Sussex Sharks prepare for Kent Spitfires clash by naming 15-man squad

Sussex Sharks have made one change to the 15-man squad who conquered Middlesex on Tuesday night, with Stuart Meaker replacing Mitch Claydon.

The Sharks sealed a memorable victory at Lord’s thanks to David Wiese’s stunning 79* off 46 balls, which helped Luke Wright’s side recover from 66-5 to 168-7 and seal a three-wicket win.

Wiese is yet to be dismissed in this year’s Blast and will be hoping to continue his impressive form against a Kent Spitfires side who are yet to taste defeat.

Sharks squad to face Hampshire:

Luke Wright (C) 

Will Beer

Ravi Bopara

Danny Briggs

Ben Brown

Jack Carson

Harry Finch

George Garton

Stuart Meaker

Tymal Mills

Delray Rawlins

Ollie Robinson

Phil Salt

Aaron Thomason

David Wiese

Wiese is in fantastic form since returning from South Africa just over three weeks ago, and after his incredible innings at the Home of Cricket, he said: “It was a good game of cricket and a pity there wasn’t a crowd here to appreciate it.

"It was chaotic when the no-ball happened. I felt a bit silly and I was also a bit confused. I actually thought I was out, but then the umpire adjudged it was a no-ball for above head height.

"I was busy walking off when the umpire called me back. In the middle of it all the ball was rolling about – it was just chaos.

"George's (Garton) batting has come on in leaps and bounds over the last few seasons and we knew if we played good strong cricket shots and took it as deep as possible anything could happen.

"A lot has been spoken about the dynamic duo (Salt and Wright) at the top of the order and their time will come where they will win the game for us.

"But it is always nice when your top players fail, and you can still inch over the line and get a win."

The opposition

Kent Spitfires are yet to lose in the 2020 Vitality Blast, but have only won once after rain curtailed their opening fixture and a thrilling tie saw the points shared against Middlesex on Saturday.

The Spitfires were unlucky not to beat Hampshire, and the weather, on the opening day of the competition, with a downpour seeing play abandoned with just four balls required for a result.

They were well ahead of DLS at that stage, after restricting their hosts to 139 in the first innings, but were left frustrated and had to settle for a point.

A point was secured in very different circumstances two days later, at Lord’s, with Middlesex’s Tom Helm producing a superb final over to earn his side a share of the spoils.

Requiring just six off the final over when chasing 210, the Spitfires could only muster five and were left to rue another infuriating result.

Daniel Bell-Drummond’s men finally secured a win in this year’s Blast on Tuesday afternoon as they beat rivals, Surrey at Canterbury.

Despite a mid-innings wobble which saw Alex Blake and Jordan Cox both dismissed cheaply, Heino Kuhn kept his nerve and saw Kent chase 162 inside 19 overs, after Tim Groeneweld took 2-31 in the first innings.

Bell-Drummond is his side’s leading run-scorer in the competition so far, with 125 to his name and a top-score of 72, while with the ball, Fred Klaasen is Kent’s leading wicket-taker with five dismissals already.

Follow the action LIVE

Despite matches in the Vitality Blast being played behind closed doors, we are still determined to bring Sussex Sharks supporters as close to the action as possible.

Play against Kent Spitfires is set to get underway from 2pm on Thursday 3 September, and as well as our usual coverage across social media, fans will be able to watch every ball live via our new and improved Match Day Centre.

The stream will also be synchronised with BBC Sussex radio commentary, and the new Match Day Centre has been streamlined to give supporters the best possible online experience.

Hit For Six Competition

In partnership with 1st Central, we’re giving away prizes to three lucky Sharks fans after every match in this year’s Vitality Blast!. Simply tell us how many sixes you think the Sharks will score and you could win one of three £50 Sussex Cricket gift vouchers! 

Submit your answer below by 2pm on 3rd September and don't forget to share with your friends.

Good luck and enjoy the game LIVE on the Sussex Cricket website.

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!