Glamorgan selectors have named a 13-man squad for our upcoming Vitality County Championship match against Leicestershire at Grace Road
Despite a spirited fightback by Glamorgan, Middlesex secured a two-wicket victory on the final day at Sophia Gardens. Mason Crane delivered an exceptional all-round performance, taking 5/99, his second five-wicket haul for Glamorgan, and contributing with the bat in both innings by scoring crucial 30s. Crane is currently the leading wicket-taker among spinners this season in Division 2. Marnus Labuschagne marked his return with a superb 111, his 9th first-class century for Glamorgan, while Colin Ingram continued his excellent form, scoring 105, his 4th century of the season, and has already crossed 700 runs this season. James Harris also impressed with 4 wickets for 84 runs.
Ingram, the current leading run-scorer with 752 runs this season, will be rested ahead of the Vitality Blast. Mir Hamza returns for the match against Leicestershire, allowing Colin to prepare for the T20. Seamer Timm van der Gugten comes into the squad for the first time this season, replacing Tom Bevan, who is also preparing for the Blast.
This match offers a crucial opportunity to climb the points table and regain momentum as we look ahead to the rest of the season.
Squad against Leicester:
16 Sam Northeast (C)
05 Kiran Carlson (VC)
97 Eddie Byrom
46 Chris Cooke (WK)
03 Mason Crane
11 Andy Gorvin
09 James Harris
92 Mir Hamza
33 Marnus Labuschagne
35 Jamie McIlroy
07 Billy Root
27 Zain ul Hassan
64 Timm van der Gugten
View from the Camp - Grant Bradburn
“It’s certainly nice to be selecting from a fully fit squad this week, for the first time this season. We welcome back Timm van der Gugten for Leicestershire, where Timm’s experience and skill will play a key role in our attack.
“Every game in the championship presents a fresh opportunity to put ourselves into contention to win and climb the ladder. I am pleased with that infectious team winning desire within our group, who are learning and adapting nicely to impact performances as key”.
Head-to-head – Leicestershire v Glamorgan
Last year’s match between the two teams at Grace Road saw Timm van der Gugten take 6/88, followed by Chris Cooke and Michael Neser adding 211 runs in 65.1 overs for the eighth wicket as the game ended in a draw.
The contest in 2022 at Grace Road was a remarkable one in Glamorgan’s history, with the Welsh county winning by an innings and 28 runs after Sam Northeast’s monumental 410* and a record-breaking stand of 461 with Chris Cooke, amassing a record-breaking 795-5. This gave them a lead of 211 runs with 65 overs remaining at lunch on the final day. However, it only took the visiting attack 58.4 overs to dismiss the shell-shocked Leicestershire batters for a second time. After Andrew Salter extracted turn and bounce at the Pavilion End to claim a pair of early wickets, Michael Hogan dissected the middle-order during his second spell. The pace of Michael Neser was then too much for the lower order before Neser yorked Chris Wright, followed by joyous celebrations by the visiting fielders.
How to watch
A live stream of the fixture will be provided via our Match Centre and YouTube channel, with commentary from Nick Webb and the BBC Wales team. You can follow along and see the highlights of the fixture across the Glamorgan social media channels.