ABOUT THE MATCH
Glamorgan is set to take on Somerset on August 24 as they seek their first win of the Vitality Blast 2019. The Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton will be hosting this South Group game.
Glamorgan is having a horrible T20 Blast tournament. They are yet to open their account on the points table after having played out eleven league matches and they are the only team this season to have not won a single game thus far.
With just five points in the bag and only three more games to go, Glamorgan is already out of contention for the quarter-finals. They can only get to a maximum of 11 points if they win all their remaining fixtures but that won’t be enough to take them through. Somerset, on the other hand, has fared much better and can still make it to the knockout round even if they lose this match.
TOSS PREDICTION
With conditions being ideal for batting, gauging a safe score here will not be easy. And also since the pitch is likely to remain the same across the forty overs, the toss-winning captain will probably prefer to chase.
PITCH AND CONDITIONS
Clear skies with gentle breeze throughout the day have been forecast for Saturday. Temperatures are likely to range from 17 to 23 degrees Celsius and humidity should be around 60-79% through the duration of the game.
Taunton has been nothing less than a batting paradise in this year’s Vitality T20 Blast. The ground has hosted four matches so far this season and 150+ has been scored in each of the eight innings. Once again, a flat batting track is expected and it may not be an easy day for the bowlers.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI OF Somerset
Tom Banton (wk), Babar Azam, James Hildreth, Tom Abell (c), Edward Byrom, Tom Lammonby, Roelof van der Merwe, Craig Overton, Tim Groenewald, Jerome Taylor, Max Waller
PROBABLE PLAYING XI OF Glamorgan
David Lloyd, Fakhar Zaman, Shaun Marsh, Colin Ingram (c), Chris Cooke (wk), Daniel Douthwaite, Graham Wagg, Ruaidhri Smith, Andrew Salter, Marchant de Lange, Lukas Carey
MATCH PREVIEW
Somerset
- Somerset have played three completed matches since losing to Middlesex almost three weeks ago and they have fielded the same group of eleven in each of those. There are no injuries within their camp at the moment and we expect them to retain the same line-up from their game against Kent.
- Somerset are currently positioned fifth on the South Group points table with five wins, four losses and a washout from ten league matches. They started off pretty poorly with three defeats in their first four T20 blast matches. However, they managed to turn things around after that, winning four of their next five fixtures. Somerset’s encounter against Gloucestershire last week at this very ground was abandoned due to rain without a ball bowled.
Glamorgan
- Glamorgan made three changes to their side in the last match against Surrey – they dropped Jeremy Lawlor, Kiran Carlson and Michael Hogan for Shaun Marsh, Daniel Douthwaite and Ruaidhri Smith. David Lloyd and Fakhar Zaman will probably continue to open the batting while Shaun Marsh, who got a duck last time out, will bat at number three. Pace bowlers Marchant de Lange and Ruaidhri Smith are likely to take the new balls again.
- Glamorgan are having a horrendous time. They are yet to register a win this season and are languishing at the bottom of the South Group standings with six losses, a tie and four washouts from eleven matches. They had to share points with Kent and Essex in their previous two fixtures. Prior to that, Glamorgan suffered a heavy seven-wicket loss at the hands of Surrey at Cardiff. Though they had a pretty good game with the bat, their bowlers just were not effective enough on the day.
PROBABLE WINNING TEAM:
Somerset have performed far better this season, have the home advantage on their side and have more in-form players in their line-up. They defeated Glamorgan number fo time and this they look to continue the same streak
