There is one lone match beginning in the County Championship on Wednesday when Gloucestershire host Leicestershire in a Division Two which is getting more and more intriguing this season with every passing result.
Top spot is on the line at Cheltenham for Gloucestershire but even though Leicester head into the match in fifth place in the table a win here will put them very much a part of the promotion mix so this has all the hallmarks of a really competitive game of cricket.
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire go into this match unbeaten since the opening week of the season in the Championship and off the back of a remarkable win over Essex last week which really confirmed them as genuine title challengers. They are into the quarter final of the T20 Blast as well so the Bristol side are in the middle of another excellent season to back up the trophy winning campaign of last year.
Their batting is probably their strength with the likes of Chris Dent, Gareth Roderick and Michael Klinger all in excellent form but it was their bowlers who beat Essex last week with a sensational effort on the final day to bowl out the leaders and favourites and seal what was actually a comfortable win in the end.
Leicestershire
From the seasons they have had recently this is a marked improvement for Leicestershire and while promotion might ultimately be beyond them they are a club on the up in the longer format of the game and the best thing you can say about them is that they are no longer a walkover or an easy ride. You’re guaranteed a battle when you face them.
Leicestershire’s strength probably lies with the ball although they can put together decent totals with the bat. They do have a decent lower order which actually gets you a long way in the Championship these days but if they are to win this you would think it will be done through their bowlers.
Team News
Gloucestershire go into the match with a full squad at their disposal which includes the likes of Craig Miles and David Payne. Hamish Marshall is closing in on 250 First-class matches and if he gets picked here he could be one short of that landmark.
Leicestershire have Niall O’Brien back in their side for this match and Australian pair Clint McKay and Mark Cosgrove are both in the squad too. James Sykes offers a spin option which you would think will be useful given all the cricket that has been played here recently. Neil Dexter returns too.
Betting
I’m a lot more reluctant to take Leicestershire on these days than in previous seasons but I would have been prepared to do it here were Gloucestershire not as short as they are. I think they will win the game but a side competing on three fronts can always slip up and it is often when you least expect it when it actually happens.
There might be a time in the match where something presents itself in running but before a ball is bowled Gloucestershire are just a little too short for me to get involved so I’ll sit this one out initially although I’ll secretly be hoping Leicestershire can get amongst it to boost the Essex outright.
Tips
No Bet
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