Birmingham Bears vs Gloucestershire, T20BLAST, Today Match Prediction

WRW vs GLO Match Prediction & Analysis

With two of the 2024 Vitality Blast Final's Day places taken by the close of play on Wednesday and another being filled on Thursday, all eyes will be on Edgbaston on Friday evening as Birmingham Bears and Gloucestershire lock horns over the final spot!

Birmingham Bears were the stronger of the two during the group stage but it is Gloucestershire who won the last two head to heads between the counties in this format. It may come down to the backing of the home crowd and Birmingham Bears are sure to outnumber their Gloucestershire counterparts in the stands.

These type of games can be the making of a player and from looking through the respective squads there are plenty of individuals with the ability to do so. But it is Birmingham Bears who have the players who have done it the most often in this campaign so far.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Birmingham Bears Preview

In an era where short format players are hitting the ball harder and further than ever, Birmingham Bears have a team packed with players capable of doing so. But what they also have is a group of bowlers who have the ability to take the pace off the ball and slow down the opposition's run-rate at any time.

With the bat, we can expect any of Birmingham Bears' top five batters to step up and contribute large scores. The experienced Moeen Ali needs no introduction whilst the 20 year old batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell's performances earlier in the summer have earnt him an England call-up for their white ball fixtures against Australia later this month.

Bowling wise, George Garton continues to deliver the goods in this tournament and the spin pair of Jake Lintott with Danny Briggs will get turn and bounce from this surface.

BB Over/Under Betting Tips

Birmingham Bears to score under 14.5 fours 1.80

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The Bears are averaging 12.35 fours per game in this season in the Blast and at Birmingham they are averaging 13.7 fours per game. Given the average fours per game smashed by the Bears in the season and at the venue, we predict the Bears to hit under 14.5 fours in today's match.

Birmingham Bears Predicted Playing XI:

Moeen Ali, Alex Davies (c), Dan Mousley, Chris Benjamin (wk), Jacob Bethell, Ed Barnard, George Garton, Zakary Foulkes, Jake Lintott, Danny Briggs, Craig Miles

Birmingham Bears Actual Playing XI:

Richard Gleeson, Sam Hain, Alex Davies, Moeen Ali, Dan Mousley, Jacob Bethell, Chris Benjamin, George Garton, Zak Foulkes, Jake Lintott, Danny Briggs

Gloucestershire Preview

Gloucestershire sneaked into the quarter finals of this year's Vitality Blast after ending the group stage with successive wins and then grabbing the fourth spot by virtue of a better net-run-rate over Essex. But irrespective of how they got there, they have just as much right as Birmingham Bears to be fighting for a place in the final and a side like Gloucestershire, full of white ball success across their history, can never be written off.

In their last T20 game, it was the opening pair of Miles Hammond (30) and Australian Cameron Bancroft (87) who hit the majority of the runs for the Westcountry county as they posted and then defended 179/8 against Middlesex.

With the ball, the experience of David Payne will be crucial at this venue as will his left-arm pace partner Matt Taylor who took 2/17 against Middlesex before enjoying an impressive One-Day Cup campaign.

Gloucestershire Predicted Playing XI:

Miles Hammond, Cameron Bancroft, James Bracey (wk), Beau Webster, Jack Taylor (c), Ben Charlesworth, Oliver Price, Matt Taylor, Josh Shaw, David Payne, Tom Smith

Gloucestershire Actual Playing XI:

Tom Price, Miles Hammond, Cameron Bancroft, James Bracey, Jack Taylor, Ben Charlesworth, Oliver Price, David Payne, Tom Smith, Matthew David Taylor, Josh Shaw

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

After a warm afternoon in Birmingham on Friday, this game is set to be played in slightly cooler conditions during the evening. The temperature will drop from 19 to 16 degrees across the match although there will be high humidity levels throughout.

WRW vs GLO Pitch Report

Bimingham Bears hit scores of 194/5 and 198/2 in their last two T20 Blast games at this venue and whoever bats first will need to post a total approaching 200 to be competitive. Throughout this summer, Edgbaston has been a ground filled with runs alongside a true and consistent batting surface.

Total Over/Under Betting Tips

Total match score under 346.5 runs 1.90

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The average total match score in the 8 matches played at Birmingham this season is 328 runs. The surface at Edgbaston is a balanced one where the average scores in both the innings are between the range of 150-170 runs. We predict it to be another moderate scoring game and the total match score to be under 346.5 runs.

Toss: To Bat

On a good batting surface, both captains will recognise the importance of posting an imposing total. For that reason, we predict that both sides will choose to bat first if they win the toss.

WRW vs GLO
Winning Prediction

After picking up 20 points during the group stage, five more than Gloucestershire and the joint-most of any side in the tournament, we are predicting a victory for Birmingham Bears. They have been one of the most dominant teams in the 2024 Vitality Blast so far and we expect to see them at Final's Day.

We are backing Birmingham Bears to win!

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