Bears v Glamorgan (h): Vitality Blast preview

Warwickshire Bears entertain Glamorgan in the final group stage game of the 2026 Vitality Blast, with play getting under way at Edgbaston at 7:00pm.

2026-07-09T19:20+01:00

It’s part of a huge closing double-header to the 2026 campaign for the Bears, with Bears Women playing Hampshire at 3:00pm

Ed Barnard’s men can still mathematically make it to the Quarter Finals, but would need a host of results to go their way over their final two fixtures. Firstly, they need to take care of business against Glamorgan. Here’s what you need to know…

Team news

The Bears have named a 17-player squad for the visit of Glamorgan with the playing XI to be announced at the toss.

Bears squad: Ed Barnard, Usman Tariq, Rob Yates, Richard Gleeson, Taz Ali, Sam Hain, Beau Webster, George Garton, Hamza Shaikh, Kai Smith, Alex Davies, Zen Malik, Vansh Jani, Chris Woakes, Jordan Thompson, Olly Hannon-Dalby, Dan Mousley.

Current form

The Bears have played almost faultless cricket in the second half of their Vitality Blast, winning four of their last five games to keep their slim hopes of progressing through to the knockout rounds alive.

Last time out against Gloucestershire, Beau Webster continued his outstanding form in the Blast, becoming the first player in this year’s competition to go past 500 runs with a blistering 78 off 44 balls. Dan Mousley notched his second 50 of the 2026 Blast with a quick-fire 72 off 36 balls, and Usman Tariq shone with the ball, halting Gloucester’s chase in emphatic fashion by taking three for 12 in a four over spell that ensured the Bears won by 30 runs.

Glamorgan sit four points and one place above the Bears in the Central & West Group having played a game less. They’ve registered five wins and four losses from nine games and still have a realistic chance of making the Quarter Finals should they win their remaining games.

In their last fixture against Worcestershire, it was the Pears who came out on top though. Batting first, the Rapids made 161 for nine, with Ben Kellaway (three for 24) and Mason Crane (two for 24) the pick of the bowlers for Glamorgan. In reply, regular wickets hindered their progress, with Worcester eventually winning by 15 runs.

Previous meetings

It was just last week that these two teams played for the first time in this year’s Blast, with the Bears slipping to a seven-wicket defeat at Sophia Gardens.

In a must-win game, the Bears looked to have set a testing total with Beau Webster scoring a 32-ball 47 and Sam Hain an unbeaten 63 off 46 balls to set Glamorgan 185 for victory.

A 75-run opening stand between Kiran Carlson and Will Smale, which came off just 37 balls, set Glamorgan on their way, and despite the brilliance of Usman Tariq who went at 3.25 runs per overs across his four over spell, Glamorgan reached their total three wickets down.

This will be the 22nd meeting between the Bears and Glamorgan in the T20 Blast, with Warwickshire winning 11 and losing seven, with four no-results

Players to watch

Beau Webster

The most in-form player in this year’s Blast, Beau Webster now has 552 runs in the competition at an average of 55. That’s 92 runs more than anyone else! Incredibly, his last seven scores in the Blast have been 97, 23, 112, 79, 60, 47 and 78. He’s been simply outstanding throughout.

Usman Tariq

Pakistan international Usman Tariq has produced two outstanding performances in his last two games for the Bears. The first of those came against this week’s visitors, Glamorgan, where he took two for 13 from four outstanding overs, before incredibly improving on that against Gloucestershire in his next game where he took three for 12 from four.

Kiran Carlson (Glamorgan)

When the two teams met a week ago, Kiran Carlson got Glamorgan’s chase off to the perfect start. He smashed 45 off just 20 balls in an innings that included five fours and three sixes. His opening partnership of 75 with Will Smale proved to be pivotal in deciding the game.