County Championship: Glamorgan v Gloucestershire (Thurs)

Harry Podmore has joined Glamorgan after taking nine wickets in four previous games on loan

Glamorgan are set to start the new Championship season against Gloucestershire with a familiar squad, as seam bowler Harry Podmore is the only newcomer.

Podmore, 28, previously played four games on loan in 2016 and 2017.

Gloucestershire are set to field Australia opener Marcus Harris, despite his lack of warm-up games.

The visitors have assistant coach Will Porterfield in charge, with Dale Benkenstein on compassionate leave.

Benkenstein returned to his native South Africa after a family bereavement.

The visitors, who won on their last Championship visit to Cardiff in September 2021, were relegated from Division One while Glamorgan finished third in Division Two in 2022, narrowly missing out on promotion.

"We played some really good cricket last year and just a few moments let us down, so it's about how we can go one better. There's a lot of competition for places which is important and the focus is how we can improve little areas," captain David Lloyd told BBC Sport Wales.

"On the bowling front, it's an opportunity for the lads to put their hands up with Michael Hogan going (to Kent). He did some incredible stuff for us, but times move on, it's an opportunity for the others to say that's the role they want to take."

Gloucestershire could field both overseas players, Harris and Pakistani spinner Zafar Gohar, while Glamorgan have South African batter Colin Ingram in their ranks since Australian duo Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser are not due to be available until their next game, against Durham in Cardiff starting on 20 April.

Fast bowler Marchant de Lange, who spent four seasons with Glamorgan before moving to Somerset, could make his official debut for Gloucestershire after qualifying as a domestic player.

Lloyd says Glamorgan will be happy to play attacking Championship cricket with the bat where possible, after the ultra-aggressive 'Bazball' approach introduced by England coach Brendon McCullum brought Test success.

"We play our best cricket with (positive) intent anyway, and I think we've already seen in our warm-up games that players are being a bit more expansive, but it's a but difficult when you're on a green seamer (wicket), so we'll have to assess conditions," said Lloyd.

All-rounder Dan Douthwaite, the only Glamorgan player picked for The Hundred franchise tournament, could feature after not being picked for red-ball cricket last season.

Glamorgan won all five games against local opposition in a trip to Zimbabwe, and drew with Somerset in a rain-affected three-day game, before a shock three-wicket defeat against the students of Cardiff UCCE.

"We wanted to give our bowlers an opportunity to get a spell under their belt and declared quite early, but we didn't really adapt and a couple of their lads played really well," reflected Lloyd.

"But everyone's really looking forward to Gloucestershire and using that as extra motivation.

"The wicket has been under cover for quite a long time so it's going to be an important toss, we're going to have to be 'on it' with bat and ball."

Glamorgan (from): Lloyd (c), Byrom, Ingram, Northeast, Carlson, Root, Cooke (wk), Douthwaite, Salter, Harris, van der Gugten, Podmore, McIlroy.

Gloucestershire (from): Harris, B Charlesworth, Dent, Hammond, Bracey (wk), van Buuren (c), J Taylor, Zafar Gohar, Singh-Dale, Shaw, de Lange, T Price, O Price.