Sharks head to Essex on the brink of quarter-finals

Sussex Sharks head to Chelmsford on Sunday knowing a win will secure them a quarter-final spot.

Luke Wright’s side, who face Essex Eagles, will be full of confidence after Friday’s thrilling win against Middlesex, and can be assured victory will see them into the knockout stages.

The Sharks might not even need to win to reach the last eight if results elsewhere go their way, but with an outside chance of leapfrogging Kent Spitfires into second place, victory at The Cloudfm Ground will be the aim.

Sharks squad to face Essex Eagles:

Luke Wright (C)

Will Beer

Ravi Bopara

Danny Briggs

Ben Brown 

Mitch Claydon

George Garton

Calum MacLeod

Stuart Meaker

Tymal Mills

Delray Rawlins

Ollie Robinson

Phil Salt

Aaron Thomason

David Wiese

George Garton was the start of the show against Middlesex, and after the game he said: "We probably need to get something against Essex on Sunday to finish second but we won't worry about the permutations.

"We will just go out there and back ourselves to win the game."

The opposition

2019 Vitality Blast winners, Essex Eagles have endured a frustrating campaign as holders, with their narrow defeat to Kent Spitfires on Friday menaing they cannot reach the quarter-finals. 

Simon Harmer's side had given themselves a chance of reaching the last eight when they beat the Sharks by 12 runs, thanks to Dan Lawrence's superb 81, and Hampshire by 54 runs at The Ageas Bowl. 

However, their good run of form was ended by the Spitfires, who snuck home to beat their rivals by four wickets - despite Ryan ten Doeschate's half-century and Jack Plom's figures of 3-32 with the ball. 

The Eagles began their title defence against Middlesex at the end of August, but saw that match abandoned due to rain. Their second match was equally frustrating as they had to settle for a tie against Surrey. 

Four straight defeats to Hampshire, Middlesex, Kent Spitfires and Surrey then followed, before the the mini revival began at Hove on Monday. 

ten Doeschate's 52 against the Spitfires on Friday sent him to the top of Essex's run-scoring charts, with 255 to his name so far, while Matt Quinn leads the way with the ball. He's taken ten wickets so far. 

Essex Eagles squad: Simon Harmer, Ben Allison, Will Buttleman, Varun Chopra, Cameron Delport, Robin Das, Feroze Khushi, Aron Nijjar, Michael Pepper, Jack Plom, Matt Quinn, Josh Rymell, Shane Snater, Paul Walter

Follow the match LIVE

Sunday's match at The Cloudfm County Ground gets underway at 1pm, and will be played behind-closed-doors. 

Fans will be able to watch the match via a live stream on our Match Day Centre, with an interactive scorecard and in-play highlights also available. 

The live stream will be synchronised with BBC Radio Essex and BBC Radio Sussex commentary, while you will also be able to follow the game across the club's social media channels. 

Support the Sharks from home

We know this season is a little bit different, but we don’t want that to stop you from feeling involved, so we have put together our own T20 Vitality Blast ‘Support from Home’ Pack! 

The packs includes 'four' and 'six' cards, decorations for your home, foam fingers, hair headbands, exclusive discount offers from our partners, Ridgeview Wine, Piglets Pantry and Harvey's and lots more. 

You can also win tickets to next season's Vitality Blast!