Sussex Sharks vs Surrey

The Sharks return to Vitality Blast action following a short pause, searching for a victory to boost qualification hopes in front of a sold out crowd as Surrey head to Hove.

It wasn't quite the start the Sharks would have desired following the opening six rounds of the Blast, with Paul Farbrace's side claiming two wins in that span, defeated four times. Yet there was plenty of positivity to take in those matches, with the Sharks looking strong in parts of those losses.

It finished well, though: the most recent match in the competition saw a win in front of another strong Hove crowd against Kent Spitfires, breathing hope into Sussex with a further six games remaining. There is plenty riding on Friday night, then, as Surrey head down to the coast...

Team News

Ollie Robinson and Henry Crocombe are available to feature, and have been named in the 15-strong squad. James Coles, too, following his call-up to the England IT20 squad, features in the squad before joining up with his England teammates ahead of their first IT20 match on July 1.

Tom Clark, Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Brad Currie continue to miss out through their respective injuries.

Men's Squad: Alsop, Briggs, Carson, Carter, Coles, Crocombe, Hughes, Hunt, Goodman, Mills (c), Price, Robinson, Simpson (wk), Thomas, Ward.

The Opposition 

It hasn't been the most explosive start to the Blast campaign for Surrey, either. Three wins and three defeats sees them certainly keeping up with the pack, though a victory for the Sharks would see them significantly close the gap.

Despite a strong start that saw them win their opening two games of the campaign, they have since lost twice to Hampshire and on home soil to Kent, too. The two sides are yet to meet in the competition this year, with the reverse fixture at Kia Oval taking place on Wednesday, 8 July. 

Former Shark, Josh Philippe, has signed for Surrey for the remainder of the Vitality Blast and is available to feature for tomorrow's game. With Coles named in the the Sharks' squad, Will Jacks and captain Sam Curran could feature, with the pair enjoying fine starts to the campaign. Curran is the leading run scorer for Surrey this year, with Jason Roy shortly behind. Dan Lawrence arrives in good form, though, having struck 94 off just 47 deliveries in their last match,

With the ball, Reece Topley's 10 wickets lead the line for his side.

Previous Encounters

Surrey will be looking to make it four wins on the bounce at Hove in this competition, with the Sharks without a win against Friday's opponents on home soil since 2022.

The two sides have met in the Vitality Blast on 43 occasions, with Surrey winning 22 of those matches, a fair few ahead of Sussex's 15 victories. The last meeting between the two counties in T20 cricket at Hove was a thriller, and one that the visitors narrowly edged despite an absorbing chase from the Sharks that fell just short.

How to Watch

You can watch every ball, free of charge, via our Match Centre (on our website). You will need to register for a free account to access the stream, statistics, replays and live scorecard. 

The game gets underway at 7pm. 

Tickets

Tickets for this clash with Surrey have sold out. Please do not travel to the ground if you do not have a ticket.