Worcestershire vs Gloucestershire, County Championship Divison Two, Today Match Prediction 20 April 2023

wor vs glo Match Prediction & Analysis

In the first Test at Worcester this season, the home team will take on Gloucestershire as they look to bounce back from their recent loss.

Worcestershire were bowled out for 192 runs chasing a target of 305 against Durham in their last game. Whereas, Gloucestershire’s last game was washed out without a ball being bowled.

Nevertheless, they will be confident of their batting after their comeback in the match against Glamorgan. After being bowled out for 165 runs in the first innings, Marcus Harris and Graeme van Buuren scored a hundred each to lead the comeback from Gloucestershire in the second innings.

Worcestershire’s skipper is also in good touch and has scored consistently in the middle order. However, he does seem to struggle to convert his good starts into a big score.

Jack Leach and Matthew Waite will be the key bowlers for the home team. There is great variety in the bowling attack of both teams. The likes of Merchant de Lange and Tom Price are among the wicket-taking bowlers in the Gloucestershire lineup to watch out for.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Worcestershire Preview

Brett DOliviera will be hoping for a comeback as Worcestershire play their first home game of the season. He needs his bowlers to step up and deliver timely breakthroughs if the hosts are to find success in this game.

They conceded way too many runs in the last game against Durham. The opposition batters played aggressive cricket and still managed to score runs without losing wickets in the second innings.

Though Worcestershire failed to chase down 305 in their last game, the bowlers have their own share of blame in the loss. Matthew Waite was very expensive in the second innings along with skipper Brett DOliviera.

The experienced Jack Leach is expected to lead the wicket-takers’ chart. And his failure to do so does impact the game significantly. Pennington and Ben Gibbon are other key bowlers in this side to watch out for.

In the batting department, the experienced Azhar Ali will be a key player at number 3. Opening batsman Jake Libby scored a brilliant hundred in their win over Derbyshire as they chased down 193 runs with 8 wickets in hand.

He will be crucial at the top to set up the innings for a big total. Worcestershire need their skipper to play a longer innings at number 5 if they are to post a big enough total. There is not much batting left after DOliviera and hence a lot depends on the middle order. 

Worcestershire Predicted Playing XI:

Ed Pollock, Jake Libby, Azhar Ali, Jack Haynes, Brett DOliveira (c), Gareth Roderick (wk), Matthew Waite, Joe Leach, Adam Finch, Dillon Pennington, Ben Gibbon

Gloucestershire Preview

It was a major comeback led by Marcus Harris and skipper Buuren to draw the match after being bowled out for 165 runs in the first innings. They would be disappointed with their second game of the season being washed out.

It would have given them a good chance of carrying the momentum from the first match and pushing for a win. Marcus Harris, who scored a fifty and a hundred in his last outing will be a key player in the top order.

His opening partner Chris Dent also looked in fine touch in the second innings scoring runs at an even better rate. The middle order also looks very promising with the likes of James Bracey and Graeme van Buuren.

If even two of these four top order batsmen get going, Gloucestershire will be on their way to a competitive score. And unlike the opposition, Gloucestershire have a deeper batting lineup with all-rounders coming in at 6 and 7.

Not just that, but even Tom Price, a right-arm medium bowler is handy with the bat in the lower order. He scored an unbeaten 55 in the second innings at number 9.

In addition to the pacers, Gloucestershire also have a good combination of spin bowlers in their lineup. Skipper Buuren and Zafar Gohar are the left-arm orthodox bowlers who add variety to the Gloucestershire bowling attack.

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

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It is a good batting pitch here at the New Road in Worcester. Both teams can expect to score 300 or more runs in their first innings. The weather will be partly cloudy on day 1 with a high of 21 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

New Road, Worcester will be the venue for this County Championship Division 2 match between the home team and Gloucestershire. The average 1st innings score on this ground in Tests is 218 runs and 327 in the second. The pitch will stay good for batting for majority of the time and we can expect some fine knocks from in-form players on both sides.

Toss: To Bowl

There have been only 7 Test matches at this venue so far. And of these, teams batting second have won 4. Gloucestershire does have a deep batting lineup capable of chasing down a total while Worcestershire have already once chased down a target successfully this season. Both teams will be comfortable to bat second.