Richard Dawson is calling on Gloucestershire’s players to learn quickly from their first NatWest T20 Blast setback of the season.

His team go into tomorrow’s (Friday) South Group clash with Hampshire at Bristol on the back of a 25-run home defeat by Glamorgan on Tuesday night.

Head coach Dawson admitted that standards had slipped in that game and is desperate to avoid successive losses in a hugely competitive and tightly-packed group.

He said: “We played some good cricket in winning two and tying one of our three completed games amidst some problems with the weather so we are not going to beat ourselves up too much about the Glamorgan match.

“There were parts of our game that could have been better, but the important thing is to accept that and make sure they don’t carry over into the next fixture.

“In the Sussex game that eventually got washed out we didn’t bowl and field as well as we can, but the players responded by stepping things up again in the following match against Kent.

“Hampshire have some world class batsmen and bowlers so we will need to be right on top of our game.”

Tom Smith, who has been one of Gloucestershire’s most economical T20 bowlers this season, wasn’t used in the Glamorgan game, having claimed his 100th wicket in the competition against Kent.

Dawson explained: “It wasn’t a preconceived plan not to bowl Tom. From a tactical point of view, with two left-handers batting at the time he would normally have been put on, Michael Klinger probably felt we had better options.

“Kieran Noema-Barnett bowled well at the death and I though Thisara Perera was outstanding.”

Overseas signing Perera has been excellent with the ball since seeing his first four deliveries against Kent at Canterbury dispatched for fours by Daniel Bell-Drummond.

The Sri Lankan recovered to claim three for 31 in that game and followed up with two for 25 against Glamorgan, bowling full and straight.

“I think Thisara was still recovering from his long flight in the Kent match,” said Dawson with a smile. “He dusted himself off and has been excellent for us.”

Gloucestershire are unlikely to make many changes for the Hampshire game as Dawson is not the sort to panic after a setback.

“We have options when it comes to selection, but I like to give players a chance to learn from mistakes and improve as a result,” he said.

“It was great atmosphere for the Glamorgan game and I am sure the same will apply against Hampshire. We will have put a lot of thought into how we can apply more pressure with bat and ball.”

After starting the group matches well, Hampshire’s form has dipped in their last three games. They go into the match level on points with Gloucestershire, having played on game more, on the back of a 14-run defeat by Somerset at Taunton on Wednesday.