T20 Blast Essentials: Glamorgan v Essex Eagles

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

Fixture: Glamorgan v Essex Eagles

Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Dates: Sunday, June 13, 2021

Start time: 2.30pm

What's the lowdown?

Glamorgan have only played once this season, losing to Gloucestershire on home turf.

Essex have won one and lost one of their two matches so far in 2021. A fine victory on the road at Somerset was followed by a defeat against Hampshire at Chelmsford, as they found themselves smothered by spin.

Who's in form?

Jimmy Neesham's 81 runs in two innings have come at a rapid strike rate of 192. Neesham, the New Zealand allrounder, made a half-century against Somerset.

With the ball, Sam Cook has made an excellent start to the new campaign. Cook has collected five wickets at an average of 7, but it is his economy rate across eight overs - 5 - which is most impressive. More than half of Cook's deliveries in the Blast this year have been dots.

Marnus Labuschagne made his best T20 score in the defeat by Gloucestershire. Labuchagne's 93 not out came from just 56 balls and accounted for 53 per cent of his team's runs on the day.

What's the team news?

Glamorgan are picking from the same 14-man squad for the first three games of the season.

Glamorgan squad: Chris Cooke, Kiran Carlson, Dan Douthwaite, Colin Ingram, Marnus Labuschagne, David Lloyd, Michael Neser, Andrew Salter, Nick Selman, Prem Sisodiya, Ruaidhri Smith, Callum Taylor, Timm van der Gugten, James Weighell

Essex are without Adam Wheater, who is suffering with a side strain. Dan Lawrence is with England.

Essex squad: Simon Harmer, Will Buttleman, Sam Cook, Feroz Khushi, Jimmy Neesham, Aron Nijjar, Michael Pepper, Jack Plom, Jamie Porter, Shane Snater, Ryan ten Doeschate, Paul Walter, Tom Westley 

Last five T20 matches (most recent first)

Glamorgan: LWWLW

Essex: LWLLW

Head-to-head T20 record

Total matches: 14

Glamorgan wins: 4

Essex wins: 8

Tied: 0

No result: 2

Abandoned: 4

Latest Glamorgan news: Click here

Latest Essex news: Click here

What's the weather forecast?

Keep up to date with the MetOffice's rolling forecast for Cardiff: Click here

How do I follow the match?

TV/stream: The ECB are offering a streaming service which can be found here.

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 Vitality T20 Blast 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

Due to different timetable for the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in Wales, tickets will only be available to 1,000 members and other priority ticket holders. For more information click here.

Click here to visit the Glamorgan box office.

Travel

Address: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, CF11 9XR

On foot: The most popular and pleasant means of reaching Sophia Gardens Cardiff from Cardiff Central Station is on foot. The final part of the 15-minute leisurely stroll takes you along the banks of the River Taff through Bute Park and the grounds of Cardiff Castle.

By bike: A popular way to travel to the Stadium is by bicycle and we are in the ideal location to do so i.e. via the Taff Trail which runs from Cardiff Bay to Brecon. The Stadium has 25 cycle parking spaces located underneath the Altodigital stand and 10 spaces by Gate Two.

By car

From London: Travel time is approximately 3 hours via the M4 Westbound.

From Birmingham: Travel time is approximately 2.5 hours via M5 Southbound and then the M4 Westbound.

From the East: Exit the M4 at Junction 29 and follow the A48M towards Llandaff. Join Cardiff Road. Sophia Gardens Cardiff is situated off Sophia Close which is on Cathedral Road.

From the West: Exit the M4 at Junction 33. Follow the A4232 for 6.2 miles and exit on the slip road onto Leckwith Road. Follow the A4161 and then turn left onto Cathedral Road (A4119). Turn right onto Sophia Close where Sophia Gardens Cardiff is situated.

Parking

Public Car Parking: Parking inside the stadium on match days is limited to players, officials and permit holders only. Public car parking is available in the Sophia Gardens Pay and Display car park situated within Sophia Close.

Disabled Parking: A limited number of disabled parking bays are available for every match day held at the Stadium and these are allocated on an application basis. For more details please contact reception on 02920 419 381 or info@glamorgancricket.co.uk

Park and Ride: Glamorgan Cricket do operate a Park and Ride service on international and other major match days. This service usually runs from Cardiff City Stadium to the drop off point in Sophia Close.

By train: For details of the regular inter-city and high-speed trains that run between Cardiff and all major towns and cities including London, Bristol, Birmingham and Swansea, please visit: www.nationalrail.co.uk

By bus: Cardiff Bus services run regularly between Cardiff Central Station and Cathedral Road (adjacent to Sophia Gardens Cardiff) Routes going via Cathedral Road include:

Number 25 Circular Service to Llandaff North and North Road

Number 62 service to Llandaff, Danescourt, Pentrebane, Fairwater and Canton

Number 63 service to Ffordd Berllan, Central Station, Radyr and Llandaff.

By coach: Regular high-speed coaches leave from Cardiff from most major locations in the UK. Please visit www.nationalexpress.com for further information.

Prediction?

Glamorgan can't rely on Labuschagne to do it all. If Colin Ingram and David Lloyd also fire in the top order, there is every chance for the Welsh county to get a big score on the board - but Essex's bowlers are miserly. Expect an away win, but it will be tight.