Match Preview: Sussex Sharks vs. Kent Spitfires
The 1st Central County Ground in Hove is the venue for Kent Spitfires’ latest away trip as they take on Sussex Sharks in their third Vitality Blast away trip of four ahead of Friday’s home tie against Middlesex at Canterbury.
Michael Hogan has continuously taken wickets at important times for the Spitfires this tournament & now tops Kent’s wicket-taking charts with 15 at an average of 20.20. Grant Stewart is close behind with 14 wickets at 17.57.
After three innings of 50+ in the last three matches, Daniel Bell-Drummond currently averages 46.12 in the tournament, striking at 145.27. His 369 runs are seconded by Joe Denly, who has 259 runs at 137.03. Of Kent’s batters & all-rounders, Stewart has the Spitfires’ highest batting strike rate at 188.57, whilst Bell-Drummond is the first Kent batter to reach double figures in six hitting this T20 season.
The Kent Spitfires will welcome Middlesex to ‘Fortress Canterbury’ in a floodlit, Friday night T20 match on 23 June.
Buy your tickets now to avoid disappointment & lock in supporting your Spitfires now in an exciting Summer of white-ball cricket:
Buy tickets now
Last Time Out
Daniel Bell-Drummond scored an unbeaten half century to guide Kent to a seven-wicket win over Gloucestershire in a one-sided Vitality Blast match at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium.
View full scorecard
The former England Lions opener hit 56 not out from 49 balls and shared in an unbroken match-winning stand of 61 with Jordan Cox, who contributed an unbeaten 31, as Kent chased down a target of 138 with three overs to spare to complete a T20 double over their South Group rivals.
Gloucestershire started well enough, advancing to 51-1 thanks to a brisk 30 from Miles Hammond, only to then lose nine wickets for 86 runs in a collapse which culminated in them being dismissed for a wholly inadequate 137 in 19.3 overs.
Match Coverage
Sussex Sharks vs. Kent Spitfires will be live streamed by Sussex CCC, with the YouTube stream accessible via the Match Centre on the Kent Cricket website, which also features a live updating video scorecard.
Live match updates will also appear on the Club’s social media channels.
Opposition Report
- Captain: Ravi Bopara
- Overseas players: Nathan McAndrew (Australia), Shadab Khan (Pakistan)
- Finals Day appearances: 5 (2007, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2021)
- Titles: 1 (2009)
- 2022 finish: Seventh (South Group)
- 2022 leading run scorer: Tom Alsop (318)
- 2022 leading wicket taker: Tymal Mills (15)
Luke Wright’s retirement will leave a big hole in the top order, but the Sharks have recruited well from overseas. Nathan McAndrew had a good Big Bash with Sydney Thunder and brings new-ball experience and middle-order hitting potential while the experienced Shadab Khan looks an ideal replacement for Rashid Khan.
- The big question: Sussex have plenty of bowling options and Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan looks a terrific signing, but can Sussex get enough runs on the board? Tom Alsop, who missed the first four games of 2022 but still finished leading scorer, has the temperament to anchor the innings and let others go for their shots.
- Wildcard watch: Ali Orr – In Wright’s absence Orr is likely to get an extended opportunity at the top of the order. He has only played eight T20 games in his career but has all the shots in white-ball cricket, as he proved in 2022 when he scored Sussex’s first List A double hundred against Somerset.
Two appearances at Finals Day in four years vindicated Sussex’s decision to prioritise the Blast but 2022 was their worst performance for a decade with only four wins. They will miss Wright and Rashid Khan, who could win matches on their own, and their hopes of making the knockouts may depend on the experienced Ravi Bopara, Tymal Mills and Steven Finn rolling back the years.
Squad News
Men’s Head Coach Matt Walker has named a squad of 13 to make the trip to Hove.
Australia’s Wes Agar replaces an injured Kane Richardson (side strain), with two overseas players permitted in the Playing XI. Arshdeep Singh is only available for Kent in the County Championship, as per the terms of his Overseas spell.
Zak Crawley is with England’s Test setup for the Ashes.
Kent’s full Matchday Squad, presented by Shepherd Neame >>>
Kent Spitfires matchday squad vs. Sussex Sharks: Sam Billings (Captain), Wes Agar (Overseas player), Daniel Bell-Drummond, Alex Blake, Jordan Cox, Joe Denly, Joey Evison, Michael Hogan, Fred Klaassen, Jack Leaning, George Linde (Overseas player), Tawanda Muyeye, Grant Stewart.
Friday night T20s are back soon!
The Kent Spitfires will welcome Middlesex to ‘Fortress Canterbury’ in a floodlit, Friday night T20 match on 23 June.
Buy your tickets now to avoid disappointment & lock in supporting your Spitfires now in an exciting Summer of white-ball cricket:
Buy tickets now
Members do not need to pre-book their space at T20 matches as per last season – entry will be gained by scanning a valid 2023 Kent Cricket Membership card at the gate.
Match Previews of Kent’s Vitality Blast fixtures are proudly sponsored by Shepherd Neame >>>
