Match Preview: Kent Spitfires v Hampshire, Vitality Blast

Hampshire – coming off the back of consecutive Vitality Blast victories against Essex Eagles and Glamorgan – head to Beckenham on Sunday to face Kent Spitfires who sit atop the South Group, albeit having played a game more.

Hampshire Squad:

An unchanged 14-man squad has been named for Sunday’s match.

An impressive all-round bowling performance helped Hampshire defeat Glamorgan by 41 runs in front of a bumper crowd at the The Ageas Bowl on Friday. Despite setting only a relatively modest total of 128-7 from their 20 overs, an excellent exhibition of spin bowling from Liam Dawson (3-11) and Mason Crane (3-22) as well as wickets for Chris Wood, Kyle Abbott, Chris Morris, saw Glamorgan fall comfortably short in reply.

The two points Hampshire picked up at the The Ageas Bowl on Friday, along with the two they scooped on the road at Chelmsford on Thursday, has seen them rise to third in the South Group and they’ll be hoping to maintain their impressive run of form against the Spitfires on Sunday.

The Opposition:

Kent Spitfires have made an impressive start to their 2019 Vitality Blast campaign and currently sit at the top of the South Group.

Winning five of their six matches so far - including a nail-biter in the reverse fixture against James Vince’s side last month – Kent will be full of confidence ahead of Sunday’s visit of Hampshire as they look to reach a first T20 Finals Day since 2009.

Alex Blake has been particularly explosive with the bat for the hosts, the left-hander totalling 150 runs at a strike rate of 157.89 so far. Mohammed Nabi has been similarly impressive with 131 runs at a strike rate of 174.67 to his name, while captain Heino Kuhn is averaging 123 from this four innings, again at a good strike rate of 153.75.

Kent’s positive early form with the bat has been mirrored with the ball. Hardus Viljoen is the joint-leading wicket taker in the competition and has been ably-supported by Imran Qayyum who has seven wickets to his name.

Full Hampshire Squad:

Coverage:

Live 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 Beckenham: http://ow.ly/SCiR30phmEC

Tickets:

Tickets for Sunday’s match against Kent Spitfires at Beckenham can be purchased online via the Kent website: www.kentcricketshop.co.uk