Gloucestershire vs Leicestershire, County Championship Two, Today Match Prediction 22 August 2024

GLO vs LEI Match Prediction & Analysis

Gloucestershire remain hopeful about finishing in the promotion spots of Division Two when they go up against Leicestershire. The visitors are only 12 points behind the top two places following their recent success over Middlesex. After having been one of the top batting outfits in the division, Leicestershire will be pumped at the prospect of going into the top two. Gloucs have a lot of work to be done and the team are still sitting on one point from nine outings.

Gloucestershire are coming back to their home action for the first time in the County Championship Division Two since the last week of May. Leicestershire will have good memories of this ground after managing a five-wicket success back in June 2023.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Gloucestershire Preview

Gloucestershire had a very mixed game against Glamorgan, as the team were able to pull away with a tie after having made a very poor start from the first innings. Following 179 in the first innings, Gloucs were able to hit an incredible 610 in the second innings. Bracey’s double century of 204 not out coupled with centuries for Bancroft and Hammond were a significant factor behind the revival.

Gloucs need more of the batting performances to come up with an improvement in the Division Two standings. After nine matches, Gloucs are only sixth in the table and their batting points improved drastically following the game against Glamorgan. The team are left with only 103 points and they are a sizeable 24 behind second-placed Middlesex.

Beau Webster and Marchant de Lange had a big impact with the ball in the first innings after sharing eight wickets. Matt Taylor and Ajeet Singh Dale also ed the party for the second innings with six wickets combined. Still, Gloucs need plenty of improvement with the team having picked up the second-lowest bowling points (19) total in the table.

Gloucestershire Predicted Playing XI:

Cameron Bancroft, Ben Charlesworth, Oliver Price, Miles Hammond, James Bracey, Graeme van Buuren (c), Beau Webster, Zaman Akhter, Matt Taylor, Marchant de Lange, Ajeet Singh Dale

Leicestershire Preview

Leicestershire are back in County Championship Division Two action for the first time since June. The success over Middlesex helped propel the team into a spot where they can challenge for promotion. Leicestershire are only 12 points behind Middlesex following this victory. After having suffered just one defeat in the last five test matches, Leicestershire have momentum coming into this match.

Lewis Goldsworthy had a fine performance against Middlesex after coming up with a half-century and 41 runs in what was a very difficult match for his team. Ben Green came up with a half-century to help Leicestershire overcome a poor start. Louis Kimber came up with a fantastic 243 against Sussex, but his impact against Middlesex was mediocre after being sent off for a duck in the first innings. The depth of the batting line-up is one of the big strengths of Leicestershire and Louis Kimber is one of the many players adding to the same.

Scott Currie and Ian Holland were crucial players for Leicestershire in the match against Sussex. The duo picked up 10 wickets combined. Ben Mike was the standout player in the downfall of Middlesex after grabbing eight wickets from his 31 overs.

Leicestershire Predicted Playing XI:

Rishi Patel, Sol Budinger, Lewis Hill (c), Lewis Goldsworthy, Harry Swindells, Louis Kimber, Ben Cox, Ben Green, Ben Mike, Scott Currie, Matt Salisbury

Weather Conditions

The pitch at Bristol will be favourable for bowlers and batsmen. There is unlikely to be a clear favourite on both sides. The weather in Bristol is largely expected to be cloudy on the first day with maximum temperatures hitting 19°C. The precipitation probability will be 25% on the first day and it drops down to 15% for the second and third day. There is no rainfall expected for the last two days.

GLO vs LEI Pitch Report

The County Ground in Bristol will be hosting its fourth test game of the season. From the previous three matches, the average scores for the teams batting first and second in their first innings stood at 351 and 371 respectively. In the second innings, these numbers were 349 and 266 respectively.

Toss: To Bowl

All matches at the County Ground in Bristol in the 2024 season have been draws. No team has been able to gain a big superiority from our toss-winner perspective. The average scores across the two innings are almost similar. It points to a balanced game but teams are likely to prefer chasing with two of the three toss winners going with this choice in 2024.