Match Preview: Hampshire v Somerset, LV= CC

Hampshire will be looking to bounce back from last week’s disappointing LV= Insurance County Championship defeat against Surrey when they take on Somerset at The Ageas Bowl this week.

James Vince’s side started the season with consecutive victories against Leicestershire and Middlesex, as well as a dominant draw against Gloucestershire, before suffering an innings defeat at The Kia Oval last Saturday. The arrival of Somerset for the latest round of action will be an opportunity to get back on track on home soil, with Hampshire unbeaten at The Ageas Bowl so far this season

Hampshire Squad:

A 14-man squad has been announced for this week’s home fixture.

Keith Barker is available for selection for the first time this season having been side-lined through injury to begin the campaign, and he’s joined in the squad by Felix Organ who features alongside last week’s travelling party against Surrey.

Three Hampshire batsmen have made centuries in the first two home contests in this year’s competition so far, with Sam Northeast and Tom Alsop hitting hundreds and Ian Holland also recording consecutive tons to begin. The trio are all set to feature once again and will be in search of further milestones this week.

Despite the difficult loss, Lewis McManus impressed with the bat last week at The Kia Oval, striking his first half-century of the summer, and he too will be hoping to build on that strong showing against Somerset.

Overseas seamers Mohammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott again lead the line with the new ball and will be looking to extend their 2021 wicket tallies against Tom Abell’s side. Abbott’s last performance against Somerset in 2019 saw him finish with an incredible 17-wicket match haul and he’ll no doubt be key to the team’s chances of recording a third victory of the season.

Full Hampshire Squad:

Behind-Closed-Doors:

Hampshire’s LV= Insurance County Championship match against Somerset at The Ageas Bowl will be played behind-closed-doors, with no fans in attendance.

Coverage

A live stream will be available for the match and a link to this stream will be available in the free-to-download Hampshire Cricket App and at www.ageasbowl.com/cricket.

Both the Hampshire Cricket App and www.ageasbowl.com/cricket will also host a live match centre with scorecard, statistics and insight available throughout the match.

Weather Forecast:

Please follow the link for the latest weather forecast for The Ageas Bowl: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/6620360