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Match Preview: Sussex Sharks vs Hampshire Hawks, Vitality Blast
Match Preview: Sussex Sharks vs Hampshire Hawks, Vitality Blast
Hawks Men travel to Hove in the return leg of el clasicoast with a victory potentially sealing a home quarter-final
Sussex Sharks v Hampshire Hawks Men
Vitality Blast
Sunday 12 July (2:30pm start)
1st Central County Ground, Hove
Hawks Men are through to the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast, but will have to wait until Sunday to see who their opponents will be, and whether they will be hosting at Utilita Bowl.
Back-to-back defeats for the Hawks to Middlesex and Essex, whilst thumping victories for Surrey over Sussex Sharks and Kent Spitfires means that Hawks Men have slipped to second in the South Group, level on points with the Three Feathers but with an inferior net run rate.
A big win for the Hawks over Sussex Sharks, and defeat for Surrey at the hands of Essex, should seal a home quarter-final for James Vince’s side.
Sussex Sharks have lost five of their last six matches and sit rock bottom of the South Group with three wins from 11 games.
They were victorious in their most recent outing, against Middlesex at Merchant Taylors’ School, where they won by 18 runs in a high-scoring affair.
Australian Dan Hughes smashed a 52-ball 108* whilst Jack Leaning made 65 before pace bowler Tymal Mills and veteran spinner Danny Briggs picked up three wickets each.
Hampshire Hawks Squad
Hampshire Hawks Men have named a 13-player squad for this fixture.
The squad remains unchanged from our trip to Essex.
Liam Dawson remains with England ahead of their ODI series against India.
Joe Weatherley is just one run away from reaching 2,500 T20 runs for Hampshire, with Tristan Stubbs 52 runs shy of 4,000 career T20 runs.
Toby Albert † (15)
Andrew Neal (17)
Sonny Baker (95)
Ali Orr † (27)
Hilton Cartwright (35)
Tristan Stubbs (30)
Scott Currie (44)
James Vince Captain (14)
James Fuller (26)
Joe Weatherley (5)
Eddie Jack (91)
Chris Wood (25)
Ben Mayes (21)
Sussex Sharks
Previewed by Bruce Talbot, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Tymal Mills
Overseas players: Daniel Hughes (Australia, all)
Finals Day appearances: Four (2007, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2021, 2024)
Titles: One (2014)
2026 standings: 6th in South Group
2026 leading run-scorer: Daniel Hughes (383)
2026 leading wicket-taker: Tymal Mills (15)
Key winter moves: The competition’s all-time leading wicket-taker Danny Briggs has returned to Hove and his experience will be crucial, while two other recruits – former Gloucestershire all-rounder Tom Price and off-spinning batter Jack Leaning – have good records in the Blast.
The big question: Sussex’s bowling options look plentiful and varied despite the departure of last season’s leading wicket-taker Nathan McAndrew. But there were question marks around the batting in 2025 with too much reliance placed on James Coles, with no one else averaging above 27. A collective improvement in that area is needed.
Wildcard watch: Charlie Tear came of age in the 50-overs tournament last year, and the keeper-batter might get an extended opportunity this summer to show he has the transferable skills to flourish in the shorter white-ball format.
Final thought: This is Sussex’s best chance of silverware. They have a squad with a lot of experience – Mills and Briggs in particular – as well as some seriously talented youngsters, like the £390k Hundred pick James Coles, who are potential match-winners in their own right. A better collective batting effort than 2025 should enable them to make the knockout stages as a bare minimum, although director of cricket Paul Farbrace is targeting a third appearance at Finals Day in six years.
Head-to-Head:
Hampshire Hawks Men’s record in T20 matches v Sussex Sharks:
Played
Won
Tied
Lost
No Result
42
22
0
17
8
Recent meetings:
June 2 2026 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by 29 runs
July 13 2025 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by six wickets (with 16 balls remaining)
July 5 2025 | 1st Central County Ground, Hove | Hawks won by 62 runs
July 10 2024 | 1st Central County Ground, Hove | Sussex won by 22 runs
June 21 2024 | Utilita Bowl | Sussex won by seven runs
Tickets
Tickets for Sussex Sharks v Hampshire Hawks Men are available here.
Coverage
The match will be live streamed on the Sussex Cricket YouTube channel. Radio commentary will be available on the BBC Sport website and app, and on BBC Sounds.
Fans can stay updated on the match via Hampshire Cricket’s X/Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts, where regular score updates, photos from the game, and match clips will be shared.
