Match Preview: Surrey v Hampshire - Vitality Blast

Hampshire head to the Kia Oval to take on Surrey on Wednesday for the final away fixture of this year’s Vitality Blast.

Hampshire Squad:

James Vince’s side will be looking to finish the 2018 Vitality Blast campaign on a high as they take on Surrey at the Oval tomorrow before returning to the The Ageas Bowl for Friday’s closing contest.

Following Sunday’s abandoned fixture against Essex Eagles, a match-up against Jade Dernbach’s squad offers the opportunity gain a positive result heading into Friday’s final South Group match, whilst providing momentum ahead of the resumption of the Specsavers County Championship.

Openers Vince and Rilee Rossouw found form in their last full outing against Glamorgan as both batsmen got off to a blistering start to make important contributions at the top of the order – the pair will be looking for another big opening partnership in the powerplay overs on Wednesday.

Left-arm seamer Chris Wood picked up two wickets before the rain set in on Sunday to take his tally to 15 scalps so far this summer, enough to see him comfortably top the list of Hampshire wicket-takers in the competition.

The Opposition:

Surrey have had a mixed 2018 T20 campaign so far but remain in the hunt for a quarter-final place, sitting in fifth place in the South Group heading into the final two rounds of matches.

Overseas opener Aaron Finch has been in scintillating form for the home-side throughout the competition, striking 478 runs in just seven innings at an average of 119.50 and a strike-rate of 191.20.

The ever-reliable Rikki Clarke has also been a key contributor too, taking 14 wickets at an average of 22.43 with the ball, whilst also contributing 235 runs at an average of 47 with the bat in the middle-order.

Did You Know?

• In the last six completed T20 matches between these two sides, the chasing team has won on four of the last six occasions although the side batting first has won the two most recent encounters.
• Hampshire seamer Ryan Stevenson made his T20 debut the last time Hampshire played Surrey at the Kia Oval in 2016.

Full Hampshire Squad

Coverage

Hampshire Cricket’s social media channels will provide updates throughout both match. Ball-by-ball coverage and match highlights can be found at ageasbowl.com/cricket.

BBC Radio Solent also offers ball-by-ball commentary online at bbc.co.uk.

Weather Forecast:

Follow the link for the latest weather forecast for the Kia Oval: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/gcpuvk7px