Birmingham Bears v Gloucestershire – 02/09/2020

Birmingham Bears v Gloucestershire – Betting Tips, Latest Odds, Team News and Predictions – 02/09/2020

Birmingham Bears will be looking forward to their first tournament action at Edgbaston.

They will be keen to build on victory over Glamorgan and head into this after a trip to Northamptonshire just 24 hours before.

Gloucestershire bounced back from an opening defeat to Glamorgan by beating last year’s finalists Worcestershire.

Take a look at our free T20 Blast betting tips ahead of this opening contest.

Birmingham Bears v Gloucestershire – Match Preview

The Bears have made a decent start to the 2020 T20 Blast and picking up a win on home soil could go a long way to boosting their hopes of qualification from the group stages.

Gloucestershire’s top order failed to fire in their tournament opener but came to the party against the Rapids. That will have handed them plenty of confidence heading into this.

Where: Edgbaston, Birmingham

When: Wednesday, 2 September

Start Time: 17:35 GMT (22:05 IST)

Pitch conditions: The surface at Edgbaston is often good for batting but does often assist swing bowling under overcast conditions. While it also offers a good balance between bat and ball, extra pace and bounce often adds extra incentive for the bowlers.

Weather conditions: There is a high chance of rain for this contest. Rain is due to arrive in Birmingham just before the action gets underway. Temperatures are predicted to be around the 16-degree mark.

Birmingham Bears v Gloucestershire – Latest Odds

Given that both teams have played Glamorgan already, those games could hold the key to working out how this one might pan out.

It looks like being an interesting tussle in Birmingham at the hosts just shade favouritism with bet365.  The Bears can be backed at 1.8, with Gloucestershire at 2.0.

Birmingham Bears v Gloucestershire – Team News

England Test opener Dom Sibley is back available for the Bears after international duty.

Former England players Ian Bell and Tim Bresnan continue to offer important experience while the likes of Bowler Henry Brookes and exciting batsman Sam Hain look to add fireworks.

With games coming thick and fast, Birmingham coach Jim Troughton has spoken of the possibility of rotating the squad a little.

Chris Woakes could return before being required by England to face Australia in the ODI series. Others waiting in the wings include Liam Norwell and Jake Mousley.

For Gloucestershire, bowler David Payne comes into this after surpassing a century of T20 Blast wickets. He will again have a key role to play alongside Ryan Higgins.

George Scott has made his T20 Blast debut this season for the county and will be looking to get in the action again here.

They are unlikely to make sweeping changes after such a fine showing against Worcestershire last time out.

Birmingham Bears v Gloucestershire – Squads

Birmingham Bears v Gloucestershire – Betting Tips and Prediction

A confident Bears outfit on home turf could be a tough proposition for Gloucestershire. We would side with them for outright match winner purposes.

However, don’t forget that there are also plenty of other markets to look at before the action gets underway.

Payne to be Top Bowler for Gloucestershire

David Payne was back among the wickets against Worcestershire and it would be no surprise to see him carry that momentum into this fixture.

He claimed 16 wickets in 13 games last season and chalked up his first three of the 2020 Blast against the Rapids. That took him past a century of Vitality Blast wickets and he can cause the home batsmen more issues here.

He looks a good bet to be Gloucestershire top bowler at 4.4 with LeoVegas for this fixture.

Hammond to Take Fight to Birmingham

There was a lot to like about Miles Hammond’s knock against Worcestershire last time up. He’d previously fell for a low total in the opening game but came back well before falling just shy of his half-ton.

His consistency last year was a big positive for Gloucestershire and he looks an appealing choice to be their top batsman in this fixture.

He can be backed at 4.33 with bet365 to bag the most runs for his team.

Back Hain to Star with the Bat

Sam Hain’s unbeaten 35 against Glamorgan was just a taster of what could be to come now he’s back batting at Edgbaston.

He shone in the 2019 Vitality Blast when he bagged 459 runs over 12 matches. He can be in the runs again now and looks a solid selection for the Bears top batsman. He is priced at 4.5 with LeoVegas.

Brookes Ready to Fire for the Bears

Henry Brook enjoyed a good 2019 T20 Blast campaign. The young right-arm pace bowler took 13 wickets in his 10 matches last term and can continue his improvement in 2020.

He got off the mark with a wicket against Glamorgan and being back at Edgbaston will help him further.

He looks a solid selection to be Birmingham’s top bowler in this clash at 4.5 with 10CRIC.

Make sure you check out our round-up of best bet selections for this contest.