Surrey vs Sussex, VITALITY T20 BLAST 2021, Today Match Prediction 17 June 2021

sur vs sus Match Prediction & Analysis

The two best sides from the South Group will clash in an exciting encounter at the Kennington Oval today. Both Surrey and Sussex have remained unbeaten so far in the Vitality T20 Blast 2021 with 3 wins from 3 games each. While Sussex is at the No.1 spot with a Net Run Rate of +2.063, Surrey is a close second with a Net Run Rate of +1.938. Which of the two will maintain their unbeaten run?

TEAMS PREVIEW

Surrey Preview

Last year’s runners-up Surrey have started the new season on a perfect note, winning their first three games against Middlesex, Somerset, and Glamorgan. In their last match, they chased down a target of 167 against Glamorgan with ease in just 18.2 overs and with 5 wickets in hand. Opener Jason Roy came to the party with a smashing 64 off 35 balls. If he gets going for the team, then they would be hard to stop. 

Laurie Evans is another batsman who is looking in really good shape this season for Surrey. He smashed a terrific 65 off 34 balls in the match against Somerset and looked good in his knock of 39 off 26 balls in the last match. All-rounder Sam Curran can prove to be the game-changer for the team this season. He showed his prowess in the chase of 188 against Somerset with an incredible unbeaten match-winning innings of 72 off just 36 balls.

Surrey’s bowling hasn’t really made a mark this year but Daniel Moriarty, whose spell of 3-26 in the last game broke the back of Glamorgan, is looking quite good. Sam Curran is as dependable as ever and has already bagged 6 wickets but brother Tom is proving to be expensive. Captain Gareth Batty’s off-spin will be crucial in this game.

Surrey Predicted Playing XI:

Jason Roy, Will Jacks, Laurie Evans, Sam Curran, Jamie Smith (wk), Jordan Clark, Jamie Overton, Tom Curran, Gareth Batty (c), Matt Dunn, Daniel Moriarty

Surrey Actual Playing XI:

Gareth Batty, Jason Roy, Jamie Smith, Jordan Clark, Will Jacks, Tom Curran, Jamie Overton, Laurie Evans, Daniel Moriarty, Sam Curran, Rikki Clarke

Sussex Preview

The Sussex Sharks seem determined to reach the finals this year. They have brushed aside all their opponents so far with ease and look to have the most dominant batting unit. So far, they have won all their games chasing and have done so quite convincingly. In their last match against Hampshire, they chased down a target of 155 in just 16.2 overs with 9 wickets in hand. Before that, they made little work of a target of 129 against Essex by taking it down in only 14 overs with 7 wickets in hand.

The stars for Sussex have clearly been their batsmen. Opener Philip Salt has hit two commanding fifties already. Captain Luke Wright, who was out of the first two games due to injury, showed why he is so dangerous in this format with an incredible 75 off 44 balls in the chase against Essex. In Travis Head and Ravi Bopara, they have two solid middle-order batsmen. The only issue with Sussex is that their lower order hasn’t been tested yet and the likes of Aaron Thomason and David Wiese would have to be on guard.

On the bowling front, George Garton has been the pick of the lot for Sussex and has 8 wickets at an astonishing economy of 5.08. Tymal Mills has been pretty good too and Chris Jordan’s experience at the death is proving real handy. 

Sussex Predicted Playing XI:

Philip Salt (wk), Luke Wright (c), Travis Head, Ravi Bopara, David Wiese, Delray Rawlins, George Garton, Chris Jordan, Will Beer, Tymal Mills, Archie Lenham

Sussex Actual Playing XI:

Luke Wright, RS Bopara, Tymal Mills, Delray Rawlins, George Garton, Will Beer, Chris Jordan, TM Head, Phil Salt, D Wiese, Archie Lenham

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The Kennington Oval in London is generally a good deck that has something in it for both the batsmen and the bowlers. Depending on the weather conditions, seam bowlers can get good purchase when the ball is new. Spinners, though, also do well on this surface. 

The weather in London is expected to be sunny and warm today and we should get a full game.
 

Venue Details

The average first innings score at the Oval in the T20 blast is 166 and it increases to 185 in the second innings. So, clearly, the team batting second will have an advantage. Moreover, totals of 200+ have been chased down on three occasions here so far which shows that no total is really quite safe.

Toss: To Bowl

The team winning the toss is almost certain to bat second as this is a happy hunting ground for the chasing side.