MATCH PREVIEW: Hampshire vs Lancashire, Metro Bank One-Day Cup
Lancashire’s search for a first victory of this season’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup takes them to Southampton tomorrow.
Hampshire v Lancashire
Metro Bank One-Day Cup, Group A
Sunday August 4, 2024, 11am
The Utilita Bowl, Southampton
Squad:
Josh Bohannon (c), Tom Bailey, George Balderson, Charlie Barnard, George Bell, Jack Blatherwick, Josh Boyden, Rocky Flintoff, Chris Green, Venkatesh Iyer, George Lavelle, Jack Morley, Harry Singh, Will Williams
The county’s disappointing start to Group A continued against Somerset at Taunton yesterday, where the hosts comfortably chased down a target of 219 to win by eight wickets.
Half-centuries for opener George Bell (56) and Australian all-rounder Chris Green (65) went unrewarded.
With the leading trio in the group - Worcestershire, Somerset and Derbyshire sat on six points - Lancashire’s chances of qualification aren’t mathematically finished, but it would take something special for them to overhaul the top three teams for qualification.
Four wins from four are imperative.
Last year’s beaten finalists Hampshire are on the coat-tails of the leading trio having won two of three games so far.
Opposition:
Hampshire lost last season’s final to Leicestershire at Trent Bridge, but they are encouragingly placed in their bid to go one step further in 2024 having won two from three so far this term.
Captained by Nick Gubbins, they have won home matches against Northamptonshire and Somerset so far, but lost last time out at Kent on Wednesday.
Regular skipper James Vince is one of their players unavailable because of the Hundred. But they still have plenty of experience to mix with some exciting young talent.
The likes of wicketkeeper Ben Brown and Scotland fast bowler Brad Wheal fall into that category, as does South African overseas seamer Kyle Abbott, a mainstay at the Utilita Bowl over the last few seasons.
They last won this competition in 2018, under the guise of the Royal London One-Day Cup.
Brown is their leading run-scorer so far with 154 from three matches, owing to a superb top order 139 not out in their win over Northamptonshire.
England Under 19s seamer Eddie Jack, 18, is their leading wicket-taker with seven from three matches, including 4-29 in that Northamptonshire victory.
The aforementioned performances of Brown and Jack were both career best efforts.
Opposition player to watch:
Top order batter Tom Prest is a former England Under 19s captain.
He led his country at the Under 19s World Cup in the Caribbean in early 2022, England getting to the final of that event - only to lose out to India at the last hurdle.
That squad included Tom Aspinwall, George Bell and Josh Boyden.
It is three years since talented Prest, who also bowls part-time spin, made his first-class debut, and he has topped 400 runs in each of the last two Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaigns.
He has centuries to his name in Championship and One-Day Cup cricket.
Prest has had a disappointing start to this campaign, not passing 12 in three innings. But the classy 21-year-old is too talented to go much longer without a significant contribution. Fingers crossed, he waits that little bit longer.
Previous meeting:
Lancashire may have been beaten by Hampshire at Emirates Old Trafford midway through last year’s group stage, but they joined the South Coast side in the knockout stages.
Hampshire won a nip-and-tuck affair by 11 runs as they defended their 234 all out. But only just.
Lancashire fought back well from a handy Hampshire start after they elected to bat. Openers Fletcha Middleton (58) and Nick Gubbins (66) shared 131 inside 24 overs. But they lost all 10 wickets for 103 runs as new ball seamer Will Williams and left-arm spinner Jack Morley claimed three wickets apiece.
In reply, the Red Rose fell to 64-4 before George Balderson (44) and George Lavelle (57) set about a middle order fightback. They took the score to 157-4 in the 37th.
Unfortunately, another three wickets fell cheaply - 170-7 - and the lower order weren’t quite able to do enough, the hosts bowled out for 223 after 49 overs.
Scotland new ball quick Brad Wheal excelled with 5-47 from 10 overs for Hampshire.
What they said:
Coach Dale Benkenstein has urged his Lancashire players to go out fighting in the closing four games of the ongoing Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Benkenstein has spoken of a “tough campaign” for the Red Rose.
Speaking after last night’s defeat at Taunton, the South African said: “We’re in a bit of a learning phase with how we want to play. There were glimpses of it today, but there’s not enough partnerships and pressure being put back on the opposition.
“It has been a tough campaign for us, firstly very disruptive.
“We got a platform in this game, but I still feel there is a tentativeness to our play.
“All I’m asking for over the next three games is signs of how we are going to improve.
“I want to play a more aggressive game, and it’s a bit different to how Lancashire have played in the past. With a few young players, and the freedom to play like, I think that is their best way forward in their careers.”
How’s Stat!
Chris Green’s 65 in defeat at Taunton was a career best score in only his 23rd List A appearance.
It’s amazing to think that 30-year-old Green’s 23 appearances have come across a near 10-year timespan having debuted for New South Wales in October 2014.
But he actually debuted in T20 cricket three months later than that, yet the Australian has gone on to play 212 times in that format.