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Vitality T20 Blast 2023: Essex vs Hampshire, Semi-Final 1 – Predicted Fantasy XI and Budget Picks

All eyes will be on the first semi-final match between Essex and Hampshire which will take place on July 15 at The Edgbaston Cricket Stadium.

By Shurti Banerjee | Jul 15, 2023 | 3 Min Read

All eyes will be on the first semi-final match between Essex and Hampshire which will take place on July 15 at The Edgbaston Cricket Stadium. However, the team who will win the match play in the final on the very same day. Essex and Hampshire both will try to win the match to keep their Vitality Championship dream alive. However, Hampshire finished second in the South Group Points table with nine victories. In their last 5 games, they have only been defeated once. And, after having a poor start, they got their momentum back at the business end of the competition as well.

The James Vince-led side had a poor show against teams like Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. However, Hampshire played against Essex before this season which saw Hampshire emerging winner on both occasions. Their biggest win as per runs also came against them only. They bowled Essex out for a mere 96 runs and registered a massive 118-run victory which helped them jump in the points table by a higher NRR as well.

Moreover, they had a great show in the 4th Quarter Final. Nathan Ellis’s match-winning 4-fer helped Hampshire bundle Worcestershire for just 100. In the end, they chased down the target with 27 balls to spare. Notably, James Vince, Ben McDermott, and Joe Weatherley are the leading run-scorers for Hampshire and Nathan Ellis has been the best bowler so far as well.

On the other hand, Essex have finished fourth in the South Group Points Table with eight wins and six defeats so far. They have won only two out of the last five games. Started well, they have lost their way at the back end of the tournament s well. Their four back-to-back defeats during the later stages put a question mark on their playoff hopes. However, they won their last two fixtures against Surrey and Warwickshire. Meanwhile, they have not had the best of outings against Hampshire and Somerset as they have never won.

However, Essex’s biggest victory was against Glamorgan where they posted a massive total of 226. Paul Walter hit a quickfire knock of 78 (34). Daniel Sams, Matt Critchley, and Paul Walter shared 6 wickets between the side win. Michael-Kyle Pepper, Dan Lawrence, and Daniel Sams stepped up with the bat for Essex this season. Meanwhile, Sams is the highest wicket-taker for Essex in this tournament picking up 23 wickets at 19.57. Matt Critchley and Simon Harmer also lead the wickets chart with 20 and 19 wickets respectively s well. It will be interesting to see how they perform.

Pitch Report And Weather Forecast

The batters will get the benefit at Edgbaston and high scores are likely to be on the cards. The team who will win the toss should field first. Meanwhile, there is a 90% chance of rain and temperatures will be around the 18-degree Celsius mark as well.

Probable XIs

Essex: Robin Das, DW Lawrence, FIN Khushi, DR Sams, PI Walter, SR Harmer (C), MJJ Critchley, AM Rossington (wk), MS Pepper, Ben Allison, Samuel Cook

Hampshire: JM Vince (C), JJ Weatherley, RA Whiteley, Toby Albert, Tom Prest, LA Dawson, Benny Howell, BR McDermott (wk), CP Wood, Nathan Ellis, MS Crane