Match Preview: Hampshire v Worcestershire 

Hampshire get their 2018 season underway this Friday as they face Worcestershire at the The Ageas Bowl in the opening fixture of this year’s Specsavers County Championship.

Hampshire Squad:

New signings Hashim Amla and Sam Northeast are set to make their Specsavers County Championship debuts for Hampshire in Friday’s fixture, whilst James Vince is available to lead the side following his winter commitments with England in Australia and New Zealand.

The trio of Liam Dawson, Rilee Rossouw and Kyle Abbott return fresh from their stint in the Pakistan Super League, and Brad Wheal could feature in the final XI following his impressive exploits this winter with Scotland.

Opener Jimmy Adams will be looking to pick up where he left off during last weekend’s first-class fixture against Cardiff MCCU, after the left-hander struck an excellent 182* on the opening day – he looks set to line-up at the top of the order for the hosts.

Mason Crane and Ian Holland are both unavailable for this contest due to injury.

The Opposition:

Worcestershire sealed their return to the top flight for the first time since being relegated in 2015 after claiming the Division Two title last September, and they’ll be hoping for a positive start to their 2018 campaign with new Head Coach Kevin Sharp now at the helm.

Sharp welcomes Travis Head to the squad, with the Australian set to make his first appearance for the County, but Joe Leach’s men will be without Moeen Ali who is unavailable for the start of the season due to his IPL commitments.

Like most counties, Worcestershire’s pre-season programme has been decimated by the weather. Since returning from an 11-day training camp in Abu Dhabi, eight out of their nine scheduled days cricket have been washed out.

Did You Know?

• Jimmy Adams averages an impressive 49.27 with the bat in first-class matches against Worcestershire
• Hampshire have lost just one of their last six first-class matches against Worcestershire
• Worcestershire haven’t beaten Hampshire at the The Ageas Bowl in more than 14 years

What The Team Say:

Hampshire Cricket Head Coach, Craig White said: “We’ve managed to have about a week of being outdoors and the guys are in good shape and ready to go. Most counties have been in the same position this pre-season but the boys are in good shape and we’ve prepared the best we can.

“We’ve got a strong squad but we’ve still got to put the performances in out on the park. That’s encouraging and exciting but we’ve got to do the business out in the middle, that’s where it all counts.

“The competition is extremely strong and Division One cricket is fantastic cricket with some very good teams out there - we’re aware of the challenges Worcestershire present us with and we’re not taking them lightly.”

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

Tickets:

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