Hampshire Announce 13-Man Squad For Trip To Surrey

MATCH PREVIEW

Surrey v Hampshire

Specsavers County Championship Division 1

 Tues 6 – Fri 9 September (10:30 – 18:00)

Kia Oval

Hampshire will hope to extend a four-match unbeaten run in the Specsavers County Championship when they visit the Kia Oval to take on Surrey in their final away fixture of 2016.

Hampshire Squad:

James Vince has resumed his role as club captain and scored fifty against Yorkshire last week in his first innings at the The Ageas Bowl since returning from international duty with England. 

All-rounder Liam Dawson is also available for Vince’s side, having missed Hampshire’s last two fixtures due to international commitments, returning after taking two wickets on his ODI debut against Pakistan on Sunday.

Sean Ervine has averaged 99.7 runs with the bat since recovering from a calf strain, most notably scoring two fine centuries against Somerset to secure an important draw for Hampshire at Taunton in August. 

Both Ervine and wicketkeeper-batsman Lewis McManus, whose highest score for Hampshire came in an unbeaten 132 at home to Surrey in July, are available for this week’s contest.

The Opposition:

Surrey’s bowling attack poses a real threat, with the Curran brothers, seamers Stuart Meaker and Mark Footitt, and spinner Gareth Batty combining to produce a convincing ten-wicket victory over Lancashire in their latest Championship match. Footitt took seven wickets for 62 runs.

Once a feature of Hampshire Second XI, Surrey opener Rory Burns is fifty away from 5,000 first-class runs, having scored 88 as part of a 161-run first wicket stand with Dominic Sibley against Lancashire.

38-year-old Kumar Sangakkara adds a wealth of experience, with over 400 first-class innings under his belt.

Recent Form:

Both sides were situated in the bottom two of Division One when they met in July, as Hampshire were beaten with 28 balls remaining at the The Ageas Bowl, despite McManus scoring 132 not out. Surrey posted a 637-run first innings total, and Batty took 6-51 on day four.

Hampshire, currently eighth and just 14 points adrift of Durham, haven’t lost a match since losing to Surrey three months ago, drawing three and winning the other away at Nottinghamshire, who are 19 points below Hants.

Surrey have won three of a five-match unbeaten run, moving up to third spot in Division One.

Did You Know?

• Hampshire won by an innings and 122 runs when the sides met at Kennington in 2008.

What The Team Say:

Hampshire Director of Cricket Giles White said: “We’ve been able to put a strong run of games together, winning at Trent Bridge and securing draws against two strong sides in Somerset and Yorkshire.

“Surrey are a highly capable side, with a strong bowling attack, but we’ll go there with momentum and look to produce a positive performance.

“Liam’s return to the squad is a real boost to the guys, not just in terms of his on-field contributions but in terms of what he offers the team in the dressing room.” 

Full Hampshire 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.