Match Preview: Hampshire v Surrey, Vitality Blast

Hampshire return home to take on Surrey in a crucial must-win Vitality clash at the The Ageas Bowl on Friday, after a tough result against Gloucestershire on Tuesday night ensured there’s no room for error as James Vince’s side aim to remain in the running for quarter-final qualification with five South Group matches remaining.

Hampshire Squad:

An unchanged 14-man squad has been confirmed for Friday’s fixture.

Aneurin Donald, who has featured prominently at the top of the order throughout this summer’s competition, looked in excellent touch in front of the Sky cameras on Tuesday as he struck 44 off just 23 balls and the right-hander will be hoping to go one better on Friday as he searches for his first T20 fifty for the Club. His usual opening partner Rilee Rossouw missed the clash at Bristol because of illness but is expected to return to the line-up against Surrey.

Despite trying to defend a low total against Gloucestershire, Chris Morris showed his quality with the ball to claim two wickets in an economical spell, taking his tally to eight for the season so far. He joins Kyle Abbott, Chris Wood and Liam Dawson, who have all enjoyed a good campaign so far, as the key wicket-taking bowlers at James Vince’s disposal.

The Opposition:

Despite boasting a star-studded squad full of high-quality and international superstars, including South African spinner Imran Tahir, England 2019 World Cup Winner Tom Curran and Australia white-ball captain Aaron Finch, Surrey have struggled in the Blast so far this year.

Jade Dernbach’s side have picked up just two wins and suffered six defeats in their nine matches so far and with just five points to their name with as many games to go, they’re all but certain to miss out on a quarter-final spot. However, the visitors still possess a host of destructive match-winners, no more so than hard-hitting opener Aaron Finch. The right-hander has a remarkable record in the shortest format, averaging 37.13 in T20Is and 35.30 in 262 domestic T20 fixtures – his 589 runs last season were the second highest tally of the competition and he’ll no doubt be looking to go big at a ground where he has history, following his stunning 156 against England in 2013.

Full Hampshire Squad:

Coverage:

A live stream, ball-by-ball coverage and match highlights will be available via the Hampshire Cricket App and at ageasbowl.com/cricket.

There will also 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 Ageas Bowl: http://ow.ly/O85t30p4xiB

Tickets:

Tickets for Friday’s match-up against Surrey at the The Ageas Bowl can be purchased online: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/ageasbowl, via the Hampshire Cricket App, over the phone on 023 80472002 (option 1), or by visiting the The Ageas Bowl’s Ticketing & Membership Office via normal working hours.