Match Preview: Kent Spitfires v Hampshire, Metro Bank One Day Cup

Kent Spitfires v Hampshire
Metro Bank One Day Cup (Group A)
Wednesday 31st July 2024 (11am Start)
Beckenham

Hampshire travel to Beckenham to take on Kent Spitfires in their first away Metro Bank One Day Cup of 2024 on Wednesday.

The Rose & Crown have enjoyed a positive start to the competition, winning their opening two matches, with the most recent being a five-wicket victory over Somerset.

Having lost their first match, Kent Spitfires bounced back with a dramatic final over victory against Lancashire last time out.

The last time that Hampshire travelled to Beckenham, they scored their highest List A total of 396-5 in a 163-run win. Tom Prest and Nick Gubbins scored centuries with the former's 181 becoming the Club's second highest ever score in a List A game.

Hampshire Squad

Hampshire have named an unchanged 12-player squad for their match against Kent Spitfires.

Toby Albert recorded his highest List A score of 96* during the win over Somerset, while Fletcha Middleton recorded his first half-century of the competition. Felix Organ also continued his good form with the bat, finishing unbeaten on 46.

All seven bowlers who played in the last match contributed with wickets. Eddie Jack and Tom Prest lead the way so far with five wickets apiece from the opening two matches.

Full Hampshire Squad

Kent Spitfires

Captain: Jack Leaning

Kent have enjoyed the One Day Cup in the last few years. In 2022, inspired by the outgoing Darren Stevens, they defeated Hampshire in the semi-final before going on to lift the trophy at Trent Bridge. Last year, the Spitfires narrowly missed out on qualification from the group stage by just two points, having won four of their eight matches during the competition.

Jack Leaning took over as captain for this year after Daniel Bell-Drummond was picked up for The Hundred and has a talented squad at his disposal. Charlie Stobo, Grant Stewart and Matthew Parkinson are all dangerous options with the ball, while all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel opens both the batting and the bowling. Joey Evison and Harry Finch are ones to watch in the batting line-up, as well as 18-year-old Jaydn Denly – who is the nephew of form England batter Joe Denly.

2023 Season In Numbers:

• 4^th in Group A
• Leading run scorer: Daniel Bell-Drummond (390)
• Leading wicket taker: Matt Parkinson (17)

Head-To-Head:

Hampshire's record in List A matches v Kent:

P: 69, W: 27, L: 37, NR: 5, A: 2

Last 5 Meetings:

• August 22 2023 | Newclose, IOW | Hampshire won by three wickets
• August 30 2022 | The Ageas Bowl | Kent won by three wickets
• August 7 2022 | Beckenham | Hampshire won by 163 runs
• August 8 2021 | Beckenham | Hampshire won by six wickets (DLS method)
• April 17 2019 | The Spitfire Ground | Hampshire won by 90 runs

Tickets

Tickets for Kent Spitfires v Hampshire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup on Wednesday are available by clicking here.

Match Coverage

Kent will be live streaming the match and a link to the stream will be available in the free-to-download Hampshire Cricket App and at www.utilitabowl.com/cricket.

Both the Hampshire Cricket App and www.utilitabowl.com/cricket will also host a live match centre with scorecard, statistics and insight available throughout the match.

Weather Forecast

Please follow the link to view the latest weather forecast for Beckenham: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2656065.