Gloucestershire vs Sussex, June 11, Vitality Blast 2021 Prediction

Match: Gloucestershire Gladiators vs Sussex Sharks

Date: 11 June 2021

Place (venue): Bristol County Ground, Bristol

Tournament: 2021 Vitality Blast

Format: T20

Caption

Sussex to start their 2021 T20 campaign against Gloucestershire

Key Stats

• Gloucestershire finished their last campaign as semifinalists while Sussex crashed out in the quarterfinal.
• In the last five meetings, Sharks have beaten Gladiators three times while losing the remaining two.
• Gladiators have a wonderful record at home with 8 wins in their last 9 matches.

Match Preview

The much-awaited T20 season of England is back next weekend. In the 9th game of the group stage, Gloucestershire Gladiators will host Sussex Sharks at Bristol County Ground, Bristol. These will be Gladiators’ back-to-back games of this season. On the other hand, Sharks are about to start their campaign with this match.

Gladiators are trying their luck for the 18th time to put their hands over the T20 trophy but haven’t been successful yet. Last season, they finished their campaign after being at the top of the Central Group’s points table. Unfortunately, they lost to Surrey Lions in the rain-affected semifinal by 6 wickets.

Sussex Sharks are dying to get the trophy for the first time since their last win in 2009. Last season’s quarterfinalists have signed David Wiese, Stiaan van Zyl,\ and Travis Head as their overseas players and are excited about the return of the T20I world number two bowler and Afghanistan leg spinner Rashid Khan to join their campaign after the conclusion of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Gloucestershire and Sussex have faced each other 16 times. Sharks have won 10 times, while Gladiators took all the points from the remaining 6 games. The last time the teams met, the Gladiators won the battle by 3 wickets in hand.

Gloucestershire Preview

Gloucestershire are looking for a hectic start as they are going to play back-to-back games. They will play against Glamorgan in Cardiff and then travel back to play in Bristol. There are high chances that Kiwi batsman Glenn Phillips will open the innings with Chris Dent. Phillips has scored 130 runs in his last 4 T20Is at a strike rate of more than 200. Dent was Gladiators’ second and overall 5th top scorer of the league. Ian Cockbain will be leading the top order the way he did last season. Cockbain scored 399 runs with 3 fifties and an average of 44.33 to top the most runs table for Gladiators.

Skipper Jack Tylor had a bad season last year. Nevertheless, he could be rather dangerous in the middle order for any team by pairing up with keeper James Bracey. Both David Payne and Ryan Higgins have a burden to carry the team on their shoulders this season too. The duo took 16 wickets each last season. Tom Smith – another gem of the team who took 14 wickets last season – will tie his hands with Graeme van Buuren in the middle overs to restrict Sussex at a low total.

Here are the top batsmen and bowlers for Gloucestershire.

Key players for Gloucestershire (from last season): 

Gloucestershire’s Probable Playing XI: Miles Hammond, Chris Dent, Ian Cockbain, Ryan Higgins, James Bracey (wk), Jack Taylor (c), Glenn Phillips, George Scott, Graeme van Buuren, Tom Smith, David Payne, Matt Taylor.

Sussex Preview

Sussex skipper Luke Wright finished third on the most runs table with 411 runs at an average of 37.36. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find a helping hand on the other end to finish the season on a high note for Sussex. This season, Sussex have added Travis Head to their squad. Head’s inclusion has given Sharks an option for Philip Salt who is going through a rough period.

Sharks will continue to go with Calum MacLeod, David Wiese and Delray Rawlins in the middle order. They have boosted their batting lineup with the addition of Kolpak player Stiaan van Zyl. The left-handed batsman who is a part of the Sussex County squad since 2017, will provide more stability against MacLeod’s irregular form.

The Sharks management will be grinding the bowling department more than anything else. The bowling unit could take 64 wickets only of possible 100 last season. Except for George Garton, Danny Briggs and Tymal Mills who took 37 wickets among them, every other bowler failed to make any impact. Sussex are looking forward to Rashid Khan joining their campaign as soon as possible. The world number two bowler will finish his part in the PSL and then fly back to join the Sharks squad.

Here are the top batsmen and bowlers for Sussex.

Key players for the Sussex (as per last season)

Sussex’s Probable Playing XI

Philip Salt (wk), Luke Wright (c), Calum Macleod, Delray Rawlins, David Wiese, Ravi Bopara, Aaron Thomason, George Garton, Ollie Robinson, Will Beer, Danny Briggs.

Venue

The game will be played at Bristol County Ground, Bristol. Built in 1889, the stadium has a capacity of 8500. The general sports centre accommodates squash, tennis and rugby too.

Toss Info

On the last 3 out of 4 occasions, the team batting second has won. Therefore, one should take the field first after winning the toss. This would also help to assess the pitch and plan the chase according to the situation.

Pitch and Weather Report

The pitch favours spinners. The maximum and minimum temperatures are predicted to be 22°C and 13 °C respectively, with a wind speed of 15 to 25 kph. Humidity will be around 70-80% as per the weather reports. No rain is expected.

Our Prediction

The T20 games between Sharks and Gladiators are always tough. It looks like both teams overpower each other sequentially. Sussex have a better chance of winning against Gladiators while chasing. But the absence of a fighting bowling lineup can end up haunting Sharks this season too. However, the overall trend shifts towards Gladiators.

Gloucestershire Gladiators will defeat Sussex Sharks.

Disclaimer: Our match previews are fully researched but as per the nature of the game, anything is possible on the match day. You are advised to decide for yourself when betting on a team. Thanks!