Match Preview: Hampshire v Essex - Specsavers County Championship

Hampshire will be looking to bounce back from last week’s four-day defeat at the Oval as they face Essex at the The Ageas Bowl in the latest instalment of Specsavers County Championship action, beginning on Friday.

Hampshire Squad:

An unchanged 14-man squad has been named for this week’s home fixture, with Gareth Berg, Joe Weatherley and Chris Sole included alongside the final XI that featured against Surrey.

Top-order batsman Sam Northeast will be looking to follow on from his exploits at the Oval on his return to the The Ageas Bowl, after the right-hander struck a sensational second-innings century, his first for the Club, on the final day’s play.

Mason Crane and Ian Holland remain side-lined due to injury.

The Opposition:

Essex were the surprise package in last year’s competition, claiming victory in 10 of their 14 matches after achieving promotion in 2016, and remaining at the top of the table into September to be crowned Division One champions for the first time in 25 years.

The reigning champions have begun their 2018 campaign strongly too, claiming one win and a draw from their two fixtures so far. Ryan ten Doeschate’s side are boosted further by the news that England opener Alistair Cook will play his first Championship match of the season for the visitors as Essex look to build on last week’s 31-run victory over Lancashire.

Did You Know?

• Kyle Abbott averages an outstanding 11.09 with the ball in all first-class matches against Essex, claiming 21 wickets.
• Only one of the last 12 meetings between Hampshire and Essex has ended in a draw.
• Kyle Abbott claimed superb figures of 6-20 in the first-innings of Hampshire’s last four-day fixture against Essex.

What The Team Say:

Hampshire Director of Cricket, Giles White said: “I think we’ve played some good cricket to start but were a little inconsistent in the last game, but there’s good signs and the fact that Sam scored a fine hundred, albeit in a losing cause, bodes well.

“Essex are a class act and they’ve got all bases covered and will be confident on the back of last season, but we fancy ourselves if we put in the performance we’re capable of – it’s about gaining the initiative early in the game and building from there, that will be our aim going into day one.”

Full Hampshire Squad:

Coverage:

Match updates will be available via the Hampshire Cricket social media channels, whilst ball-by-ball coverage and match highlights will be available at ageasbowl.com/cricket.

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 The Ageas Bowl: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/gcp185f25

Tickets:
Tickets for all four days of Hampshire’s match against Essex at the The Ageas Bowl can be purchased online via the link below, over the phone on 0844 847 1863, or by visiting the The Ageas Bowl’s Ticketing & Membership Office via normal working hours.