By Edward Hall
April 27 2002

Glamorgan start their Benson and Hedges Cup campaign tomorrow with a game at Northampton which, looking at their next fixtures, is a game that they cannot really afford to lose. With teams of the quality of Gloucestershire and Somerset in the Wales/West/Midlands group, tomorrow’s game at Northampton looks like being one that, if Glamorgan want to progress to the quarter-finals, they should win. It starts a period of five games between now and May 6, culminating next weekend with games against Worcestershire on Sunday and Warwickshire on Bank Holiday Monday. Glamorgan, after winning the second division of the National League last season, should feel that they can finish in the top 3, but a lot depends on the bowling. The batting should have enough runs in it, but so far this season, the bowling has been a let down. Hopefully tomorrow Michael Kasprowicz can start to show his class by picking up his first wickets for Glamorgan.

The one-day batting line up should pick itself. David Hemp, after his half-century against Cardiff UCCE, should feel in better touch now, and will open with Keith Newell. Robert Croft will take his usual one-day position at 3. The other four batsmen will be (in some order) Maynard, James, Powell and Dale. Even though Mark Wallace has begun the season with more runs than any other batsmen, it seems unlikely that Glamorgan will dispense with their team plan from last season, so Maynard will keep the gloves. The four remaining bowling spots will remain a mystery though until 10.45 tomorrow morning. Michael Kasprowicz has to play, and Steve James stated in an interview last week that Simon Jones’s early season form means that he has a good chance of being in the team. This leaves just two more places, with Darren Thomas, Alex Wharf, Andrew Davies and Dean Cosker all being viable possibilities. At some point in the past two seasons, all these players have been regulars in the one-day team and selection may come down to whether they want to play two spinners and whether Alex Wharf has fully recovered from injury. I predict that Thomas and Cosker may play, but more and more pressure is mounting on Darren Thomas if he continues to struggle. Although he gives the team more batting, do we really need it if we are in effect playing Dale or Powell as low as 7?

Possible team: Hemp, Newell, Croft, Maynard, James, Dale, Powell, Thomas, Kasprowicz, Cosker, Jones

Prediction: Glamorgan to start well (for once)