Glamorgan v Essex
Vitality Blast
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Friday 09 June, 6:30pm
After defeating both Sussex Sharks and Kent Spitfires in the space of two days, the Eagles travel to Cardiff with the aim of winning three in a row and leaping Glamorgan into the top four.
Essex will be spurred on after defeating local rivals Kent Spitfires away on Wednesday evening, which included a hat-trick from Sam Cook. A second hat-trick in just under a week for the Eagles in the 2023 Vitality Blast.
Hosts Glamorgan will be looking to get back to winning ways at home after falling to defeat against Surrey at Sophia Gardens on Wednesday evening.
Squad:
Head Coach Anthony McGrath has named a 14-player squad for the trip to Wales.
Adam Rossington is ruled out after injuring his finger against Sussex Sharks on Tuesday and Dan Lawrence has returned back to England duty after recently being named in the 16-player Ashes squad.
Will Buttleman retains a spot in the matchday squad after scoring an important 17* at Canterbury to help Essex to the finishing line.
The Opposition: Glamorgan
Captain: Kiran Carlson
Overseas players: Colin Ingram (South Africa), Peter Hatzoglou (Australia)
Finals Day appearances: 2 (2004, 2017)
Titles: 0
2022 finish: Group Stage
2022 leading run-scorer: Sam Northeast (510)
2022 leading wicket-taker: Michael Hogan (20)
Glamorgan have secured the services of Colin Ingram for the next two years and he will be available throughout the campaign, but will be without Michael Hogan, their leading wicket taker in 2022, who is now with Kent Spitfires.
Dan Douthwaite is more than capable of a match-winning performance with the bat and the ball and is currently Glamorgan’s leading wicket-taker heading into this match. As a big hitting all-rounder he is the kind of player The Hundred teams could be looking for if he continues his good start in the Blast.
With just two Finals Day appearances and no titles, the Blast is a big gap in Glamorgan’s record that they will be looking to fill in 2023.
In order to claim that first Blast title much will depend on the performance of the white-ball players who have not been part of the County Championship games so far when they come into the team.
Tickets:
Tickets for Sunday’s LV= Insurance County Championship fixture against Somerset are still on sale. Chelmsford is set for a spell of warm weather and the prospect of watching cricket whilst basking in the sun is a very realistic one. Tickets for the game are available from £14 if you purchase online before the game, or £17 on the gate.
How To Watch:
The big clash between Glamorgan and Essex will be streamed live from Cardiff courtesy of our hosts and available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone.
Clips, statistics and an interactive scorecard will be available, as well as full match coverage on the Club’s Twitter and Facebook accounts.
