14 matches and accumulating 20 points in the process. They did, however, lose two of their final five group stage matches having won seven of their first nine.
The winner of this match will go on to face Sussex Sharks in the semi-final at Edgbaston next Saturday, with the winner of that fixture taking on Somerset or Surrey in the highly-anticipated Vitality Blast final.
TEAM NEWS
Mark Alleyne selects a strong 15-man squad for the trip to Edgbaston.
David Payne features as does Tom Price following his recovery from injury. Youngsters Joe Phillips and Ahmed Syed also make the traveling squad.
Marchant de Lange misses out, however, having picked up a hamstring injury during the County Championship match against Leicestershire.
15-man squad to face Birmingham Bears:
J Taylor (C), Bancroft, Bracey, Charlesworth, Hammond, Payne, Phillips, O Price, T Price, Shaw, Singh Dale, Smith, A Syed, M Taylor, Van Buuren.
LAST TIME OUT
Gloucestershire’s last Vitality Blast meeting with Birmingham Bears came in 2020 when Ian Cockbain, Miles Hammond and Chris Dent starred as Gloucestershire defeated the Bears to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
Having won the toss and electing to bat first, Shire scored 173-6 thanks to an 88-run opening stand between Hammond and Dent. Cockbain’s 44 off 21 balls ensured the visitors faced a daunting chase, with the Bears only able to muster 123 all out in reply.
HOW TO WATCH
Birmingham Bears vs Gloucestershire will be shown live on Sky Sports at 7pm on Friday 6th September. There will be no YouTube live stream for this match.
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