Surrey travel to Bristol to face the 2024 Vitality Blast champions – Gloucestershire, on Wednesday night.
Sam Curran’s side sit in second place in the South Group of the Men’s Vitality Blast on 24 points.
Play gets underway at 7pm in Bristol.
SURREY SQUAD
Mitch Santner is now on international duty with New Zealand. Jamie Overton is in the England Test squad.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP WITH PLAY?
The match will be streamed on Gloucestershire’s YouTube channel, with a link posted on the Surrey Match Centre and the club’s social media channels.
Surrey Cricket’s social media channels will provide live updates, with clips and highlights posted throughout the match, with a written report and highlights will be available at the end of the match.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Last seasons champions sit in seventh place in the Vitality Blast. Today’s match is the only group stage meeting between the two sides this season.
Previewed by Richard Latham, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Jack Taylor
Overseas players: D’Arcy Short (Australia, all group matches), Cameron Bancroft (Australia, full competition)
Finals Day appearances: 4 (2003, 2007, 2020, 2024)
Titles: One
2024 finish: Winners
2024 leading run-scorer: Cameron Bancroft (534)
2024 leading wicket-taker: David Payne (33)
Key winter moves: Dynamic with the bat and a capable wrist spinner, Aussie international D’Arcy Short looks sure to prove an exciting replacement for fellow countryman Beau Webster, who featured in 13 of Gloucestershire’s 17 Blast matches last season. Aged 34, Short has represented his country 23 times in T20s and in eight ODIs.
The big question: Gloucestershire have always revelled in the role of underdogs and did so again to become surprise winners of last year’s Blast. As holders of the trophy, no one will be underestimating them this season, so can them perform as well with the added pressure of being among the favourites to reach Finals Day?
Wildcard watch: Only Cameron Bancroft scored more Blast runs for Gloucestershire last season than Miles Hammond, who notched 54 fours and 23 sixes in averaging 32.46 as an ever-present throughout the competition. The 29-year-old left-hander will again be a key figure in defending the trophy.
Final thought: Mark Alleyne’s influence on Gloucestershire’s one-day cricket promises to be as important as when he captained the side in their glory years. No one expected a trophy last season, his first since returning to the club as head coach, but his shrewd tactical brain and winning mentality quickly transferred to the team as they beat hot favourites Somerset in a one-sided final to become Blast champions
