Glamorgan: New white-ball coach Mark Alleyne confident of T20 success

Sam Northeast top scored for Glamorgan with 510 T20 runs in 2022 as Glamorgan finished sixth in the Vitality Blast south group

Glamorgan's new white-ball coach Mark Alleyne says he will aim to "create an environment where guys can really express themselves" as he takes over the T20 team.

Glamorgan have not qualified for the knockout stages since 2017.

They begin their campaign away to Alleyne's old side Gloucestershire.

Glamorgan have split coaching roles between limited-overs and four-day cricket, with Matthew Maynard continuing in the red-ball game.

Australian all-rounder Michael Neser is included in Alleyne's first squad despite a national training camp, while there is a first senior squad appearance for 19 year old Academy all-rounder Ben Kellaway.

Seamer Ruaidhri Smith, who was released from the staff in September 2022 after injuries, is included following trials with the second eleven, but spinner Andrew Salter misses out.

But Alleyne has not been dealt a kind hand by injuries, with captain David Lloyd and top-order batter Tom Bevan ruled out of around half the tournament.

• Glamorgan suffer Lloyd injury blow for T20 start

In addition, last season's top wicket-taker Michael Hogan has left for Kent.

So how does Alleyne plan to turn round the club's fortunes with a similar group of players to previous years, but slightly reduced in numbers?

"To perform at your best, you need to create an environment where guys can really express themselves, because they are all good enough to do well enough to be in the top four at the end of the season," he said.

"It's my job to create the stimulus within the group. The only short bit [in the build-up] is the physical preparation in terms of T20 skillsets, but we've got a group of players that have been playing since the end of February in pre-season, so there's no excuses.

"Although it's a short time, I think we're ready to go."

Although he is irrevocably linked with Gloucestershire on the county circuit, having won trophies as captain and coach in a purple patch in the noughties, Alleyne points out that he has been coaching elsewhere for 15 years, with roles ranging from England assistant to college level.

"It doesn't feel strange, but it'll be quite tasty the first game going back to Bristol for my first competitive game in the Blast outside Gloucestershire, so that's something I'm really looking forward to," said Alleyne, who remains confident Glamorgan can finish in the top four of a nine-team South Group to go through.

'Cool character'

Spinner Prem Sisodiya, a T20 regular opening the bowling in recent years, is among the players who have not featured in Championship cricket.

"It's an exciting time for the club, having Mark Alleyne in as the white-ball coach with a different outlook on things," he said.

"Even over the last couple of years we've shown glimpses of what we can do and we are a talented group, so hopefully we can start piecing some results together.

"He's been top drawer, Mark. He's been around second-team games and we've trained with him quite a lot.

"He's quite a cool character, quite chilled out, and has lots of knowledge about the game, so it's nice to have a fresh outlook."

All-rounder Dan Douthwaite is the only Glamorgan player so far picked for the Hundred franchise competition.

"It's always exciting to get to the T20 time of the season after the red ball stint, it's a competition where we haven't reached the knockout stages since I've been at the club as yet," he said.

"But there's an exciting feel around the squad with a new white-ball coach in Mark Alleyne and a real sense of optimism.

"I've been doing some individual work with him and played some second team T20s. He seems really in-depth, definitely got his own theories and it's another fresh face."

Success in Bristol

Glamorgan won four successive games in Bristol between 2015 and 2020, though they were beaten in 2021 and the most recent encounter there was washed out, with a downpour just as the teams were about to take the pitch.

A hectic schedule of seven games in the first 15 days of the competition, half the group stages, will tell how the optimism of having a new man in charge translates onto the pitch.

Gloucestershire lost their opening game away to Kent by seven wickets, with former Glamorgan bowler Hogan taking 3-13 as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 113.

All-rounder Graeme Van Buuren returns to the squad after hamstring trouble.

Gloucestershire (from): Roelofsen, Dent, Hammond, B Charlesworth, O Price, Bracey, Van Buuren, J Taylor (c), Phillips, Zafar Gohar, M Taylor, Van Meekeren, Smith, Payne, Shaw.

Glamorgan (squad v Gloucestershire, Somerset & Middlesex): Carlson (c), Northeast, Byrom, Ingram, Cooke, Root, Neser, Douthwaite, Kellaway, Sisodiya, Van der Gugten, Smith, Podmore, McIlroy.