Somerset vs Warwickshire, VITALITY T20 BLAST 2020, Today Match Prediction 04 Sep 2020

som vs warks Match Prediction & Analysis

A charged up Somerset will be up against the Birmingham Bears in the next game of the Central Group in T20 Blast 2020. Somerset has batted well and won the last two games with their last win coming against Worcestershire Rapids. Birmingham Bears on the other hand have lost their last two games and this will put additional pressure on the side to perform here to keep their hopes alive. 

The previous game of the season between the two sides was washed away by rain but Somerset has enjoyed a good record against the Bears and has won most of the games against them. For Bears this is a must-win game to be in the hunt for the quarterfinals and they will need to play out of their skins to defeat Somerset which will be playing in its home ground.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Somerset Preview

Lewis Gregory is back leading the side after his stint with the national team and he started with a 16 run win against Worcestershire Rapids in the last game. The side batted brilliantly in the game but it is their bowling attack where they will need to work few things out. They have a good record against the Bears and shall look to continue with that in this game. 

Babar Azam played well in his first game of the season and along with Steven Davies forms a solid opening combination. The duo would be eager to provide a good start in this game.  James and Tom Abell are also looking in good form. The side has good firepower down the order with Gregory, Roelof van der Merwe and Ben Green in the side and they will take apart the Bears’ bowling attack.  

Their bowling attack hasn’t done well so far in the season and this will be a worrying factor for the side. Gregory and Max Waller will be expected to strike early. Josh Davey has picked wickets but he has been expensive. Ollie Sale, Ben Green and van der Merwe have all gone for runs and need to do well in this game. 

Somerset Predicted Playing XI:

Lewis Gregory (c), Babar Azam, Steven Davies (wk), James Hildreth, Tom Abell, Edward Byrom, Ben Green, Roelof van der Merwe, Josh Davey, Ollie Sale, Max Waller

Somerset Actual Playing XI:

Lewis Gregory, Babar Azam, RE Van Der Merwe, Tom Abell, Josh Davey, Steven Davies, Ollie Sale, Max Waller, Eddie Byrom, James Hildreth, Tom Lammonby

Warwickshire Preview

Will Rhodes’ side finds itself in rough waters with back to back losses. In the last game against Gloucestershire the side lost by 57 runs in what was another poor show with the bat. Their record against Somerset is poor and this is likely to play in their minds. The side will look for a better show in this must-win game. 

They will need openers Adam Hose and Ed Pollock to convert their starts into big scores at the top. Sam Hain, Michael Burgess and Rhodes are coming into this game with poor scores and they will need to steer the middle order. Tim Bresnan and Dan Mousley have good striking abilities and they will look to exploit the weakness that Somerset has in its bowling attack at the moment. 

Jeetan Patel hasn’t delivered with the ball which is a worrying factor for the side. Same goes for Bresnan who brings in experience to the table. They will need to lead this attack well in the next game. Olly Stone, Henry Brookes and Jacob Lintott have to play good supporting acts with the ball in this game.

Warwickshire Predicted Playing XI:

Will Rhodes (c), Ed Pollock, Adam Hose, Sam Hain, Michael Burgess (wk), Dan Mousley, Tim Bresnan, Jacob Lintott, Henry Brookes, Olly Stone, Jeetan Patel

Warwickshire Actual Playing XI:

Ed Pollock, Michael Burgess, Tim Bresnan, Sam Hain, Adam Hose, Jacob Lintott, Will Rhodes, Jeetan Patel, Henry Brookes, Ian Bell, Olly Stone

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

There would be some cloud cover over Taunton on September 4 and this will; offer assistance to the bowlers. It isn’t likely to be a typical Taunton track where batsmen can play slam bang cricket. But the small size of the venue does offer them some room for hitting. A score of around 170 runs would be a good one on this surface.  

Venue Details

The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton is a small ground and hence batsmen have plenty of opportunities to hit the ball. Fast bowlers do get assistance from the surface but need to maintain a good line to stop the batsmen from scoring Spinners have struggled here due to the shorter boundaries all around. 

Toss: To Bowl

The last game at this ground was a low scoring one and we have seen the pitch misbehave slightly in the initial stages of the game where hitting isn’t easy. This is likely to affect the decision of the captains at the toss and the one that wins the toss is in all likelihood to invite the opposition to bat first