Gloucestershire’s Vitality Blast campaign ended on a challenging note with a 50-run defeat to Glamorgan at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol, but the team has cemented their place in the T20 quarter-finals with a third-place finish in the Central & West Group. They will now face Northamptonshire Steelbacks in Northampton on Wednesday at 5pm, confident of their chances.
Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson spearheaded an explosive batting performance, blasting 73 runs off 40 balls, including six towering sixes. Alongside Will Smale’s rapid 54 from 28 balls and Ben Kellaway’s fiery 47 off 22, Glamorgan posted an imposing total of 235-7 — one of the highest T20 totals recorded at Bristol.
In response, Gloucestershire struggled to keep pace, finishing 185 all out. Dawid Malan led the response with 39, closely followed by D’Arcy Short’s 35. Despite the loss, Gloucestershire’s squad remains upbeat.
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Batter Kamran Dhariwal reflected on the match: “We found it tough controlling the run flow today, but the primary goal was to reach the quarter-finals, which we have achieved. We know we have the quality to compete with any side and can go into the next stage with confidence. Executing our skills will be key to opening up a great opportunity against Northamptonshire.”
Glamorgan’s opening partnership set the tone, smashing 66 runs in the powerplay and reaching a century stand in just the ninth over. Their aggressive approach put Gloucestershire under relentless pressure, despite disciplined spells by bowlers like Henry Crane, who took crucial wickets to stall the chase.
Gloucestershire’s middle order tried to revive the innings with some big hits — Dhariwal and James Bracey both launched sixes in the 13th over — but crucial dismissals at vital moments meant chasing such a huge target was always going to be difficult.
Now focusing on the quarter-finals, Gloucestershire will look to rebuild their momentum and showcase the strong performances they’ve produced throughout the tournament.