Match Preview: Hampshire v Sussex Sharks & Essex Eagles - NatWest T20 Blast

Hampshire welcome Sussex Sharks to the The Ageas Bowl in the second ‘el clasicoast’ of the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast before travelling to Chelmsford to face Essex Eagles the following day as this year’s competition starts to gather pace.

Hampshire Squad:

Hampshire have named an unchanged squad from last Friday’s comfortable victory against Middlesex at the The Ageas Bowl, with captain James Vince looking to continue his impressive form with the bat which has seen him average almost 50 so far this campaign.

Fifties from Michael Carberry and Lewis McManus, as well as crucial wicket hauls from Kyle Abbott and Mason Crane, have been the highlights from the opening three contests, with a number of players offering crucial contributions to see Hampshire secure three consecutive wins from their opening three contests.

The Opposition:

Sussex Sharks began their T20 campaign with back-to-back defeats, one of which was against Hampshire in front of the Sky Sports cameras at Hove earlier this month. Ross Taylor’s side were then frustrated by the weather against Gloucestershire meaning they side currently sit bottom of the South Group and are without a win this season.

Essex Eagles have had a difficult start to their T20 Blast campaign so far, with just one win coming from their opening four matches of the competition. After consecutive defeats to Surrey and Kent, they bounced back with victory over Somerset, but then suffered a defeat to Glamorgan in their last outing.

Did You Know?

• Michael Carberry has scored 563 T20 career runs against Essex Eagles, scoring six half-centuries in 19 innings
• Hampshire have won 13 of the last 14 meetings against Sussex
• Hampshire seamer Gareth Berg has taken 12 T20 career wickets against Sussex, and his 3-17 against the same opponents are his best figures in the NatWest T20 Blast

Full Squad

Coverage:

Live text commentary will be available via the Hampshire Cricket Twitter and Facebook pages. A feed to these will also be available on this page.

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/gcp19y6c9

Please follow the link for the latest weather forecast for the Cloud FM County Ground: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/u10q69ybu

Tickets:
Tickets for ‘el clasicoast’ at the The Ageas Bowl can be purchased online via the official club website using the link below:

Tickets can also be purchased over the phone on 0844 847 1863, or by visiting the The Ageas Bowl’s Ticketing & Membership Office during normal working hours.

For those who are attending Hampshire’s away trip the Essex Eagles at the Cloud FM County Ground, they can purchase tickets online via the official club website using the following link: http://www.essexcricket.org.uk/