T20 Blast 2022 | GLO vs ESS | Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, CREX XI

The 37th match of the English T20 Blast 2022 will see Gloucestershire (GLO) locking horns against Essex (ESS) in the South Group at the County Ground in Bristol.

Gloucestershire are having a decent start to their campaign, winning two of their first four games, and both of them came at the County Ground in Bristol. 

They defeated Sussex in their first home game of the season, followed by a win over the reigning champions earlier this week. 

David Payne registered his career-best bowling figures to give Gloucestershire their second win of the season. Glenn Phillips also starred for the Glocs with an unbeaten half-century. With a six-wicket victory over Kent, Gloucestershire sit fifth in the South Group table, behind Glamorgan in terms of NRR. 

The shires have lost two matches so far, and both of them are against the table toppers in the South group. 

Meanwhile, Essex could not continue their winning streak and lost to Glamorgan by six wickets in a disappointing night with the bat. The Eagles struggled to get away with the bat during the powerplay due to another fiery spell with the new ball from the ageless Michael Hogan. 

Matt Critchley tried to rebuild the innings, but an excellent bowling display at the end from the hosts restricted Simon Harmer’s side to 113 at the halfway mark. Critchley shone with the ball as well, with figures of 1 for 17 in four overs, but could not make much of a difference as the hosts won the game quite easily at the end by six wickets.

In their next away game in Bristol, the Eagles will look to come back into winning ways. In a total of five T20 games at Gloucestershire’s home ground, Essex has held an edge with three wins compared to Glocs’ one. 

The rain god has not been kind enough on the day these two Counties come up against each other, spoiling four of the last five meetings in the previous four seasons. So, hopefully, it won’t be that way again when they meet on Friday (June 3rd).

Match Details:

Match: Gloucestershire vs Essex, Match 37

Venue: County Ground, Bristol

Date & Time: June 3rd at 11:00 PM IST

Live Streaming: FanCode and ECB website.

Pitch Report: Bristol county is a very high scoring venue, producing top class wickets for the shorter format of the game. The last game between Kent and the home team was an exception, with a wicket being pretty much on the drier side. 170 should be par total on this wicket. The team winning the toss should bat second here. 

Head-To-Head:

Matches played: 17

Gloucestershire Won: 4

Essex Won: 7

Squads:

Gloucestershire: Miles Hammond, James Bracey (wk), Ian Cockbain, Glenn Phillips, Ryan Higgins, Jack Taylor (c), Benny Howell, Tom Smith, Zak Chappell, Josh Shaw, David Payne, Naseem Shah, Paul van Meekeren

Essex: Essex: William Buttleman, Adam Rossington (wk), Michael-Kyle Pepper, Matthew Critchley, Paul Walter, Tom Westley, Daniel Sams, Simon Harmer (c), Aron Nijjar, Ben Allison, Samuel Cook, Shane Snater, Jamal Richards

Probable Playing XI:

Gloucestershire: Miles Hammond, James Bracey (wk), Ian Cockbain, Glenn Phillips, Ryan Higgins, Jack Taylor (c), Benny Howell, Tom Smith, Zak Chappell, Josh Shaw, David Payne

Essex: Adam Rossington (wk), Will Buttleman, Michael Pepper, Matt Critchley, Paul Walter, Tom Westley, Daniel Sams, Simon Harmer (c), Aron Nijjar, Ben Allison, Sam Cook

CREX XI Suggestion:

Wicket-Keeper: Glenn Phillips, Adam Rossington, James Bracey

Batters: Jack Taylor, Miles Hammond, Paul Walter

All-Rounders: Matt Critchley, Daniel Sams

Bowlers: David Payne, Samuel Cook, Zak Chappell

Captain: David Payne

Vice-Captain: Matt Critchley