Quarter-final squad announced alongside full matchday info

Sussex Sharks are all set for their most hotly anticipated fixture at The 1st Central County Ground in four seasons.

In a rematch of last year’s final, the south group winners will play Worcestershire Rapids in the third of this year’s Vitality Blast quarter-finals in front of a sell-out crowd on Friday night.

This is the first time since 2012 that the Sharks have made it to the last eight of the competition in consecutive seasons. A win would send the team to back-to-back finals day for the first time.

Jason Gillespie has named a 14-man squad for the match. Jason Behrendorff has returned to Australia, but his compatriot Alex Carey returns to the squad for what will be his final appearance for the Sharks in this year’s Blast.

The Sharks head coach said: “It’s exciting to qualify for a home quarter-final and I’m really proud of the players for being able to do that. Going into the game though we look at it as another chance to represent Sussex.

“The guys are excited and they’ve prepared really well. We’ve had a couple of good chats about how we’re going to do things on the night, we’ve done our research on the opposition and we’re good to go.

“As you’d expect from the holders, Worcester are a fantastic T20 side and we know we have to be at our best to compete with them, but we’re up for that challenge.

“The whole squad was buzzing when the ground sold out so quickly. I want to thank all our fans for coming out and supporting us and we’re hoping we can put on a really good show for everyone.

““Kez [Alex Carey] is excited to be back with the group and the lads are excited to have him back. He’s been fantastic on and off the field for us, so it’s great to welcome him back for what will be his final game for us. Let’s hope it’s a memorable night for us all.”

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

Sussex Sharks Squad

Luke Wright (captain), Will Beer, Danny Briggs, Ben Brown, Alex Carey, Laurie Evans, Harry Finch, George Garton, Chris Jordan, Delray Rawlins, Ollie Robinson, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, David Wiese

Stats Pack

The Sharks are the only side in this year’s quarter-finals to have three players with over three-hundred runs in the groups stage Luke Wright (360), Phil Salt (334) and Laurie Evans (315).

David Wiese (284 at 47.33) and Alex Carey (256 at 42.66) are at the top of the team’s batting averages, however.

Four players in tomorrow’s squad have strikes rates above 150: Delray Rawlins (150 runs at a strike rate of 166.66), Phil Salt (334, 157.54), Alex Carey (256, 151.47) and David Wiese (284, 150.26). Among the other seven counties to have reached the quarter-finals, only Essex Eagles have as many.   

Reece Topley is Sussex’s leading wicket-taker in this year’s Blast. His 16 wickets have come at a strike-rate of just 12.3. Among Sharks bowlers, only Will Beer has been taking his wickets more regularly. The leg-spinner has struck nine times in his five matches at a strike-rate of just 12.0.

Three of tomorrow’s squad have economy rates of below eight runs per over: Ollie Robinson (7.65), Will Beer (6.88) and Delray Rawlins (4.75), who took 2 for 19 in his first bowl of the tournament during the Sharks’ final group game.

Opposition

After topping the north group on their way to the title in 2018, the Rapids had a harder time making it to the knockout stages this time around. They took the north’s final quarter-final berth after six wins; three no results and five defeats saw them finish in fourth with fifteen points. Four of those wins came in Worcestershire’s first six matches.

Riki Wessels is the team’s only player with more than 300 runs (349 at a strike rate of 147.25), but Moeen Ali has been the team’s most impressive batsman when he has played. The World Cup winner has amassed 191 runs from just four innings at a strike rate of over 160 runs per hundred deliveries faced.

Pat Brown is the Rapids’ leading wicket-taker once again with 14 scalps, but that is 13 fewer than he had at the same stage last year. Daryll Mitchell has only taken four wickets in this year’s tournament, but his miserly economy rate of 5.66 is the best of any bowler in the competition with more than six overs under their belt. As a unit, however, Worcestershire’s bowlers have struggled to contain opposition batsmen. Mitchell and George Rhodes are the only two with tournament economy rates below eight runs per over.

Alex Gidman’s men will be without any of the three overseas players they have used so far in the tournament. Australian Callum Ferguson has returned to Adelaide ahead of the domestic season, while Martin Guptill and Hamish Rutherford are both on international duty with New Zealand.

Squad: TBA

Match Information

Sussex Sharks v Worcestershire Rapids at The 1st Central County Ground on Friday 6th September. Play starts at 7pm, with gates opening at 5.30pm.

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.

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

The reception/club shop will close at midday on Friday and reopen when gates open at 5pm.

Supporters that have missed out on securing tickets will be able to follow Friday’s action live on the Sussex Cricket Match Centre. Unfortunately, as this is a televised fixture, no live stream will be available.