Match Preview: Surrey v Hampshire - Specsavers County Championship

After a month-long hiatus from red-ball cricket as a result of the Vitality Blast, Hampshire return to County Championship action on Sunday with a trip to the Oval to take on last year’s champions, Surrey.

Hampshire Squad:

A 14-man squad has been named for this Sunday’s fixture.

Keith Barker and Felix Organ both return to the squad having not been a part of Hampshire’s Vitality Blast campaign, whilst Fidel Edwards, who has been on loan with Birmingham Bears for the T20 competition, re-joins the side.

As a result of being part of England’s World Cup winning squad this summer, James Vince and Liam Dawson have featured in just six first-class matches between this season, but both are back in action this week with Vince taking back the reins from stand-in skipper Sam Northeast.

The Opposition:

After a superb 2018 campaign which saw them claim the Division One title, Surrey have failed to continue that success this season after claiming just two wins from their 10 fixtures so far and they’ll be looking for a strong finish from their final four contests beginning on Sunday.

They’ll be without Club captain Rory Burns and top-order batsman Jason Roy who are both away with England during their Ashes series against Australia – all-rounder Sam Curran could be available after being released from that same squad for the second Test at Lord’s.

Despite some notable absentees – Burns is his side’s top run-scorer in red-ball cricket this summer – there is still depth to the Surrey line-up with the likes of Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes, Scott Borthwick and Dean Elgar all likely threats with the bat, whilst the hosts’ bowling attack is spearheaded by none other than South African superstar, Morne Morkel.

Full Hampshire Squad:

Coverage:

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

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 Oval: http://ow.ly/Hamx30pmEH9

Tickets:

Tickets for all four days of Hampshire’s match against Surrey can be purchased via the Surrey website: www.kiaoval.com