Match Preview: Durham v Hampshire Hawks Men, Vitality Blast Quarter-Final

Durham v Hampshire Hawks Men

Vitality Blast Quarter-Final

Friday 5^th September (6:30pm start)

Banks Homes Riverside

Hawks Men travel the length of the country as they take on Durham in the quarter-final of the Vitality Blast.

Northamptonshire booked their place at Finals Day with a seven-run win at the Oval yesterday with the Hawks looking to seal a record-breaking 11^th appearance in the semi-final stage.

Victory tomorrow night in the north east will see James Vince’s side take on the Steelbacks in the semi-final at Edgbaston on Saturday 13^th September.

Eight of the Hawks Men’s squad featured in The Hundred with James Vince, Scott Currie, Liam Dawson, and Benny Howell featuring in all eight of their team’s matches.

The Hawks’ previous match in the men’s Vitality Blast came against Essex where Toby Albert smashed 84 (55) and Hilton Cartwright blitzed 56 (23), but the Hawks were undone by a remarkable unbeaten century from Jordan Cox who finished 139* off just 60 deliveries.

Durham meanwhile completed a sensational run chase against Northamptonshire Steelbacks to secure their home quarter-final. Having been set a target of 204, Alex Lees blasted his way to a maiden T20 century as he ended 101 not out as the north east outfit completed the pursuit in just 99 deliveries.

Hampshire and Durham have only met once before in the Vitality Blast, back in 2011, when Danny Briggs’ five-for sealed a 55-run win at Utilita Bowl.

Hampshire Hawks

Hawks Men have named a 13-player squad for their quarter-final against Durham.

Overseas stars Chris Lynn and Hilton Cartwright join back up with the Hawks, with Liam Dawson also available prior to England’s IT20 series against South Africa, but Sonny Baker is unavailable on international duty.

17-year-old Ben Mayes comes into a T20 squad for the first time with Brad Wheal returning.

Hampshire Hawks Men

Durham

Captain: Alex Lees

Overseas players: David Bedingham (South Africa, full competition alongside South Africa commitments), Zak Foulkes (New Zealand, all group stage), Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand, full competition), Codi Yusuf (South Africa, all group stage). 

Finals Day appearances: Two (2008, 2016)

Titles: None

2024 finish: Quarter-finals

2025 leading runscorer: Alex Lees (405)

2025 leading wicket taker: Jimmy Neesham (20) 

Key winter moves: Batter David Bedingham’s availability will be limited due to South African Test commitments, including the World Test Championship final against Australia. But Durham have recruited Kiwis Zak Foulkes and Jimmy Neesham and all-rounder Codi Yusuf from South Africa. Two can play at any one time, so rest and rotation will come into play. Sam Conners, Emilio Gay and Will Rhodes were domestic signings ahead of the summer.

The big question: Will Durham follow Gloucestershire’s lead and secure a first Blast title? Glos won this competition for the first time in 2024, taking the number of counties never to have triumphed in T20 cricket down to four. Coach Ryan Campbell has assembled an exciting looking squad. Graham Clark, Nathan Sowter, captain Alex Lees and Jimmy Neesham all jump out on paper as key men.

Wildcard watch: Callum Parkinson. The left-arm spinner impressed with 18 wickets in last season’s run to the Blast quarter-finals, his first as a Durham player following his move from Leicestershire. An up-and-at-you spinner whose change of pace can be difficult to combat. Spent the first four years of The Hundred with the Northern Superchargers but was not retained for this summer.

Final thought: Ryan Campbell has banged the drum for leg-spinner Nathan Sowter in recent seasons, believing he has the capability to play for England in white-ball cricket. Sowter has taken 43 wickets combined in the past two Blast campaigns and brings a real x-factor to Durham’s bowling attack. With a T20 World Cup coming up in India and Sri Lanka during the early stages of next year, this is a particularly key campaign for 32-year-old.

Head-to-Head

Hampshire Hawks Men’s record in Vitality Blast matches v Durham:

Last meeting:

• August 7 2011 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by 55 runs

Tickets

Tickets for Hampshire Hawks Men’s quarter-final match against Durham are available here.

Coverage

The match will be televised on Sky Sports Cricket with commentary available on the BBC Sport website and app. A live match centre with the scorecard, statistics and insight available throughout the match.

Weather Forecast

Please follow the link to view the latest weather forecast for Chester-le-Street: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2653224.