Match Preview: Gloucestershire v Hampshire - NatWest T20 Blast

Hampshire will be looking to build on their commanding 29-run victory over Surrey last Friday, when they face a strong Gloucestershire side at Cheltenham College on Tuesday.

James Vince’s side bounced-back excellently from three straight NatWest T20 Blast defeats, with a win against the London-based side to see Hampshire move safely back into the quarter-final places. Now with just three fixtures remaining, another positive result for Vince’s side will see them solidify their top-four position in the South Division with an unprecedented sixth consectuive final's day still possible. 

Hampshire Squad:

Hampshire name a 14-man squad for Tuesday’s fixture, with Chris Wood, Sean Terry and Jimmy Adams all included in addition to last Friday’s final eleven.

18-year-old leg-spinner Mason Crane is likely to feature in the side once again after taking 2-35 on his full Hampshire debut against Surrey.

The Opposition:

After an excellent start to the 2015 campaign which saw them win three of their opening four games, Gloucestershire have struggled in recent weeks, having won just one of their last four fixtures.

Despite their indifferent form, Michael Klinger’s side currently sit just two points behind Hampshire in sixth place in the South Division, thanks largely in part to their skipper, who has scored more than 650 runs so far this campaign.

The Australian skipper will likely again be the key-man again for the hosts, with fellow opener Hamish Marshall unavailable because of a hamstring injury. Klinger's impressive form is something that Hampshire will be hoping to curb in the only group-stage meeting between the two sides this season.

Did You Know?

• Hampshire are unbeaten in all T20 fixtures against Gloucestershire and have claimed victory in each of the five matches between the two sides.
• Danny Briggs averages less than 17 with the ball in the shortest format against Gloucestershire.

What The Team Say:

Hampshire T20 captain, James Vince: ‘It was a much needed win against Surrey and we did it in pretty good style in front of a good crowd. It was good to see (Adam Wheater) move up the order and get some runs and Mason Crane came in and did a good job too.

‘It was pleasing to move up the league table and Gloucestershire are hot on our heels so every game is like a four-pointer now so it’s a good chance to get ahead and get some breathing space. Hopefully we can put in a similar performance to Friday and get a win on Tuesday.’

Hampshire Director of Cricket, Giles White: ‘A lot of positives came from Friday night’s performance and we just want to build on that. We’ve got an important couple of games coming up and we’re well placed for those – a couple of wins would be really healthy for us in terms of progressing so we look forward to Cheltenham and hopefully picking up a win.’

Hampshire Squad:

Michael Carberry, James Vince (c), Adam Wheater (wk), Jimmy Adams, Owais Shah, Joe Gatting, Will Smith, Sean Terry, Gareth Berg, Chris Wood, Yasir Arafat, Mason Crane, Danny Briggs, Jackson Bird.

Coverage:

Live text commentary will be available via the Hampshire Cricket Twitter and Facebook pages. A feed to these will also be available on this page.

There will be ball-by-ball commentary available on BBC Radio Solent online at bbc.co.uk.

Weather Forecast:

Please click here to view the latest weather forecast for Cheltenham.