Match Preview: Durham v Hampshire Hawks Women, Vitality Blast

Hawks Women face Durham at the Banks Homes Riverside, Chester-le-Street.

Georgia Adams side missed an opportunity to move closer to the top three after an eight-wicket defeat to Lancashire Thunder on Wednesday, meaning the Hawks must win all of their remaining three games for a chance of making it to Finals Day on 27th July.

After slipping to 11-3, Freya Kemp and Abi Norgrove both hit quickfire half-centuries, Norgrove's first for the Hawks, to take reach 174-5, before the Thunder chased it down with one over to spare thanks to an unbeaten 66 from Emma Lamb.

Durham currently sit seventh in the table, with three wins from ten games.

Their previous game against The Blaze was washed out after just 4.1 overs, with the points shared. Before that, they beat bottom side Somerset, with former Hampshire all-rounder Suzie Bates making 48, and Emily Windsor returning from injury.

Hampshire Squad 

Hampshire Hawks have named an unchanged 14-player squad to take on Durham Women at Chester-le-Street.

Durham

Captain: Hollie Armitage 

Overseas player: Suzie Bates (New Zealand, full competition)

Key winter moves: Durham made plenty of signings in the off-season, however they sit second bottom of the table with just three wins. England stars Hollie Armitage, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath and Mady Villiers are chief amongst them, although Filer's England duties may limit her appearances. New Zealand batting legend and former Southern Viper Suzie Bates has been their leading run-scorer, but is one of only three Durham batters with a strike-rate in excess of 120. Katie Levick, alongside Villiers, have contributed 17 wickets so far between them, as they've looked to put the opposition batters in a spin.

The big question: It's a squad containing plenty of big names, but they've managed just six wins across the Metro Bank One Day Cup and Vitality Blast. They need more of their batters to fire if they are to produce more consistent results. Just four half-centuries and two players averaging over 30, is leaving theri admittedly strong bowling attack, not a lot to work with.

Wildcard watch: Mady Villiers. Might seem obvious, but she is firing on all cylinders and will cause serious problems for the Hawks in all departments. Runs, wickets, and catches, keeping her quiet will be key in deciding who comes away with the points.                                                                                     

Final thought: All the pieces are there to allow this Durham side to be successful over the coming years. With all the new arrivals, it's not surprising it has taken some time to gel. But they remain a dangerous team and when all those pieces come together, they have the ability to beat anyone.

Coverage 

A live stream will be available for the match and a link to this stream will be available in the at www.utilitabowl.com/cricket, along with 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