Gloucestershire’s supporters will be hoping a change in format can bring about a change in fortune.

They get their T20 Blast campaign underway against Warwickshire in Bristol tomorrow (7pm) after enduring a very difficult opening few weeks of the season in the four-day game.

Head coach Mark Alleyne’s men have lost five of their six matches, a run that has left them rooted to the bottom of County Championship Division Two.

There is optimism that the quickfire format will bring about an upturn in form although their preparations have been hampered by the news that left-arm seamer David Payne will miss the whole tournament due to an ankle injury.

All-rounder Liam Scott will also miss the first six games after being called up by Australia for their white ball tour of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Duan Jansen, the twin of South Africa’s Marco Jansen, has been signed for the first part of the tournament, and  director of cricket Jon Lewis said of the 26-year-old: “He comes in as a direct replacement for Liam Scott.

"He offers a similar skill set as an all-rounder, someone who can take the new ball and bowls with good pace and bounce.

"He also has the ability to strike the ball through the back end of the innings, so he should be a really good fit for our squad.”

Jansen, who bowls left-arm and bats right-handed, is not the only new face in the Gloucestershire squad because former England white ball batsman Dawid Malan is also set to make his debut for the club tomorrow.

The 38-year-old left-hander will bring plenty of experience as Gloucestershire look to make a fast start in a competition they won in 2024.

Australian D’Arcy Short, a hard-hitting top-order batsman, is also available for the T20 after making a big impression for Gloucestershire in the final group games in 2025.

Gloucestershire are competing in a six-team Central Group this season which also features Worcestershire, Northamptonshire, Somerset and Glamorgan.

They travel to Cardiff to play Glamorgan on Saturday (7pm).

The T20 Blast is made up of three groups with the top two from each going through to the quarter-finals alongside the two best third-placed teams.

The finals day is at Edgbaston on Saturday 18^th July.

South African all-rounder Duan Jansen will join Gloucestershire for the opening six matches of the Vitality Blast. The 26-year-old arrives with experience from T20 leagues around the world and will replace Liam Scott, who has been called up for international duty with Australia during the first block of matches.

Jansen has built a strong reputation in franchise cricket thanks to his control and consistency with the ball. His performances for the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots in both the CPL and The 6ixty helped the franchise secure another major title. He has also represented Joburg Super Kings and MI Cape Town and earned an IPL contract with the Mumbai Indians in 2023.

Jon Lewis, Director of Cricket, said: “We’re really pleased to announce the signing of Duan Jansen. He comes in as a direct replacement for Liam Scott, who has been called up to Australia for the first time. He offers a similar skill set as an all-rounder, someone who can take the new ball and bowls with good pace and bounce.

"He also has the ability to strike the ball through the back end of the innings, so he should be a really good fit for our squad.

"We’re obviously disappointed to lose Liam, but equally really excited that someone of Duan’s quality has come in as a replacement to help us through the first six games of the Blast and one round of the County Championship.

"We’re thrilled to have Duan with us and we’re looking forward to him showing off his skills in all areas of the game.”

The twin brother of South Africa all-rounder Marco Jansen, the towering all-rounder, standing at over 6ft 6in, also offers valuable power with the bat. In 32 innings, he has struck 17 sixes and scored 362 runs.

Jansen arrived in the UK on Sunday and met up with the Gloucestershire squad following this week’s match against Kent. He will be available to make his debut in the season opener against the Warwickshire Bears.

Across 50 T20 appearances, the left-arm seamer has claimed 48 wickets, with best figures of 4-23. Known for his ability to build pressure and force mistakes, Jansen boasts an economy rate of 8.56.