Somerset CCC Match Preview - 12/08/2022

A huge thanks to Gemini Wealth Management for becoming the official match sponsor.  

After two wins from three on the road, the Foxes return to Uptonsteel County Ground to kickstart their home Royal London Cup campaign.

Somerset are the visitors to Grace Road and will be looking to overturn their slow start to the competition, which has seen the South West county lose their opening three matches.

Last Time We Met:

The last List A meeting between the two sides came at Taunton last summer, where Leicestershire emerged victorious by four wickets in the early August sunshine.

Despite reducing Somerset to 104 for five, a sixth-wicket partnership of 182 from 157 balls from two George’s, Bartlett and Thomas, helped the hosts end on 326 for seven.

In a crucial partnership of their own, the Foxes’ Lewis Hill (107) and Louis Kimber (85) put on 158 from 112 balls to help chase the target with more than five overs to spare.

In Focus:

Louis Kimber has had a stellar start to the campaign, accruing exactly 100 runs from his three innings so far. The most impressive of which came at Radlett, where he smashed 68 from 51 balls to get the side out of the blocks quickly.

The 25-year-old has shown his vast versatility this season, floating from the middle order to an opener in red-ball cricket, a death hitter in T20 cricket, while he has found a new home as a number three in 50-over cricket.

He has big boots to fill, replacing Marcus Harris, who averaged 58 at number three in this format last summer. But Kimber has shown the technique and temperament required to flourish in his new role, with an average of 33.33 striking at 108.7.

The Lincolnshire-born batsman has previous against Somerset too, hitting his List A career-best score of 85 in last season’s four-wicket win at Taunton, including taking 29 off a Marchant de Lange over.

Adding another string to his bow, Kimber took his maiden List A wicket at Sussex, removing Ali Orr with just his fifth delivery in the format.

Opposition Player to Watch:

Ben Green was at the peak of his powers on Wednesday, taking Somerset to the brink of victory in a solo mission that saw him score 157 off just 84 balls during the nine-run defeat to Durham.

The skipper averages 54.83 striking at 122.76 in the format, with Wednesday’s valiant knock his maiden century in professional cricket.

The all-rounder is handy with the ball too, boasting Somerset’s best average (22.37), joint-second most wickets (eight) and second best economy rate (5.18) in last season’s RL50 campaign.

Squad:

Leicestershire Foxes: Barnes, Bowley, Hendricks, Hill *, Kimber, Lilley, Mulder, Patel, Scriven, Steel, Swindells +, Walker, Welch, Wright.