PREVIEW: Glamorgan v Somerset T20 Blast

18 Jul 2016 | Cricket
Glamorgan meet Somerset in an all-important T20 Blast clash on Friday night at The SSE SWALEC in Cardiff, where the Welsh county can wrap up a quarter-final place with victory.

Despite defeats to Gloucestershire and Hampshire in their previous two matches, Glamorgan boast an enviable record in this season's NatWest T20 Blast with seven victories, three defeats and one wash-out game from their 11 matches in the competition so far.

They remain well-positioned to pounce for a quarter-final spot.

Sitting second in the South Group, Glamorgan are favourites to clinch a home quarter-final along with league-leaders Gloucestershire. The Welsh county have 15 points and will need to keep their noses ahead of third-placed Kent (12 points from 12 games) and fourth-placed Middlesex (11 points from 10 games), with Essex, Sussex and Surrey all breathing down their necks on 10 points.

Wicket-keeper Mark Wallace, who hit 45 albeit in a losing cause against Hampshire last Thursday, insisted Glamorgan are still in good spirits despite the recent blip.

He said: "It's a little bit of a kick to the confidence [losing two in a row] because we've played so well and won so many games. T20 cricket is normally a bit more up and down, but we're still in a very strong position."

Chief Executive Hugh Morris concurred that the Welsh county remain well-placed to go deep into the competition.

"If we'd said at the beginning we'd be in second, behind Gloucestershire with a game in hand and a superior run-rate, we'd definitely take that," Morris told BBC Wales Sport.

"Generally in white-ball cricket we've played really well, second in the table in both T20 and 50-over cricket.

"We've got three (T20) games left, we're looking forward to hosting Somerset with a bumper crowd, and we'll be pushing hard to make sure we finish in the top two and get a home quarter-final."

Glamorgan can go a long way towards that with victory on Friday. Opponents Somerset sit bottom of the South Group with just three wins from 12 games in the competition so far. But they boast the likes of Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardena and England prospects Jamie and Craig Overton in their rank and will prove a dangerous outfit.

It's been a campaign to forget for Somerset but they will be gunning for victory, especially after the reverse fixture in Taunton was abandoned due to heavy rain.

The match is another encounter in the 'Best In The West' series which has so far seen Glamorgan beat Gloucestershire twice in white-ball cricket, with the Bristol-based county winning one.

Secure your seats for the crucial T20, which starts on Friday night at 7pm, by clicking here. Tickets are £15 for adults, £5 for under 17s and groups of 10 or more can get a special discount.