As Glamorgan prepare for the final home championship game of the season, they will need to improve on their last two games to avoid finishing either bottom or 8th in Division Two, writes journalist Edward Bevan.
Two weeks ago they lost narrowly at home to Sussex, but were then heavily beaten by Northants at Wantage Road.
The margin of that victory - 318 runs - was Glamorgan’s third largest defeat in the county championship as the Northants spinners Rob Keogh and Graeme White, took advantage of a pitch that turned from the first morning to take all twenty wickets.
Credit to Kiran Carlson for his 5 for 28 on his debut in the first innings, but it was asking much for the 18-year old off spinner to emulate that performance especially as a part time bowler, as England Lions’ Ben Duckett plundered second innings runs to take the game away from Glamorgan, while Morgan is learning his trade and has only bowled 169 championship overs this season.
Duckett was also fortunate to survive after scoring six when he nicked one from Timm Van Der Gugten to wicketkeeper Mark Wallace who took the catch low down. The umpire at the bowler’s end consulted his colleague at square leg to confirm whether the ball had carried, but he was unsighted and Duckett went on to score a match winning innings.
There was also some poor shot selection which contributed to Glamorgan’s downfall in both innings, and they will need to show more collective responsibility in their last three games to avoid finishing four or five places lower than they did last year.
Craig Meschede, who missed the last game through injury, is likely to return, while the young seamer Lukas Carey, who has made an impressive start to his first class career by taking 10 wickets in two games, could be included in the squad, especially as the Cardiff pitch has helped the seamers in recent games.
Gloucestershire will be without their prolific captain and run-scorer Michael Klinger, who has returned to Australia, and are likely to retain the team that played against Derbyshire last week.