It’s another must-win fixture for the Bears who will need to be at their best to topple an in-form Glamorgan, with just four points separating the two teams in the Central & West Group.
Here’s all you need to know before the first ball is bowled at 6:30pm…
Team news
Warwickshire Bears have named a 14-player team for the trip to Cardiff, with the playing XI set to be announced at the toss.
Bears squad: Ed Barnard, Richard Gleeson, Rob Yates, Zen Malik, Olly Hannon-Dalby, Usman Tariq, Chris Woakes, Sam Hain, Taz Ali, Alex Davies, Dan Mousley, Jordan Thompson, Beau Webster, Kai Smith.
Current form
The Bears and Glamorgan are arguably two of the form teams across the Blast right now.
The Bears are looking to make it four wins in a row, as they continue to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive. It’s been a remarkable turnaround from Ed Barnard’s men. Having looked in trouble after losing their opening five fixtures, they have bounced back in style, claiming three outstanding wins.
The first came on the road against Somerset, where they chased down 215 for victory. The Bears followed that with a 59-run win under the lights at Edgbaston against local rivals Worcestershire last Friday, and a dominant 77-run win on Wednesday evening against Sussex.
Glamorgan are also in good form having won four of their last five after losing their opening two games. The Cardiff side got that run going with back-to-back wins against Somerset, which included a final-ball thriller in Taunton. After defeat against Worcestershire, they responded well with a tense two-wicket win – in another game that came down to the final ball – against Lancashire, before they won by six-wickets against Middlesex in their last fixture.
Previous meetings
This is the 21st meeting between the Bears and Glamorgan in the T20 Blast, with Warwickshire winning 11 and losing six, with four no-results.
Due to the changing nature of the T20 Blast groups though, the last meetings between the teams came in 2020 following Covid, with the Bears winning on both occasions during that season. In the fixture in Cardiff, three Tim Bresnan wickets helped the Bears restrict Glamorgan to 140 before contributions from Ian Bell (28), Adam Hose (38) and Sam Hain (35*) with the bat saw the Bears to a six-wicket win.
With the restructure back to three groups in the Vitality Blast, the Bears and Glamorgan are reunited, with this the first of two meetings between the two teams in the space of a week.
Players to watch
Richard Gleeson
A devastating spell on Wednesday evening from the right-arm quick helped the Bears ease to their 77-run win over Sussex. A master in short-form cricket, Gleeson took four for 19 in three overs on Wednesday and has made a big impact since returning to the side following a stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.
Sam Hain
One of several stand-out performers in the Bears’ win on Wednesday, Hain was at his best, hitting three fours and four sixes in an eye-catching 38-ball 68. Hain has been a mainstay of the Bears line-up for several years, and is in good form as they search for a fourth win in a row.
Mason Crane (Glamorgan)
Mason Crane has only played five of eight games for Glamorgan so far in the Blast but has played a key role when he has turned out. That was evident in their last game as the leg-spinner took four for 24 in a match-winning performance against Middlesex. Crane now has nine wickets in the competition at an impressive average of just 14.55.
