Rashid Khan in squad for final two Blast group games

Sussex Sharks hit the road for their final two group games in this year’s Vitality Blast against Hampshire Hawks (Friday, 7pm) and Kent Spitfires (Sunday, 6.30pm) knowing that a point will be enough to make certain their qualification for the last eight. Two wins would ensure a home quarter final.

The South Group as it stands ahead of Friday's round of fixtures

Head Coach James Kirtley will be able to call upon the services of Afghanistan overseas player Rashid Khan for the first time in the tournament in these two games. The leg-spinner has joined up with the Sharks having completed the hotel quarantine that was required after his arrival in the UK at the start of the month.

Rashid is part of a 15-man squad for the Hampshire and Kent away trips. Phil Salt is included after returning from England duty. Tymal Mills is unavailable through injury (hamstring) while George Garton remains in self-isolation.

Sharks top-scorer Phil Salt is back from England duty

Sussex Sharks squad

Luke Wright (captain), Will Beer, Ravi Bopara, Oli Carter, Mitch Claydon, Henry Crocombe, Travis Head (overseas, Australia), Rashid Khan (overseas, Afghanistan), Archie Lenham, Ali Orr, Delray Rawlins, Ollie Robinson, Phil Salt, Harrison Ward, David Wiese (overseas, South Africa)

Hampshire Hawks

After a solitary victory (away against Essex) in their opening nine matches left Hampshire rooted to the bottom of the South Group, but home wins against Gloucestershire and Somerset in their most recent two fixtures has lifted the side up to seventh ahead of Friday’s fixtures.

Joe Weatherley has been the Hawks’ top-performer with the bat, scoring 256 runs in his eight innings at a strike-rate of just shy of 130. Overall, it has been slim picking for the teams’ batsmen with only three players making over 150 runs and just four individual innings of 50 or more.

Leg spinner Mason Crane and young seamer Scott Currie have both taken 12 wickets in the tournament with economy rates below eight runs per over. Currie’s scalps have come in just four appearances and include figures of 4 for 24 from three overs in Hampshire’s ten-wicket win over Somerset in their last match.

Dorset-born Scott Currie has impressed for the Hawks

Unusually for the Blast, Head Coach Adi Birrell’s men have a double-header on Friday, taking on Essex Eagles in the afternoon before their clash with the Sharks at 7pm.

Squad: James Vince (captain), Mason Crane, Scott Currie, Colin de Grandhomme (overseas, New Zealand), Liam Dawson, James Fuller, Lewis McManus, Tom Prest, D’Arcy Short (overeas, Australia), Joe Weatherley, , Brad Wheal, Chris Wood,

Starting XI in previous fixture: D’Arcy Short, Toby Albert, Tom Prest, Colin de Grandhomme, Joe Weatherley, Lewis McManus+, James Fuller, Chris Wood*, Scott Currie, Mason Crane, Brad Wheal

Kent Spitfires

With two matches to play, the Spitfires are top of the South Group and already assured of a quarter final spot. Eight wins, three defeats and a no result against Sussex at Hove give Kent 17 points so far.

Kent’s most recent fixture saw them canter to a nine-wicket victory over Surrey at The Oval. Daniel Bell-Drummond’s 53 not out was the top score as his side chased down Surrey’s 128 for 7 in just 15.3 overs.

Daniel Bell-Drummond's batting form has helped Kent into the quarter finals

That was skipper Bell-Drummond’s fourth half-century of this year’s Blast. He is Kent’s top-scorer in the tournament with 339 runs from 11 innings at an impressive strike rate of nearly 160. Youngster Jordan Cox has also enjoyed a fine campaign, scoring 300 runs from nine innings. Zak Crawley and Jack Leaning are the other two Kent batsmen to have made over 200 runs.

With 14 scalps each, Fred Klaasen and Matt Milnes are Kent’s leading wicket takers. The pair are among the team’s more expensive bowlers, however, both conceding an average of just over 8.5 runs per over. Afghanistan leg-spinner, Qais Ahmad, is the most economical of the side’s regular bowlers, conceding 7.16 runs per over on average.

Squad: TBA

Starting XI in previous fixture: Joe Denly, Daniel Bell-Drummond*, Ollie Robinson+, Jack Leaning, Jordan Cox, Alex Blake, Darren Stevens, Adam Milne, Qais Ahmad, Matt Milnes, Fred Klaasen   

Match Information

Hampshire Hawks

Friday’s fixture against Hampshire Hawks at Ageas Bowl is scheduled to begin at 7pm. Tickets for the match are sold out.

A live stream will be available on the Sussex Cricket Match Centre, alongside a video scorecard and live statistics.

Radio commentary will be available from BBC Sussex on their DAB station.

Kent Spitfires

Sunday’s fixture against Kent Spitfires at The Spitfire Ground is scheduled to begin at 6.30pm. Tickets for the match are sold out.

A live stream will be available on the Sussex Cricket Match Centre alongside a video scorecard and live statistics.

Radio commentary will be available from BBC Sussex on their DAB station.