Hampshire vs Somerset, County Championship Division Two, Today Match Prediction 03 September 2023

ham vs som Match Prediction & Analysis

County Championship Division 1 is all set to restart after a break in the Summer owing to the Hundred and Royal London Cup tournaments. Hampshire are currently at the third position in the points table with the top 2 teams have a considerable lead. Thry still have an outside chance to finish at the top if they manage to win their remaining matches and other results go their way. Somerset are currently at the fifth place and they have a chance to overhaul Hampshire if they win this match. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Hampshire Preview

Hampshire batting has been lead by the likes of James Vince (705 runs, 1 century & 4 fifties) and Nick Gubbins (733 runs, 2 centuries & 4 fifties) in the middle order. Openers Fletcha Middleton and Ian Holland alongside Ben Brown are not having a great season so far. Liam Dawson has been superb in the all rounders role with Felix Organ and Kyle Abbott chipping with crucial lower order runs. 

Pacers Mohammad Abbas (41 wickets) and Kyle Abbott (35 wickets) have been key wicket takers sharing the new ball predominantly. Liam Dawson combined his brilliant performance with bat with 28 wickets with the ball too. James Fuller, Ian Holland, and Felix Organ have chipped in with wickets but need to up their game going forward. 

Key players: Nick Gubbins, Liam Dawson, Kyle Abbott

Hampshire Predicted Playing XI:

Fletcha Middleton, Ben Brown, James Vince, Nick Gubbins, Liam Dawson, Kyle Abbott, James Fuller, Ian Holland, Felix Organ, Muhammed Abbas, John Turner

Somerset Preview

Somerset batting relies heavily on their wicket keeper batter James Rew who has racked up 1034 runs so far. Tom Kohlmore (583 runs), Tom Abell (556 runs), Tom Lammonby (483 runs), and Kaven Aldridge (451 runs) have made scores consistently for the team. All rounders Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton add depth to their batting line up. 

Pace trio of Matt Henry (32 wickets), Lewis Gregory (26 wickets) and Craig Overton (26 runs) have racked up wickets regularly. Shoaib Bashir has been their lone spinner in the playing XI. Ben Green and Kaven Aldridge provide support to their bowling attack in middle overs. 

Key players: James Rew, Craig Overton, Matt Henry

Somerset Predicted Playing XI:

Tom Kohlmore, Tom Abell, Tom Lammonby, James Rew, Kaven Aldridge, Craig Overton, Matt Henry, Lewis Gregory, Shoaib Bashir, Ben Green, Sean Dickson

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Southampton will have bright, sunny, and breezy weather on all days of the match. We expect no weather interuptions in the match. 

Venue Details

Southampton will have a sporty track where there will pace, bounce, and swing for the bowlers. Batters need to apply themselves to make big scores. The first hour will be crucial as the new ball tends to swing more. 

Toss: To Bat

Both captains will look to bat first on this pitch as the pitch will be good to bat on early in the match and it tends to spice up as match progresses.