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Men’s Vitality Blast Preview: Sussex Sharks v Somerset
THE MATCHES
Somerset will be looking to make it three wins in a row in the 2025 Vitality Blast when we take on Sussex Sharks at 1st Central County Ground, Hove tomorrow (Friday June 6th).
Play is due to get underway at 7pm
Tickets for this match are still available.
Somerset are currently second in the South Group table with eight points from two matches, whilst Sussex Sharks are top on account of a superior run rate.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
You can keep up to date using the dedicated Match Centre on this website which will feature a live stream of the action courtesy of Sussex CCC.
In-play updates will also appear on our X feed (formerly Twitter).
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
SUSSEX SHARKS
Captain: Tymal Mills
Overseas players: Nathan McAndrew (Australia, all group stage), Gurinder Sandhu (Australia, all group stage), Daniel Hughes (Australia, full competition).
Finals Day appearances: Six (2007, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2021, 2024).
Titles: One (2009)
2024 finish: Semi-finalists
2024 leading run scorer: Daniel Hughes (596)
2024 leading wicket taker: Tymal Mills (24)
Key winter moves: No major changes. Tall Australian seamer Gurinder Sandhu, who has played for three teams in the Big Bash, has mainly been signed for red-ball cricket in June and July but will be another option for Mills.
The big question: Mills was outstanding in his first season as captain. Calm and composed under pressure, he revelled in the responsibility, and rather than affecting his bowling he finished with 24 wickets – more than any other Sussex bowler and his most productive season since debut 14 years earlier. He will relish the opportunity to prove that reaching Finals Day was no fluke and going one better than the semi-finals.
Wildcard watch: Harrison Ward has been on Sussex’s staff since 2021 but until last season didn’t seem to have a defined role and sometimes came in as low as number eight. Mills gave him clarity by making him Hughes’ opening partner and he responded with 350 runs, three fifies and a strike rate of 157.65, form that earned him a chance in The Hundred.
Final thought: Sussex were unexpected semi-finalists last year, having won ten games out of 28 in the previous two seasons, but Mills led them superbly and with virtually the same squad there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be competitive. Head coach Paul Farbrace has set the bar high again, and both he and Mills will regard not reaching the knockout stages at least as failure.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset Men are without Tom Banton (England), Sean Dickson (hand) and James Rew (England Lions).
Somerset Men have named the following squad:
VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “We’ve had a good start to the campaign and played some really good cricket. Confidence is high within the group and we want to ensure that we can keep the momentum going for as long as we can.
“We need to keep reinforcing the things that we do really well and focus on our strengths. We’ve got a vastly experienced bowling attack and a very dynamic batting line up and that’s only going to get stronger when people return to the squad. If we can keep playing the brand of cricket that we’ve been playing then we’re going to be a handful for any team and we’re looking forward to tomorrow evening.
“Sussex are a side who are definitely on the up and I think that Hove has got the second highest boundary count behind the Cooper Associates County Ground. It’s a small ground with a good surface so hopefully it will be an entertaining game which we come out on the right side of.”
TRADE NATION STAT
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 2023 for the classic Vitality Blast encounter between the two sides at Hove.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore smashed his way to 72 from just 42 balls as Somerset chased down 184 to claim a five-wicket victory.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
If you are planning to attend the match, all the information you need can be found on the official Sussex CCC Website.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset’s next match is on Thursday June 12th when we take on Middlesex in the Vitality Blast at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.
Get your tickets now!
