Sussex Sharks vs Middlesex

The Sharks return to Hove for an evening of Vitality Blast cricket looking to return to winning ways against Middlesex.

As we enter the third match of the Blast South Group, Paul Farbrace's side arrive on the back of a defeat at Kent on Monday. In the sweltering heat, Sussex put together their best powerplay in the club's history: racing to 92-0 off six overs before adding an extra 105 runs from the remaining 14 overs to post a 1st innings total of 197-6. Tom Clark's 79 (29) was a wonderful display of hitting, but no Sussex batter came close to matching it.

Despite some crucial wickets from Henry Crocombe and Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Zak Crawley helped the hosts to a seven-wicket win with 11 balls to spare. Yet at the start of that same weekend on the Friday, the Sharks' start to the Blast was emphatic: a six-wicket win with four overs to spare as the Sussex bats came alive.

A mixed start, then, with a host of runs already scored as the heads swivel to Middlesex...

The Opposition 

A difficult start for Saturday's opponents who have suffered back-to-back losses to start the tournament, both coming at Lord's.

Defeated by Kent Spitfires and Surrey, Adam Rossington gave Middlesex hope in the opening match whilst others around him with the bat failed to make meaningful contributions. It was then Luke Hollman and Eathan Bosch who helped their side to a competitive total against Surrey, which was later chased down with nine balls to spare.

A tricky beginning, then, for a side who have struggled in recent years in this competition. Young English seamer Noah Cornwell has impressed thus far with the ball, but he'll be requiring further help from his attack if they are to aim for a qualification spot.

Previous Encounters

The two sides have met on 34 occasions in T20 history, with the first encounter taking place back in 2003.

This has been a favorable matchup for the Sharks over the years, with Sussex claiming 23 victories from those 34 matches to Middlesex's eight. Three matches have ended in no result.

10 of the previous 11 meetings between the sides have gone in favour of Sussex, with Middlesex's last win at Hove coming back in 2015.

Team News

Farbrace has named a 15-player squad for this third match of the group stage, with Brad Currie and Henry Crocombe missing out through injury and England Lions commitments respectively.

Tom Price returns to the squad following the injury he picked up at Yorkshire in the County Championship in April, whilst Nantes Oosthuizen earns a maiden call-up to a Sharks' Blast squad having impressed for the 2nd XI.

Squad: Alsop, Briggs, Carson, Carter, Clark, Coles, Hudson-Prentice, Hughes, Lamb, Leaning, Mills*, Oosthuizen, Price, Simpson (wk), Ward

Start Time

Tomorrow's fixture will commence at 7pm, with gates opening at 4pm. 

Champions League Final

Worried about missing the big match? Well, with gates opening at the earlier time of 4pm, why not come down to Hove earlier to watch the Champions League Final live from our Sixes Bar - situated at the back of the Sharks Stand, meaning you won't miss any of the cricket.

All pints around the ground are £6 (excluding non-alcoholic pints, which are £5) as part of our Happy Hour - which will run from 5-6pm. 

How to Watch

This game has been selected for Sky Sports coverage, and thus we will not be streaming this fixture for our Match Centre. Alternatively, you can keep up with the match via our social media channels.

Ticket Information

There are a limited number of tickets available for this fixture, and can be purchased via the ticket office or on our website.

Match Sponsor

Tomorrow's match is sponsored by WebTrends Optimize - helping businesses increase online conversions