Gloucestershire vs Sussex, County Championship Divison Two, Today Match Prediction 27 April 2023

glo vs sus Match Prediction & Analysis

Gloucestershire have much catching up to do after failing to secure a probable win in their last match against Worcestershire in the 2023 County Championship. They are now sixth on the table with 21 points and no wins. They will next take on Sussex, who have played two matches so far and have 28 points with one win and one draw.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Gloucestershire Preview

Gloucestershire's likely win in their County Championship Division Two 2023 encounter against Worcestershire was thwarted by the weather, despite their successful removal of the opposition's top order on the final day at New Road.

Tom Price was the star for Gloucestershire, scoring a maiden century to revive his team from a precarious 45-7. He then ended up taking 6 wickets with his right-arm medium pace.

Ajeet Singh Dale's career-best 6-41 was another highlight of the match. The fast bowler utilized the seamer-friendly conditions perfectly and is the bowler to watch out for Gloucestershire this season.

Gloucestershire's batting did struggle in the first innings in the match against Worcestershire, but the top-order stepped up in the second innings. Opener Chris Dent top-scored with a composed 83, while James Bracey was fluent during his knock of 51 off 78 balls. Skipper Graeme van Buuren might have failed in both the innings in the previous game, but we are backing him to come good in this match. 

Gloucestershire Predicted Playing XI:

Chris Dent, Marcus Harris, James Bracey (wk), Miles Hammond, Graeme van Buuren (c), Oliver Price, Jack Taylor, Zafar Gohar, Marchant de Lange, Tom Price, Ajeet Dale

Sussex Preview

Sussex escaped a certain loss against Yorkshire at home in their previous game after suffering a disastrous second-innings collapse. The visitors needed just 63 runs to seal the match with 7 wickets in hand, but no play was possible on the final day due to bad weather. 

Sussex would now be breathing a little easy and hoping that they don’t have any more batting collapses in the matches ahead. Tom Alsop was the standout batter for the team with a brilliant 95 in the first innings. Captain Cheteshwar Pujara failed to make an impression in the match, but he’s still the team’s leading run-getter this season with 181 runs in 2 matches at an average of 45. Oliver Carter, who scored 64 in the first innings of the previous match, is another batter to watch out for.

Nathan McAndrew has been Sussex’s best bowler this season, taking 9 wickets so far at a superb average of 23.88. The fast bowler will enjoy bowling on this pitch. Also, keep an eye out for Henry Crocombe (8 wickets at an average of 22.87).

Sussex Predicted Playing XI:

Alistair Orr, Tom Haines, Cheteshwar Pujara (c), Tom Alsop, Tom Clark, Oliver Carter (wk), Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Nathan McAndrew, Jack Carson, Ollie Robinson, Henry Crocombe

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the County Ground in Bristol is usually a good one for batting. Lke most pitches in England, this surface too offers considerable swing and seam to the fast bowlers, particularly in the morning session. Since the weather will be cloudy for most of the game, expect the seam bowlers get a lot of help and dominate the bowlers.

Some showers are expected in Bristol on the first and second day of the match.

Venue Details

The team batting first in this game should look to set a total of at least 300 runs. That might be a challenge as the overhead conditions will favor the seam bowlers, making things difficult for the batters. But the pitch is likely to get better for batting by the second and third days, so a healthy first innings total on the first day will put the team in a solid position.

Toss: To Bowl

Some rain is expected on the first day of the match. The team winning the toss is hence likely to bowl first to utilize the conditions.