First versus third as Middlesex visit sold-out The 1st Central County Ground

South Group table-toppers Sussex Sharks will look to maintain their unbeaten record in this year’s Vitality Blast when they welcome third-placed Middlesex to The 1st Central County Ground on Friday night.

Sussex head coach Jason Gillespie has named an unchanged 14-man squad for the fixture.

The South Group table ahead of Thursday night's match between Middlesex and Surrey at Lord's

After their crushing win over Glamorgan on Tuesday night, the Sharks now have two batsmen in the tournament’s top ten run-scorers. Phil Salt is in sixth place with 254 runs from his six innings, with Luke Wright in tenth with 215 runs.

Salt’s strike-rate of 167.1 is more than ten higher than anyone else in the top ten run-scorers list. He has shown his value in the field as well with nine catches so far in the tournament, two more than the player with the second most catches.

Reece Topley’s three wickets on Tuesday night took him to eleven in this year’s Blast, enough to make him the tournament’s joint fifth-highest wicket-taker.

The match against Middlesex is completely sold out. That makes it four capacity crowds in five home matches for Sussex, something that has led head coach Jason Gillespie to label Sharks fans as ‘the best supporters in the country’.

Speaking ahead of the match, Gillespie said: “I was extremely proud of the way the lads went about things on Tuesday. They continue to communicate and adapt to conditions well and that backs up what we speak about in team meetings.

“Although we’re well placed, we can’t take anything for granted, not least against Middlesex tomorrow night. They’re playing well, have a number of proven match winners and we’ll need to be at our very best.

“We’ve had some great games against Middlesex over the last few years, and hopefully tomorrow will be no different in front of another big crowd.”

The weather forecast for Friday evening is fast improving and Sussex Cricket is optimistic that a match will be played. In the event that the weather does intervene, answers to some frequently asked questions can be found here.

Sussex Cricket would like to thank tomorrow’s match sponsors Aerotron for their support.

Sussex Sharks Squad

Luke Wright (c), Will Beer, Danny Briggs, Alex Carey (wk), Laurie Evans, Harry Finch, Chris Jordan, Rashid Khan, Tymal Mills, Delray Rawlins, Ollie Robinson, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, David Wiese

Opposition

Ahead of their match against Surrey on Thursday night, Middlesex are third in the South Group with eight points from their six matches. Their four wins have come against Essex Eagles, Surrey, Glamorgan and Somerset. Defeats have come at the hands of Kent Spitfires and Gloucestershire.

Dawid Malan is the side’s top-scorer and the third-highest run scorer in the tournament with 272 runs at a strike rate of 151.11. AB de Villiers is next with 189 runs from just four knocks, although the South African will play his final match of the tournament on Thursday night before departing.

Toby Roland-Jones is the Londoners’ leading-wicket taker with eleven dismissals. The England international has been on the expensive side, however, conceding over 9.5 runs per over on average. Versatile Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is Middlesex’s most economical bowler, giving away an average of 6.41 runs per over. It is leg-spinner Nathan Sowter that can claim to be the team’s most effective bowler overall, however. He’s taken 11 wickets while conceding 7.47 runs per over.

Squad: Dawid Malan (Captain), Stephen Eskinazi, Steven Finn, James Harris, Tom Helm, Max Holden Dan Lincoln, Toby Roland-Jones, George Scott, John Simpson (Wicket-keeper), Nathan Sowter, Paul Stirling, Mujeeb ur Rahman

Match Information

Sussex Sharks v Middlesex at The 1st Central County Ground on Friday 9th August. Play starts at 7pm, with gates opening at 5.30pm.

A guide to the game and a map of The 1st Central County Ground can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

This match is completely SOLD OUT. No tickets will be available at the gates. Ticket holders are advised to arrive early to avoid a delay passing through security checks at the entrance to the ground.

The official Sussex Shark Vitality Blast replica playing shirt is currently available online and in the club shop with a 20% discount.

The reception/club shop will close at midday on Friday and reopen when gates open at 5.30pm.

Supporters that have missed out on securing tickets for the match will be able to follow the action live via the free live stream on the Sussex Cricket Match Centre.

Just two home group matches remain in this year's Vitality Blast and tickets are selling fast! Secure your seat here.