Glamorgan vs Kent, VITALITY T20 BLAST 2021, Today Match Prediction 16 June 2021

glam vs kent Match Prediction & Analysis

Glamorgan is currently 5th on the points table – exactly where they ended last summer in the Central Group. They have won just 1 game from the 3 they have played so far and would need to start getting some wins under their belt if they have to improve on their last season’s performance. Their next challenge is against Kent Spitfires who are looking in really good shape. With 3 wins in 4 matches, Kent is currently 3rd in the South Group table. They did suffer a loss in their last game but have a good enough squad that can make a comeback.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Glamorgan Preview

Glamorgan’s chart has been going up and down this season. They started with a 4-run loss against Gloucestershire but then came back to register a 7-wicket win against Essex. However, in their last match, they were beaten comfortably by 5 wickets by Surrey. Batting first, Glamorgan posted a decent 166-8 on the board but Surrey overhauled that target in just 18.2 overs.

Marnus Labuschagne has been the star batsman for Glamorgan so far with three superb half-centuries in a row. His 74 off 51 balls against Glamorgan was again the highest score of the team. Unfortunately, the gritty Australian batsman isn’t getting much support from the rest of the bating unit, barring opener Nicholas Selman who has provided a couple of solid contributions. David Lloyd, Colin Ingram, and captain Chris Cooke would really need to step up.

Glamorgan’s bowling has been failing too so far and Labuschagne has had to contribute there too with his spin. Timm van der Gugten who was their leading wicket-taker last year with 14 wickets @ 14.92 is yet to shine. Prem Sisodiya is a steady spinner but Andrew Salter and James Weighell need to do much more. 

Glamorgan Predicted Playing XI:

Nicholas Selman, David Lloyd, Marnus Labuschagne, Colin Ingram, Kiran Carlson, Chris Cooke (c & wk), Daniel Douthwaite, James Weighell, Andrew Salter, Timm van der Gugten, Prem Sisodiya

Glamorgan Actual Playing XI:

Marnus Labuschagne, Colin Ingram, David Lloyd, Nicholas Selman, Ruaidhri Smith, Prem Sisodiya, Andrew Salter, Daniel Douthwaite, James Weighell, Kiran Carlson, Chris Cooke

Kent Preview

Last year’s quarter-finalist’s Kent Spitfires began the season with a bang, winning 3 matches in a row. However, they suffered a heavy 47-run defeat against Somerset in their last game. That loss happened largely because of an inspiring batting show by Somerset who amassed 204-7 while batting first and Kent could only manage 157 in their response. 

Kent has a pretty solid batting unit this time. Opener and captain Daniel Bell-Drummond led from the front in the match against Gloucestershire with a well-composed 51 while Jack Leaning took the game away with a brilliant 81 off 51 balls. In the last match, while most of the batting unit failed, Zak Crawley showed his promise with an aggressive 48 off 23 balls. Then they also have Joe Denly, Sam Billings, and Jordan Cox who can all make an impact.

In the bowling department, Grant Stewart was the star for them in the last match where, despite the assault from Somerset, he returned with figures of 3-32. Fred Klaassen has been their best bowler, though, with 8 wickets at 7.87 followed by Darren Stevens who has 6 wickets at 8.46. But these three will need support from the rest of the group.

Kent Predicted Playing XI:

Joe Denly, Daniel Bell-Drummond (c), Zak Crawley, Sam Billings (wk), Jack Leaning, Jordan Cox, Darren Stevens, Grant Stewart, Qais Ahmad, Matt Milnes, Fred Klaassen

Kent Actual Playing XI:

Qais Ahmad, Zak Crawley, Darren Stevens, Grant Stewart, Matt Milnes, Joe Denly, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Sam Billings, Jordan Cox, Fred Klaassen, Jack Leaning

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Sophia Gardens in Cardiff has generally been a good batting surface which tends to become better as the game goes on. Seamers find purchase here at the start where batsmen have to be a little cautious. But the wicket eases up a bit and becomes much easier to bat on during the second half.

The weather at Cardiff should be cloudy and nice on the day of the match.
 

Venue Details

The average first innings score at Sophia Gardens in the T20 Blast is 158 while it increases to 174 in the second innings. So we can see that chasing is quite an advantage here. The team batting first would need to target a total of around 180 to feel safe. The highest total in the tournament on this venue is a whopping 216 by Glamorgan.

Toss: To Bowl

The team winning the toss would look to chase first as batting second here has yielded better results.