Glamorgan Looking To Finish Group Stage In Style

29 Jul 2016 | Matches
Head Coach Robert Croft has named an unchanged 13-man squad for Glamorgan\'s final match in this year\'s NatWest T20 Blast group stages, safe in the knowledge that his side have secured a home quarter-final.

A rain-enforced abandonment at Hove last night, along with Essex's own victory at Middlesex, ensured Glamorgan would play at home in the quarter-finals (August 8-11) despite a below-par batting display against Sussex Sharks.

The umpires abandoned the game, meaning Glamorgan took a precious point.

The Welsh county are now three points clear in second-place, while tonight's opponents Essex Eagles' fate hangs in the balance. Ashar Zaidi smoked a quickfire half-century to lead the Eagles to success at Lord's last night, but the Chelmsford-based side could be caught if they lose tonight and Surrey beat Kent.

Glamorgan meanwhile, will look to regain some momentum after a week that has seen them lose to both Somerset and the Eagles in the Royal London One Day.

Captain Jacques Rudoph was keen for his side to 'start afresh' tonight. He said: "It definitely wasn't one of our better batting performances (against Sussex), and sometimes in a shortened game you don't know how to go about your business.

"We play Essex now, they've got it all to play for so it's important for us to park this game, rock up and start afresh."

Glamorgan's 13-man squad includes batsman Nick Selman and Scotland international allrounder Ruaidhri Smith, alongside the 11 players who featured at Hove.

Essex have also named an unchanged squad from the one that travelled to Lord's last night. Ravi Bopara leads an experienced outfit looking to seal their place in the knockout stages.

Glamorgan squad: David Lloyd, Mark Wallace, Colin Ingram, Aneurin Donald, Jacques Rudolph (capt.), Graham Wagg, Craig Meschede, Andrew Salter, Timm van der Gugten, Michael Hogan, Shaun Tait, Nick Selman, Ruaidhri Smith.

Essex squad: Nick Browne, Jesse Ryder, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Ravi Bopara (capt.), Ryan ten Doeschate, Ashar Zaidi, James Foster, Graham Napier, David Masters, Matt Quinn, Jaik Mickleburgh, Callum Taylor, Paul Walter.

The match gets underway at 6.30pm tonight at the county ground, Chelmsford. Follow updates @GlamCricket on Twitter and find a report and reaction on our website.