Gloucestershire CCC Match Preview - 3/6/21

Leicestershire County Cricket Club end their first batch of LV= County Championship fixtures with a home fixture against table-toppers Gloucestershire, as the Running Foxes look to make it back-to-back victories.

County will be in high spirits following their victory over Middlesex at the Uptonsteel County Ground last week, with Colin Ackermann looking to have re-discovered his form alongside overseas batsman Marcus Harris who posted his highest score for Leicestershire so far.

Gloucestershire enter the fixture on the back of a heavy defeat against Surrey, eventually losing out by an innings and 46 runs.

Watch the Running Foxes Live Through Our Online Streaming Service

As confirmed by Leicestershire County Cricket Club last month, every LV= County Championship fixture played at the Uptonsteel County Ground will be available to watch via our live streaming service, free of charge.

This season, the Club has worked tirelessly to enhance its live streaming service for all Running Foxes Members and fans that want to tune in and follow Leicestershire throughout the 2021 season.

This year’s live streaming service will include up to five cameras, BBC commentary, graphic overlays and will be available to watch on PC, mobile, tablet, games consoles and TVs via the Club’s social media channels.

The Season So Far

Our improving season continued with our first win of the season last week against Middlesex, in front of our own supporters for the first time since 2019. he Running Foxes are now three matches unbeaten and showing real positive signs of progress in red ball cricket. 

In what was a rollercoaster match against Middlesex last week, we bowled out our visitors for 295 with Callum Parkinson impressing with the ball, taking 3-76. John Simpson (95*) was the only opposition player to pass 50 in that innings, and ultimately, the match.

Our first innings reply got off to the worst possible start, losing our first three wickets for 17 before lunch, and our position declined even further after being reduced to 42-6. However, a battling display from Lewis Hill (39), Callum Parkinson (41) and Chris Wright (23) saw us put on 83 combined for the 7th and 8th wickets, to get us up to 136.

Opposition captain Peter Handscomb decided not to enforce the follow on, and an incredible effort from Chris Wright (6-48, and bowling 28.2% of the balls in the innings) helped us bowl out Middlesex for 218, leaving us 378 to chase.

After quickly losing Hassan Azad, we steadied the ship with Sam Evans and Marcus Harris putting on 81 for the second wicket before Evans was unluckily caught down the leg side for the second time in the match. Overseas player Harris and skipper Colin Ackermann then put on a remarkable stand of 243 to get us close to the winning line before Harris was caught by wicket-keeper Simpson for a stunning 185 - our top individual score this season. Ackermann (126*) saw us home, along with Ben Mike (9*) as we chased the third-highest total in our history.

This week’s opponents Gloucestershire lost by an innings and 47 runs last week at The Oval to Surrey. Hashim Amla (173*) was the mainstay of the Surrey innings (473) while Gloucestershire were skittled out for 158 and 268.  Miles Hammond (77 and 45) impressed for this week’s visitors, while on-loan wicket-keeper Jonny Tattersall (86*) provided second innings resistance.

Those results last week see Gloucestershire’s lead in Group Two come under pressure with just 13 points separating the top four teams. Our victory sees us increase our points total to 70, moving up to fifth in the group and still retaining a chance of coming in the middle tier of teams at the end of the initial group stage. A win against Gloucestershire this week would help considerably with achieving that objective.

Last Time We Met

The two teams met around a month ago in Bristol in what developed into a match full of drama. Centuries from Sam Evans and Lewis Hill, plus fifties from Marcus Harris and Ben Mike saw us post 421 batting first, before we bowled out Gloucestershire for 275 - Chris Wright taking a career-best 7-53. 

Under pressure to score quick runs, we declared our second innings on 201 with Rishi Patel top-scoring with an almost a-run-a-ball 44, setting Gloucestershire a final day chase of 348.  After we reduced them to 52-3, a successful run chase from our opponents looked unlikely but Ian Cockbain (117) and Tom Lace (97) saw our opponents home. Callum Parkinson (3-93) gave us some late hope, but after dominating three days we travelled back to Leicestershire with just six points from the match.

The Running Foxes

Following his superb 185 last week against Middlesex, Marcus Harris tops our batting averages this season with 409 runs at an average of 51.12. The Australian international has already scored two centuries in eight completed innings for the Running Foxes and will be keen to keep his excellent start for Leicestershire going against Gloucestershire.

Chris Wright has been magnificent this season for Leicestershire, taking 28 wickets at a cost of 23.28 in the seven matches to date. In his last four matches in particular, Wright has been in stunning form with match figures of 7-133 against Gloucestershire, 5-60 against Surrey, 4-71 against Hampshire and 7-117 in our win last week over Middlesex. 

Callum Parkinson has been sharing the wicket-taking spoils with Wright of late, with our left-arm spinner and vice-captain taking 4-116 against Middlesex, 3-107 against Surrey and 5-142 against Gloucestershire. As the season develops, Parkinson is having a greater influence on matches and his first innings 41 with the bat against Middlesex at number eight was critical in the context of the match as well.

Opposition Players to Watch

New Zealand international batsman Glenn Phillips is likely to make his Gloucestershire debut in this match, and he’s also likely to take the gloves with Tattersall’s loan ending and James Bracey on England duty. A fine multi-format batter, he’s played one test for New Zealand, scoring 52 and a duck, and averages 40.18 with a top score of 138 not out and six centuries in his red-ball career.

Ryan Higgins impressed for our opponents with 4-69 in their defeat to Surrey and the all-rounder will be keen to continue his strong season which has seen some observers suggest international selection isn’t far away. He’s scored 244 runs this year at an average of 27.11 and taken 33 wickets at a cost of just 18.93. 

Seeing off Higgins and his new ball partner David Payne will be critical to our success in the match. Payne has also impressed this year, taking 24 wickets at a cost of 19.50, and been a real wicket-taking threat - he’s taken wickets every 40.83 balls in the County Championship for our opponents so far this year.

Leicestershire Squad

Paul Nixon has named the same 14-man squad from the Middlesex fixture ahead of the visit of Gloucestershire.

The Head Coach will look to take the momentum into the Running Foxes’ final LV= County Championship before the Vitality Blast campaign.

Leicestershire CCC from 14: Colin Ackermann (C), Hassan Azad, Ed Barnes, Will Davis, Alex Evans, Sam Evans, Gavin Griffiths, Marcus Harris, Lewis Hill, Ben Mike, Callum Parkinson, Rishi Patel, Harry Swindells (wk), Chris Wright.

Match Sponsor

We would like to thank CWA for being our match sponsor.