Bears v Gloucestershire (h): Vitality Blast preview

Warwickshire Bears Men return to Edgbaston Stadium to take on Gloucestershire as part of a huge Sunday double-header in the Vitality Blast.

2026-07-05T10:30+01:00

Bears Women kick-start proceedings against Yorkshire at 11:30am before the men’s team look to return to winning ways from 3:30pm. Tickets are still available.

Here’s what you need to know…

Team news

The Bears have named a 15-player squad for the visit of Sussex, with the playing XI set to be announced at the toss.

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

Current form

The Bears’ three-game winning run came to an end on Friday evening in Cardiff, as Glamorgan won by seven-wickets in a back-and-forth contest at Sophia Gardens.

Having endured a difficult start to the campaign, Ed Barnard’s men produced three complete performances in succession to revive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages. Despite Friday’s defeat, the Bears are still mathematically in with a chance of progressing from the group stages, but they will need to return to winning ways against Gloucestershire.

The Bristol side returned to winning ways on Saturday evening, doing so at home with an emphatic 57-run win over Surrey. Gloucestershire scored 191 batting first before rolling Surrey over for 134 to claim a first win in three games.

They currently sit second in the Central & West Group, 12 points above in the Bears and in need of one more victory to all-but guarantee their place in the Quarter Finals.

Previous meetings

This is the 17th meeting between these two teams in the Blast, with Warwickshire winning eight and losing six, however Gloucestershire have had the edge in recent times, winning four of the last five contests.

The last time the two teams met was on the opening night of the 2026 Vitality Blast, with Gloucestershire coming out on top in a low-scoring game at The County Ground.

The Bears had put themselves in a strong position after an inspired bowling performance reduced Gloucester to 121 all out, with leg-spinner Taz Ali the pick of the bowlers, taking four for 25 from his four overs. The Bears struggled for momentum in their reply and the loss of regular wickets saw them all out for 74 on a disappointing evening in Bristol.

Players to watch

Sam Hain

After scoring an unbeaten 63 off 45 balls against Glamorgan, Sam Hain is now joint-second in list of T20 Blast half-century scorers since the competition began in 2003. In his last two T20 games, Hain has 131 runs off 83 balls without being dismissed.

Usman Tariq

The Pakistan international looked to have turned Friday’s clash with Glamorgan in the Bears’ favour after a stunning spell of spin-bowling in the middle overs. With two wickets in three balls and figures of four overs, two for 13, he came close to winning the Bears the game.

D’Arcy Short (Gloucestershire)

An unbeaten 92 from opening batter D’Arcy Short set up Gloucestershire for a dominant victory over Surrey on Saturday. The former Australian international’s match-winning effort came off 56 balls and included eight fours and four sixes.

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Bears Women v Yorkshire (h): Vitality Blast preview

Warwickshire Bears Women entertain Yorkshire at Edgbaston Stadium on Sunday 5 July, looking to continue their fine run of form. Play gets under way at 11:30am as part of another Sunday double-header at The People’s Home of Cricket. Here’s all you need to know… Team news Bears Women have named a 13-player squad for the visit of Yorkshire, with the playing XI set to be announced at the toss. Bears squad: Georgia Davis, Em Arlott, Hannah Baker, Sophie Beech, Phoebe Brett, Chloe Brewer, Abbey Freeborn, Katie George, Georgia Redmayne, Amu Surenkumar, Mary Taylor, Millie Taylor, Nat Wraith. Current form drag embedded asset published Georgia Redmayne (4) What a turnaround from the Bears since the Blast returned. Three wins from three have kept their slim hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the competition alive. It all started with a dominant 42-run victory over Surrey at Edgbaston at the end of June. That was followed by a nerve-shredding one-run win away against Lancashire last Sunday, before they returned to Edgbaston on Wednesday, toppling Essex by five wickets in a low-scoring game. With several players finding form with the bat, and the bowling unit able to restrict runs in recent outings, the Bears are playing their best cricket of the season. In contrast, Yorkshire are still searching for their first win of the competition having endured a testing run of fixtures. While they have yet to register a victory, they have been close to getting over the line on several occasions. Their season-opening game against The Blaze was decided with three balls remaining and they missed out against Essex by just three runs. Previous meetings drag embedded asset published Warwickshire Bears (2) This will be the first meeting between the two teams in the Vitality Blast. Yorkshire didn’t feature in last year’s inaugural season of the women’s tournament however were added to the Tier 1 competition for 2026 following the ECB’s annual county-by-county review. The teams have met once this season, doing so in the Metro Bank One Day Cup. On that occasion at Scarborough, it was the Bears that came out on top, winning by three wickets as they successfully chased down 239 for victory. Players to watch drag embedded asset published Amu Surenkumar (4) Amu Surenkumar Amu Surenkumar produced an outstanding spell in Wednesday’s victory over Essex, running through their top order to put the Bears in control. The right arm pace bowler took two wickets in an over, and ended with figures of three for 22 from her three overs. Georgia Redmayne A match-winning 43 not out in the Bears’ last fixture saw Georgia Redmayne help her side to a third successive win. The Australian has found form over the last few weeks, registering her first 50 of the campaign against Hampshire before last Wednesday’s winning knock. Jess Jonassen (Yorkshire) Jess Jonassen is Yorkshire’s leading run-scorer in the competition, and the Bears are all too familiar with her qualities at the top of the order. The Australian scored a brilliant 110 off 102 balls when the two teams met in the One Day Cup in May. The left-handed batter is also a quality operator with the ball.

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