Glamorgan CCC | Match Preview - 27/04/2023
Wed 26 Apr 2023
After a week’s break, Leicestershire are back in County Championship action, as they face Glamorgan at Uptonsteel County Ground.
The Foxes will be looking to build on a solid start to the 2023 campaign, following a stunning win at Yorkshire and a high-scoring draw in the rain-affected fixture against Derbyshire last time out.
Glamorgan have drawn both of their fixtures so far this campaign, including against Durham last week where Australian pair Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser both returned for the Welsh county.
This week’s match also sees the comeback of the popular ‘Support Your County’ initiative, which will see Leicestershire offer 4,000 complimentary tickets to the local community to showcase the wonders of four-day cricket.
Last Time We Met:
The two sides last met in July, as Sam Northeast made history for the visitors with a mammoth 410 not out, the ninth highest individual score in first-class cricket, in a total of 795.
Leicestershire got a taste of their own medicine, having set records of their tumbling the week prior at Hove en route to the Club’s record total of 756.
Wiaan Mulder shone for the Foxes, backing up his stunning 235 not out at Sussex with 156 in the first innings and a defiant 59 in the second as Glamorgan claimed a final day victory.
Fox to Watch:
Colin Ackermann has started 2023 in imperious fashion. His 253 runs at 84.33 place him second in the division’s run-scoring charts (having played a game fewer than most).
After notching fifties in both innings during the historic win at Headingley, the South African-born all-rounder hit his 21st first-class century against East Midlands rivals Derbyshire, becoming the fourth Fox to ton up in the first two matches of the year.
Despite the added firepower around him alleviating some of the pressure to post big runs, Ackermann remains a key component of the Foxes’ batting line-up and will be aiming to prolong his hot vein of form into the visit of Glamorgan and beyond.
Opposition Player to Watch:
Like Ackermann, Kiran Carlson has made a more than impressive start to the new campaign. With 233 runs from four innings, bested by a knock of 119 against Durham last week, the 24-year-old is showing the type of form that has rendered him one-to-watch in the past few years.
After a tough 2022 red-ball campaign, during which the Cardiff-born batsman averaged just 23.58, Carlson wintered in Zimbabwe with an average of 47.25. His form has carried back to Wales, with an average of 58.25 to his name so far this summer.
His runs this time around have come at a speedy rate too, with Carlson’s strike rate sitting in the mid-70s. With the likes of Marnus Labuschagne likely to take the headlines, Leicestershire can ill-afford to let Carlson’s capabilities slip under the radar.
Squad:
Paul Nixon makes two changes to his squad for the visit of the Welsh outfit, both enforced due to injury. Josh Hull sustained a thumb fracture during training and will sit out the fixture alongside Callum Parkinson (side strain).
Will Davis and Tom Scriven, fresh from impressive showings for the Second XI, are both come into contention.
Leicestershire: Ackermann, Ahmed, Barnes, Budinger, Davis, Finan, Handscomb, Hill*, Kimber, Mulder, Patel, Scriven, Wright.
