Match Preview: Hampshire v Kent - Specsavers County Championship

An excellent performance against Warwickshire saw Hampshire fall agonisingly short of a deserved bounce-back four-day win at the The Ageas Bowl last week, but that positive showing leads nicely into the latest round of red-ball action, starting this Saturday against Kent.

Hampshire Squad:

A 14-man squad has been named for this week’s fixture, with ten of the XI that lined-up against Somerset included once again.

Ian Holland and Aneurin Donald, fresh from their magnificent centuries against Warwickshire, will feature in the top-order, although the line-up will be missing Sam Northeast who is unavailable for selection after his call-up for the England Lions. Kyle Abbott, who claimed his fourth five-wicket haul of the season last week, will skipper the side in his place.

James Vince and Liam Dawson remain unavailable for selection due to their international commitments with England – Eoin Morgan’s men will contest the ICC Cricket World Cup Final against New Zealand on Sunday.

The Opposition:

After achieving promotion to Division One last season, Kent have enjoyed a positive comeback campaign in the top tier so far, picking up 104 points from their nine matches – including two wins from their last three contests – to sit fifth in the table.

Zak Crawley has been in excellent form for the visitors so far this season, totaling 708 runs at an average of 41.64 so far this season, but he will be unavailable as he also lines up alongside Northeast for England Lions. Kent will likely need a strong showing from Daniel Bell-Drummond, Sean Dickson, skipper Heino Kuhn and the dangerous Joe Denly in his absence, with the quartet representing the likely threats with the bat.

Matt Milnes and Harry Podmore have been crucial with the ball for the away-side, having claimed 41 and 38 wickets respectively across the campaign. The evergreen Darren Stevens is also always a tricky customer with ball in hand, demonstrated no more so than the right-arm seamer picking up 5-60 against Surrey last time out.

Full Hampshire Squad:

Coverage:

A live match stream, ball-by-ball coverage and match highlights will be available via the Hampshire Cricket App and 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://ow.ly/O85t30p4xiB

Food & Drink:

Tickets:

Tickets for all four days of Hampshire’s match against Kent at the The Ageas Bowl can be purchased online: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/ageasbowl, via the Hampshire Cricket App, over the phone on 0844 847 1863, or by visiting the The Ageas Bowl’s Ticketing & Membership Office via normal working hours.