Somerset need to overcome barrier in mid-overs at rivals
CAN Somerset’s batsmen demonstrate the patience and skill to overcome Gloucestershire’s renowned middle-overs squeeze in tonight’s Vitality Blast showdown at the Bristol County Ground?
Unless they do, the Cidermen are likely to stare down the barrel of a sixth successive T20 defeat at the venue where they last won in the format back in 2015.
Gloucestershire’s dominance on home soil since then has been largely founded on their archrivals’ inability to handle pace off the ball on slower pitches than they encounter at Taunton.
In particular, Somerset have encountered a nemesis in Tom Smith, who must rub his hands at the prospect of T20 derbies at Bristol.
The left arm spinner has played a leading role in all Gloucestershire’s victories of the past five years, sending down a combined total of 18 overs and claiming nine wickets for 129 runs at an economy rate a shade above seven an over.
Just for good measure, Tom even hit the winning boundary off the final ball of last season’s gripping encounter after his side had gone into the last over, bowled by Ollie Sale, needing 13 for victory.
Somerset’s top score on their last five visits has been 164, way below what they average on the faster wickets at Taunton. Repeatedly, they have failed to master Smith and Benny Howell in the middle overs.
A more detailed look at the games makes depressing reading for Somerset supporters.
In 2016, Gloucestershire won by four wickets, despite the presence of Chris Gayle in Somerset’s team. The West Indies colossus contributed top score of 40 to his side’s total of 158 for five, which saw Smith and Howell concede just 57 runs between them from eight mid-innings overs.
Benny’s ever-increasing repertoire of deliveries, mostly sent down at gentle medium pace, has proved as tough for Somerset to handle as Smith’s naggingly accurate spin over the years.
On this occasion, his two for 21 ensured Gloucestershire of a gettable target in front on an 11,000 crowd and, after Michael Klinger’s half-century, Gareth Roderick hit the winning runs off the penultimate ball, sent down by Yasir Arafat.
A year later the winning margin for the hosts increased to seven wickets after Somerset’s team coach had been held up in heavy traffic and the start of the match delayed by 45 minutes.
With little opportunity to prepare, they were shot out for 146 in 19.4 overs, having been 96 for eight. This time Smith and Howell bowled their combined eight overs for only 51 runs, sharing three wickets. Ian Cockbain’s unbeaten 47 saw Gloucestershire home with 10 balls to spare.
Cockbain is another player who relishes taking on Somerset. In 2018, his 43 not out clinched a fourwicket success in a game reduced by rain to 11 overs a side.
Corey Anderson’s unbeaten 40 saw Somerset post 114 for eight, Smith taking two for 21 and being on a hat-trick at one stage, while Andrew Tye took three for 24 from three overs. Gloucestershire replied with 116 for six from 10.1 overs.
Two years ago Smith was named man-of-the-match, despite Klinger’s 74 in a total of 189 for four, which featured a century opening stand with Miles Hammond.
Tom returned three for 19 from his four overs, this time well supported in the middle-overs squeeze by Ryan Higgins and Graeme van Buuren as Somerset, now boasting the services another top international batsman in Babar Azam, were bowled out for 164.
Normal service was resumed last season, Smith (two for 25) and Howell (one for 23) going for only 48 runs from their eight overs, restricting Somerset to 161 for seven, before Cockbain’s superb 89 off 57 balls set up a thrilling last gasp win.
Every opponent is aware of how Gloucestershire exploit the conditions on their home ground in T20 cricket, fielding aggressively and giving batsmen no pace to work with after the initial six-over powerplay. But knowing about it is one thing and countering it quite another, as Somerset head coach Jason Kerr, who has overseen the last three defeats at Bristol, is the first to admit.
“Gloucestershire’s players all know their roles in making the most of conditions at Bristol, which are normally slow pitches and long boundaries square of the wicket,” he said.
“Tom Smith is a very good bowler who slips under the radar and rarely goes at more than seven an over, while Benny Howell is equally accomplished at tying batsmen down.
“We may have been guilty of playing one way in T20 cricket and our style has been more suited to Taunton pitches, but I think that is changing. Our win over Surrey at The Oval last week demonstrated that. The pitch there lacked pace, but we played an extra spinner in Jack Leach, restricted them to a modest total and then batted sensibly to secure a comfortable win.
“At places like Bristol, you can’t always go hard from ball one and play big shots. It is necessary to pick gaps in the field and show a degree of patience.
“We have players in the team who can do that. James Hildreth has used his experience to make a success of opening and players like Tom Abell and Lewis Goldsworthy can score quickly without taking undue risks.”
Gloucestershire go into the game with a two-point advantage over Somerset, with five South Group games to play, so the pressure is firmly on the visitors as both seek a top four finish.
An intriguing factor will be the battle of two New Zealand overseas signings in Glenn Phillips for the hosts and Devon Conway for their opponents.
Both have already demonstrated their talents, Phillips averaging 90 as the highest run-maker in the competition, while Conway has notched two half-centuries in his first three Somerset innings.
Howell is Gloucestershire’s leading wicket-taker in the Blast with ten victims, while Marchant de Lange has been the stand-out bowler for Somerset with nine.
Smith has the best economy rate of the regularly used bowlers on either side at seven an over and it will be interesting to see if Somerset select Leach, whose only appearance so far saw him take three for 28 from four overs against Surrey at The Oval, as a third spinner.
All the ingredients are there for those lucky enough to have tickets to witness a compelling contest. Play starts at 6.30pm, with gates opening at 4.30pm.