Vitality T20 Blast 2019: South Group, Hampshire vs Essex: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The South Group game in the Vitality T20 Blast 2019 will be played between Hampshire and Essex at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. The match starts at 2:30 PM local time (7:00 PM IST) (1:30 PM GMT).

Preview:

Both Hampshire and Essex have had tough times in the ongoing T20 Blast and are precariously placed in the bottom half of the points table. The latter has been a tad unlucky as four of their matches were washed off due to rain, the last three of which came in the previous four games. The nine-run victory over Sussex at the County Ground in Hove would’ve boosted their confidence.

They have a decent Net Run Rate of +0.450. Hampshire, on the other hand, won their last encounter against Middlesex by seven wickets. The triumph broke their three-match losing streak. The team, captained by James Vince, can draw confidence from the fact that it got the better of Essex by seven wickets earlier this month. They would be keen to replicate something similar on Sunday.

Weather Report:

There are no forecasts of rain, and a bright and sunny afternoon is in store. There will be clouds in the morning, but that will go away by the start of the match. The temperature will be around the 26 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be in the 40s. It’s definitely a good piece of news for Essex, whose campaign has been marred by rain.

Pitch Condition/Report:

The pitch in Southampton has been a witness to only a couple of games in the tournament. The games didn’t turn out to be high-scoring ones. The deck has tended to slow down with the progression of a game and batting second has been arduous. Hence, batting first after winning the toss should be the way forward.

Average first innings score: 158 in T20 Blast 2019

Record of chasing teams: Won – 1, Lost – 2

Injury and Team News:

(Will be added when there’s an update)

Probable Playing XIs:

Hampshire

James Vince (C), Rilee Russouw, Sam Northeast, Liam Dawson, Ian Holland, Chris Morris, James Fuller, Lewis McManus (wk), Tabraiz Shamsi, Kyle Abbott, Chris Wood

Bench- Aneurin Donald, Tom Alsop, Mason Crane, Ryan Stevenson

Essex

Tom Westley, Cameron Delport, Adam Wheater (wk), Daniel Lawrence, Ryan ten Doeschate, Ravi Bopara, Paul Waller, Simon Harmer (C), Mohammad Amir, Aaron Beard, Adam Zampa

Bench- James Porter, Shane Snater, Samuel Cook

Top Picks:

James Vince is currently Hampshire’s leading run-scorer with 296 runs at an average of 37. Kyle Abbott has also done well for them, having picked up 15 wickets at an average of 18.60 and a strike-rate of 12.6.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain –  James Vince, Daniel Lawrence, Tom Westley

Vice-Captain – Liam Dawson, Chris Morris, Kyle Abbott

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Adam Whealer

Batters – James Vince (C), Cameron Delport, Tom Westley, Daniel Lawrence

All-Rounders – Chris Morris, Liam Dawson (VC)

Bowlers – Chris Wood, Kyle Abbott, Mohammad Amir, Adam Zampa

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Lewis McManus

Batters – Rilee Russouw, James Vince, Sam Northeast, Tom Westley, Daniel Lawrence (C)

All-Rounders – Chris Morris (VC), Ravi Bopara

Bowlers – Kyle Abbott, Adam Zampa, Simon Harmer

Expert Advice:

Kyle Abbott, in his last nine T20s, has gone wicket-less only once. On a pitch, which isn’t an absolute belter, he can be assigned a multiplier (captain and vice-captain) as well.

Probable Winners:

Hampshire should be able to win the match.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.