Match Preview: Leicestershire v Hampshire, LV= Insurance County Championship

Hampshire will begin their 2021 season in earnest tomorrow as they travel to Grace Road for the first time in seven years to face Leicestershire in this year’s LV= Insurance County Championship curtain-raiser.

Hampshire Squad:

A 13-man squad has been named for this week’s opening fixture.

Mohammad Abbas is in line to make his full debut for Hampshire after featuring in last week’s final friendly clash against Sussex, and he is set to spearhead the attack alongside fellow overseas seamer, Kyle Abbott.

James Vince will lead the side in his first first-class fixture for Hampshire since September 2019 and he forms part of a strong batting line-up that will also feature last year’s Bob Willis Trophy stand-in skipper, Sam Northeast.

Liam Dawson is available to make his return to competitive action after building his way back to full fitness in recent weeks following a season-ending achilles injury suffered last summer, and he is one of two spin options travelling to Leicester, with leg-spinner Mason Crane also included.

Aneurin Donald, Keith Barker and James Fuller are unavailable as they recover from injury.

Full Hampshire Squad:

Behind-Closed-Doors:

Hampshire’s Bob Willis Trophy match against Leicestershire at Grace Road will be played behind-closed-doors, with no fans in attendance.

Coverage:

Leicestershire will be live streaming the match and a link to this stream will be available at www.ageasbowl.com/cricket and on the free Hampshire Cricket App.

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

Weather:

For the latest weather forecast for Leicester, please visit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2644668