After Worcestershire beat Gloucestershire by eight wickets in their first match of the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy, the two county sides are set to meet again at Bristol today. While plenty of individuals shone with that bat as well as the ball in the previous game between the two teams, we have a look at a few potential difference-makers for the upcoming match.
Chris Dent
Skipper Chris Dent led by example during Gloucestershire’s first Bob Willis Trophy 2020 match despite his team falling short in the end. The left-hand batsman was generous with the runs in both innings against Worcestershire, scoring 92 in the first innings and 67 in the second. Dent looked comfortable out in the middle, changing gears without much fuss, and he will be keen to carry his momentum with the bat in the upcoming match. He hit 18 fours during his two innings against Worcestershire and will want to produce more solid knocks to help his team win this time around.
Josh Shaw
Even though Gloucestershire’s bowlers didn’t enjoy much success with the ball against Worcestershire, right-arm medium-fast bowler Josh Shaw never stopped trying. His persistence was rewarded in the form of three wickets over the course of the match – the most by any player in the team. He will also take confidence from the fact that he dismissed both of Worcestershire’s openers in the second innings of the last game and will want a repeat of that against the same opponents at Bristol on Saturday.
Daryl Mitchell
Daryl Mitchell top-scored for Worcestershire with an 80 in the first innings and he’ll be eager to pick up where he left off. Mitchell dominated Gloucestershire's bowlers on the second day of the last match between the two sides and hit 13 fours over the course of the first innings for Worcestershire. He proved to be the perfect foil for his opening partner Jake Libby, who made an impressive 77 on debut and helped build a strong foundation for his team to go on and claim the win. Mitchell will be hoping that he and Libby can play a similar role and provide another solid platform at the top for Worcestershire to build from.
Joe Leach
Right-arm fast-medium bowler Joe Leach picked up five wickets against Gloucestershire in the last match – four of which came in a fiery spell in the second innings. Leach’s devastating five-over spell in the second innings saw him help set up a comfortable eight-wicket victory. He finished with figures of 4-for-70 and almost single-handedly wiped out Gloucestershire’s tail order to set up a target of 110 for his team to chase. Leach will be handed the new ball again in the next encounter against Gloucestershire and you can rest assured that he’ll be looking forward to inflicting more damage against the opposition batsmen.
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Feature image courtesy: AFP / Adrian Dennis
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