Match Preview: Somerset v Hampshire - Royal London One-Day Cup

After a thrilling final over victory against Sussex Sharks at the The Ageas Bowl on Thursday cemented Hampshire’s place at the top of the South Group, Sam Northeast’s side head to Taunton to take on Somerset in the final fixture of the Royal London One-Day Cup group-stage, requiring just one point to secure top-spot and a home semi-final.

Hampshire Squad:

A 13-man squad has been named for Sunday’s 50-over contest with Joe Weatherley and Fidel Edwards included alongside the final XI that lined-up at Sussex Sharks. Sam Northeast will again lead the side in the absence of James Vince who remains on international duty with England.

Aiden Markram and Tom Alsop continued their excellent form with the bat earlier this week with the duo striking magnificent centuries against Ben Brown’s side – both players have moved into the top 10 run-getters in this year’s competition and will be looking to add to their tally for the final time in the South Group. Kyle Abbott and Liam Dawson have been equally impressive with the ball throughout this year’s campaign, sitting third and fourth in the list of top wicket-takers with 32 wickets between them so far.

The Opposition:

Somerset have had a strong One-Day Cup campaign so far, claiming victories in four of their six South Group fixtures with wins coming against Kent, Glamorgan, Sussex and Essex.

All four wins came at the start of the competition however, and defeats against Gloucestershire and Middlesex halted their momentum heading into the final stages of the group phase – they’ll require two victories in their final two contests to be sure of qualification.

Overseas batsman Azhar Ali has been the most consistent performer with the bat for Tom Abell’s side, totalling 282 runs at an average of 47 from his six innings. Right-arm seamer Josh Davey has been the most prolific with the ball, picking up nine wickets at just over 22 runs apiece.

Did You Know?

• Rilee Rossouw struck a magnificent 156 off just 113 balls to steer Hampshire to a four-wicket victory when Hampshire’s took on Somerset at Taunton in 2017
• Liam Dawson recorded a 47-ball 76 before taking 2-52 with the ball the last time these two sides met in the Royal London One-Day Cup

Full Hampshire Squad:

Coverage:

The brand new Hampshire Cricket App will host full match coverage and pre & post match reaction. 

The App is available for free across iOS and Android devices and can be downloaded by following the links below.

Live ball-by-ball coverage and highlights of Sunday’s match will be available at ageasbowl.com whilst match updates will be available via the Hampshire Cricket social media channels.

There will be ball-by-ball commentary available on BBC Radio Solent online at bbc.co.uk.

Weather Forecast:

Please follow the link for the latest weather forecast for Taunton: http://ow.ly/DmV530oCSOr

Tickets:

Tickets for Hampshire’s 50-over match against Somerset can be purchased online via the Somerset website: https://www.somersetcountycc.co.uk/