by Tom Lea
GLAMORGAN will be seeking to pick up their first win of the 2021 season when they head to Northamptonshire.
One man who could hold the key to the Welsh side’s hope of success is James Harris, returning to his boyhood county on a two-week loan due to the injury absence of Timm van der Gugten with a side strain picked up in the defeat to Sussex.
Harris’s return, albeit temporary, will hopefully deliver a huge boost to Glamorgan, especially with the enforced absences of van der Gugten, Jamie McIlroy and Ruaidhri Smith in the bowling department, with the former England Lion currently having 494 first-class wickets to his name.
In addition to the bowling support, Glamorgan will also be hoping that Harris can be a useful source of lower order runs with his career average standing at a solid 23.4 with a high score of 87 not out.
While Harris is the standout addition to the 13-man squad, there will also be some Glamorgan fans happy to see the return of Joe Cooke, fresh off a century for the 2nd XI in their most recent fixture.
The Sussex defeat followed an encouraging draw with Yorkshire in the first round of the Championship season which saw welcome centuries for Billy Root and Captain Chris Cooke but there are still questions to be answered about Glamorgan’s top order after they have found themselves three wickets down for no more than 46 runs across their three innings so far.
Australian batting sensation Marnus Labuschagne is yet to arrive in the country while Irish import Andrew Balbirnie has failed to deliver so far this season, but Kiran Carlson showed a glimpse of what he can bring with knocks of 127* and 132 in the clash with Sussex.
Callum Taylor will also head into the fixture with fond memories of the County Ground after his stunning 106 on his first-class debut there last summer.
Former Radio Wales Cricket correspondent Edward Bevan had the following to say when asked about the fixture “Whether he (Harris) is fully fit after being left out of Middlesex’s first two matches remains to be seen, but he should definitely be a help to the team.”
He went on to say “If James can come off with the bat and ball then I don’t think Glamorgan will miss Timm (van der Gugten) as much as people think they will.”
When asked about Taylor and his potential, Bevan’s response was “He showed against Sussex that he can defend well and he’s got a very big future ahead of him with the bat and also with the ball as well.”
Full coverage of the game can be found on Northamptonshire’s website right here from 11am on Thursday.