County Championship Essentials: Glamorgan v Sussex

Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, weather forecast, form, predictions and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the County Championship...

Fixture: Glamorgan v Sussex

Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Dates: Thursday, April 15, 2021 - Sunday, April 18, 2021

Start time: 11am (session times have been altered during the first three days to cater for a pause between 2.50pm and 4.10pm on Saturday for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral)

What's the lowdown?

Both sides came out of their opening games with creditable draws against opposition who perhaps entered proceedings as favourites.

Glamorgan controlled their clash witht Yorkshire, while Sussex - in their first match under new management and fielding a youthful side - fought hard at Emirates Old Trafford. 

Who's in form?

In a week that saw batsmen surprisingly dominant for this time of year, there were few better knocks than the vigil produced by Tom Haines at the top of Sussex's order. Without the youngster, his county would almost certainly have been defeated: he made 155 out of a first innings score that totalled 301.

For Glamorgan, in a game billed as the return to county cricket of Joe Root, it was younger brother Billy who stood out with an unbeaten century in the second innings. Chris Cooke joined him in reaching three figures in a 212-run partnership.

Last five first-class matches (most recent first)

Glamorgan: DDLDD

Sussex: DLLLL

Head-to-head first-class record

Total matches: 122

Glamorgan wins: 26

Sussex wins: 41

Draws: 55

Abandoned: 2

What's the team news?

Glamorgan: Matthew Maynard has made one change to the squad which faced Yorkshire, with Roman Walker replacing Jamie McIlroy (side strain) in the 13-man travelling party. If selected, 20-year old Walker and allrounder Jamie Weighell could make their first-class debuts.

Ruaidhri Smith (hamstring) remains on the sidelines while Prem Sisodiya (shoulder) is working back to full fitness with the second XI.

Glamorgan squad: Chris Cooke (C), Andy Balbirnie, Kiran Carlson, Tom Cullen, Dan Douthwaite, Michael Hogan, David Lloyd, Billy Root, Nick Selman, Callum Taylor, Timm van der Gutgen, Roman Walker, James Weighell

Sussex: There are no changes to the squad which drew against Lancashire in round one. Phil Salt remains unavailable after injuring his foot while riding his bike in pre-season.

Sussex squad: Ben Brown (C), Ollie Robinson (VC), Jack Carson, Tom Clark, Henry Crocombe, George Garton, Tom Haines, Sean Hunt, Stuart Meaker, Delray Rawlins, Aaron Thomason, Stiaan van Zyl

Cover: Will Beer, Ali Orr

Latest Glamorgan news: Click here

Latest Sussex news: Click here

Who's said what?

Sussex head coach, Ian Salisbury, is expecting a tight encounter against a Glamorgan side who performed impressively against Yorkshire in their season opener.

"I’m intrigued to see how this week’s match plays out. Both Glamorgan and ourselves went away from home in the first round and showed their quality against teams who would probably be labelled among the favourites in our groups," he said.

"I was impressed with how Glamorgan performed against Yorkshire and I think this week will be a really good match up between two sides who showed great character as well as skill in their opening fixtures."

Meanwhile, Chris Cooke, captaining Glamorgan, feels his side still have more to give after securing a draw at Headingley, stating: "It was a nice start for us. A good performance, but not a complete one. It's a really encouraging sign and we've still got a lot of things we can work on. I think the ceiling is pretty high for this group of players.

"It's very difficult to bat at this time of year, but the top order showed really good intent. They got good balls but it's a difficult place to start, opening up at Headingley in April, but a lot of good signs still.

"We know quite a lot of their players, and then a few players we haven't seen. We just want to keep doing what we do, stick to our A-game, and hopefully, that's enough over the four days."

What's the weather forecast?

The weather scuppered Glamorgan's hopes of victory in Yorkshire last week but it shouldn't be a factor in South Wales. Conditions are forecast to be dry and sunny, with temperatures peaking at 12 degrees celcius on Sunday.

Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Sophia Gardens: Click here

How do I follow the match?

TV/stream: Glamorgan will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here

All County Championship matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here

The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.

Radio: BBC Local Radio and the BBC Sport website will carry ball-by-ball radio commentary of the game. 

Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every County Championship match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more. 

Going to the game?

Tickets: This match is to be played behind closed doors owing to Covid-19 restrictions. Glamorgan memberships are available here.

Travel: Not applicable owing to Covid-19 restrictions.

Prediction?

Sussex are in the midst of a rebuilding process, while Glamorgan have improved in their red-ball cricket over the last two years. Home win.

Subscribe today and receive The Cricketer’s centenary issue – six issues for £19.21. Click here