Essex vs Gloucestershire prediction and bets Vitality Blast July 4 2025

The Vitality Blast resumes and in one of the matches for the first week of July, Essex will play Gloucestershire at County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford. The two teams head into this game with a winless performance, which they will look to end. How will this encounter unfold? Let’s get straight into the full game previews and offer the best betting opportunities. 

Essex vs Gloucestershire: Match Start Date and Time

This match is expected to take place on the 4th of July 2025. The kickoff time will be 21:00pm. 

• Match: Essex vs Gloucestershire
• Date: Friday, July 4th, 2025
• Kick-Off Time: 21:00pm (AEST)
• Stadium: County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford

Weather and Pitch Report

We should have a clear weather at Chelmsford this Friday. The weather is expected to be sunny with temperatures ranging between 13 and 24 degrees Celsius as the wind should blow from the southeast at 10-26 km/h. It is a bowling-friendly pitch, and the team winning the toss should bowl first. 

The stadium has a capacity of 6500 spectators and regularly hosts Vitality Blast games. It has hosted 13 ODIs and 13 T20Is so far. Toss: To Bowl In 13 T20I games hosted here, the teams chasing the target have had the upper hand on 8 occasions. The average first-inning score is 137. 

Essex vs Gloucestershire Match Analysis

Essex have been struggling all season and will hope to end their run of winless performances. In recent matches, this team played in the County Championship One, settling for a draw with Hampshire before losing to Yorkshire in a 459-368 contest. In the meantime, Essex last match in the Vitality Blast was against Kent, and they lost by 47 runs, in a 172-219 contest. Meanwhile, Essex have failed to win a single game, being the worst side in the league so far. In eight matches played, this team has lost to Glamorgan, Middlesex, Somerset, and Hampshire. Ahead of this fixture, Essex sit bottom of the league standings with two points.

Gloucestershire will hope to extend their unbeaten run when they take on Essex here. However, their last two matches have ended in a draw in the County Championship Two. In those matches, this team played Glamorgan to a 528 and Derbyshire to 187 & 526. In the meantime, Gloucestershire last game in the Vitality Blast was against Hampshire, and they secured a hard-fought 130-124 win in a game they were tagged underdogs. Yet, it is worth noting that prior encounters to the unbeaten run saw this team go on a losing run of five matches, playing Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Somerset and Glamorgan. Ahead of this game, Gloucestershire sits 8th in the standings with eight points from seven matches. 

Essex: Form

Paul Walter will come in the middle with Luc Benkenstein, Matthew Critchley, and Charlie Allison. Walter has been crucial for this Essex side with 138 runs, batting at a strike rate of 130. Skipper Simon Harmer is expected to lead the bowling unit with Shane Snater and Mohammad Amir. Harmer already has 6 wickets at an economy of 8.72, scoring 55 off just 21 balls in the last game with 7 sixes. 

Essex Expected Lineup

Michael-Kyle Pepper, Dean Elgar, Jordan Cox (wk), Paul Walter, Matthew Critchley, Luc Benkenstein, Charlie Allison, Noah Thain, Simon Harmer (c), Shane Snater, Mohammad Amir.

Gloucestershire: Form

Gloucestershire will not go with the same team that defeated Hampshire Hawks in their last Vitality Blast game. Marchant de Lange is expected to join the Gloucestershire T20 squad for the first time this year, as he will come in for Ahmed Syed. Zaman Akhter will replace Joe Phillips following back-to-back County Championship appearances. Also, Oliver Price is expected to start in the middle with Jack Taylor, Ben Charlesworth, and Graeme van Buuren. Oliver Price is the leading run-scorer with 178 runs at a strike rate of 128. Meanwhile, Jack Taylor has scored 149 runs at a strike rate of 142 this season and will be crucial in this game. 

Gloucestershire Expected Lineup

Jack Taylor (C), Zaman Akhter, Cameron Bancroft, James Bracey, Ben Charlesworth, Marchant de Lange, Miles Hammond, David Payne, Ollie Price, Josh Shaw, D'Arcy Short, Tom Smith, Matt Taylor, Graeme van Buuren.

Who will win in Match - Essex vs Gloucestershire?

In their last meetings, Essex have had the upper hand with four wins. However, Gloucestershire lone win was last year in the Vitality Blast, which ended by 5 wickets. 

Essex vs Gloucestershire Prediction

This is a tough one to predict and it could go either way. At the moment, none of the two sides have been convincing and they will have to go all out here. Gloucestershire have been more better lately, but at home, Essex will hope to secure their first win of the season. Yet, I believe Gloucestershire have upper hand in this game and should be the better side. In the meantime, a bet on points is a reliable one with this game expected to go over. 

Prediction: Gloucestershire First 2 Overs - Over 13.5