Sussex vs Hampshire, VITALITY T20 BLAST 2023, Today Match Prediction

sus vs ham Match Prediction & Analysis

Sussex Sharks will be facing Hampshire Hawks for the second time this season. In their previous encounter, the Hawks defeated Sharks by 10 wickets at The Rose Bowl with an unbeaten opening stand of 145 runs from Ben McDermott and James Vince.

Even with a bowling attack that features some impressive names such as Shadab Khan, Nathan McAndrew, and Tymal Mills, Sussex Sharks have been utterly disappointing with the ball. In their last match, which was played at their home venue, the Sharks conceded 258 runs after opting to bowl first.

Hampshire Hawks, on the other hand, have been consistent with both bat and ball. Though Kent broke their winning run in the last match as Hawks failed to defend a 177-run total, they will be confident coming into this match.

It looks like an uphill battle for the home team as they gear up to play their next T20 Blast match against an in-form and consistent Hampshire Hawks.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Sussex Preview

Under the captaincy of Ravi Bopara, an experienced all-rounder, Sussex Sharks have failed to live up to the expectations this season. There are many promising players in every department of the Sussex squad. 

But each of them has failed to deliver and the team has suffered 6 losses from 8 matches so far. Their loss against Hampshire Hawks was one of the worst as they failed to pick a single wicket while defending 144 runs.

Their last outing at this venue was equally disappointing as they conceded 258 runs after choosing to bowl first. Shadan Khan continues his poor run of form while McAndrew struggles to make his mark in T20 Blast. 

Bopara will be hoping for these two to turn things around and also for Tymal Mills to bring his experience to the fore and lead the pace attack. All he can do at the moment is hope for his key players to deliver.

No player has shown any promise and with the bat things have been even worse. Tom Clark will be expected to get Sharks off to a good start but on paper, none of the top 3 batters have been consistent. Tom Aslop has the ability to score quickly and score big but hasn’t looked in good shape.

Sussex Predicted Playing XI:

Tom Clark, James Coles, Tom Alsop, Ravi Bopara (c), Shadab Khan, Michael Burgess (wk), Danial Ibrahim, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Nathan McAndrew, Tymal Mills, Henry Crocombe

Sussex Actual Playing XI:

Danial Ibrahim, Ravi Bopara, Michael Burgess, Tymal Mills, Harrison Ward, Aristides Karvelas, Oliver Carter, George Garton, Shadab Khan, Tom Clark, Bradley Currie

Hampshire Preview

James Vince has led the Hampshire Hawks brilliantly this season and they now sit at number 3 with just one win less than the number 2 team. Hawks will be coming here with confidence after having performed consistently throughout the season so far.

Ben McDermott is in good form at the top for Hampshire while Joe Weatherley has been a reliable middle-order batsman who’s led the comeback for Hampshire in difficult times. To have a batter like Weatherley who can pull the side out of trouble is a big asset for any team to have. Though the bowlers haven’t been exceptional, they have managed to consistently deliver a team effort, which has resulted in consistent wins for Hampshire Hawks. 

After having defended 170-180 run totals consistently, Hawks failed to repeat it against Kent and lost by 6 wickets. They would like to put the last game behind them quickly and get back in form. 

Mason Crane, Nathan Ellis, and John Turner will be the key players to watch out for in the Hampshire bowling attack. The two openers in the batting lineup are key to a good start while Ross Whiteley, Liam Dawson, and C Wood add depth to this batting lineup.

Hampshire Predicted Playing XI:

Ben McDermott (wk), James Vince (c), Toby Albert, Joe Weatherley, Ross Whiteley, James Fuller, Liam Dawson, Chris Wood, Nathan Ellis, Mason Crane, John Turner

Hampshire Actual Playing XI:

James Vince, Benny Howell, Nathan Ellis, Joe Weatherley, Liam Dawson, James Fuller, John Turner, Toby Albert, Ross Whiteley, Ben McDermott, Chris Wood

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch may offer some help for the new-ball bowlers and they might enjoy some movement off the surface. As the game progresses, batting will get easier and one can expect many runs in the death overs. It will be a sunny day in Hove with a high of 23 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

County Ground in Hove will host the return game between Sussex Sharks and Hampshire Hawks. It is one of the oldest venues in England and the average 1st innings score in T20s here is 169. Hampshire Hawks have the record for highest score on this ground of 249 runs. We reckon a 190+ score in the 1st innings would be a match-winning total.

Toss: To Bat

Teams batting first have won 3 of the 4 matches played at this venue. Sharks are in no shape to chase down a big total while Hawks would back their top-order to go berserk and post a big total that puts the hosts on the backfoot.