Will Somerset savagery be tamed by Gloucestershire guile when the arch-rivals clash for the first time in this season’s Vitality Blast at Bristol on Thursday evening?
That is the intriguing question ahead of an eagerly awaited South Group clash (6.30pm start), which is sure to be played in a raucous atmosphere before a packed crowd.
When previewing competition in this column a fortnight ago, I suggested Somerset might boast the most explosive batting line-up in domestic T20 cricket this summer.
So far, they have lived up to that prediction, Rilee Rossouw and Will Smeed alone having totted up 33 sixes and 38 fours between them in the first five group matches. Overseas signing Rossouw established himself as the leading run-maker in the Blast with 278, at an average of 92.6. He also boasts an impressive strike-rate of 191.72.
Twenty-year-old Smeed loses little by comparison, with a strike-rate of 176.99. The pair’s tally of sixes is more than the entire Gloucestershire team have managed so far.
Somerset’s batting order is packed with players capable of clearing the ropes. They have won four of their five games and if the derby battle was being staged at Taunton, would be justifiably hot favourites.
But it is Gloucestershire who have home advantage and that evens things up in my book. Experts at exploiting their own slow pitches and defending relatively low totals, Jack Taylor’s men have every reason to fancy their chances.
Already victorious in their opening two Blast home games, the hosts are a formidable outfit on familiar soil. While Somerset won the corresponding match at Bristol by eight wickets last season, their previous T20 record at what is now the Seat Unique Stadium read five successive defeats.
Most had in common a failure to adapt to the very different conditions from the pacey wickets they play on at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.
Tormentors in chief for Gloucestershire with the ball have been Benny Howell, with his subtle variety of seamers, taking pace off the ball, and left-arm spinner Tom Smith.
Both will be key figures again this evening, backed by canny field placement as the home side attempt to apply their customary squeeze in the middle overs of an opponents’ innings.
They did it to perfection on a slow pitch at Cardiff on Tuesday night to set up a five-wicket victory over Glamorgan, Glenn Phillips and Taylor, in his new role as a leg-spinner, playing important cameo roles.
David Payne, no doubt keen to celebrate his call-up to the England squad for the one-day series in the Netherlands, starting tomorrow week, already has 13 Blast wickets to his name and has been a thorn in Somerset’s flesh before.
On all known past form, the visiting batsmen will need to temper their natural inclination to play aggressively with a sensible degree of caution. When it comes to the batting department, Gloucestershire may not have as many proven big-hitters, but certainly boast enough power in the likes of Miles Hammond, Ian Cockbain, Ryan Higgins, Phillips, Howell and skipper Taylor.
James Bracey, rather like Somerset’s Tom Abell, has proven ability to score quickly with liberal use of textbook shots, and has already notched two half-centuries in the group games.
Both Cockbain, who is due a score, and Taylor have risen to the derby occasion in the past, while Higgins has made himself into a top all-rounder in all formats of the game.
Somerset supporters can take solace from the fact that, while the batsmen have been grabbing the headlines, the bowling unit, under the guidance of coach Steve Kirby, has also performed with great credit in the group games to date.
That is despite Craig Overton, due to selection for the England squad, being available for only one of the five matches.
The development of left-armer Tom Lammonby as an opening bowler and Ben Green as a seamer capable of operating in the powerplay, while also taking wickets mid-innings, has been vital in Overton’s absence.
Josh Davey now regularly carries over his nagging accuracy in red ball cricket to the shortest format and is Somerset’s leading wicket-taker in the Blast so far with ten.
One area of concern remains bowling at the death. In the team’s one defeat to date, by Sussex at Taunton, Marchant de Lange conceded 22 runs from the last four balls of the Sharks’ innings.
In fairness, de Lange has taken wickets regularly over the last two Blast campaigns. But his genuine pace may not be suited to a Bristol pitch and it will be interesting to see whether Somerset choose to play two spinners.
Lewis Goldsworthy and Max Waller provide options as back-up for Roelof van der Merwe if a seamer is omitted.
Kirby, who has played for both clubs in the derby fixture, but is now firmly in the Somerset camp, is full of respect for his former employers. He told me: “Gloucestershire have made themselves into a very good white ball team, especially at Bristol where they are always particularly hard to beat.
“The ball doesn’t come onto the bat as quickly as on the pitches at Taunton and we need to be cool and calculated in our thought processes under pressure.
“Our head coach Jason Kerr is always keen to stress that and we are improving at it. This season there has also been a really strong identity among the players and a clarity about their respective roles.
“That is also making us more effective as a side. We will pay Gloucestershire massive respect, but I believe the result will come down to how we perform.
“It’s a massive night for supporters of both clubs and I still get excited over the derbies. But as a coach, I need to stay calm and ensure the players are as well prepared as possible.
“Once they cross the white line, it is down to them. I think it has the makings of a very good game.”
My own view is that Somerset have a well-balanced Blast team this season, capable of going one better than last summer’s runners-up spot. But I never underestimate Gloucestershire at Bristol and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them gain revenge for the County Championship mauling by their neighbours last month.
