KENT vs HAM 53rd Match - South Group Prediction

KENT vs HAM Team Previews

Kent

Kent started their campaign in a spectacular fashion, toppling the favorites Somerset rather clinically. They continued to build on their first win with four more wins in their four subsequent matches, and their winning streak was stopped only when they met Sussex in their last fixture.

It was the battle of two unbeaten sides in the tournament when Sharks met Spitfires wherein Sharks eventually went onto outclass Kent Spitfires. Batting first on a reasonably good surface, Kent Spitfires' batsmen failed to get going, something which was a rare sight up until now, and ended up putting just 154 runs on the board. Daniel Bell Drummond top-scored for them with a half-century, but with no contribution from the rest of the players, he could do only so much.

Defending such a low score on small grounds and excellent batting surface was never going to be easy, and hence it proved to be. Although there was only a little their bowlers could have done, they lacked accuracy and discipline after they failed to inflict early damage as the Sharks eventually cruised to a nine-wicket win.

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Hampshire

Hampshire didn't get off to the kind of start they were looking for but have certainly picked up in their last three matches. They come into the next game on the back of three comprehensive wins, over Somerset, Essex, and Glamorgan, in the same order.

While their encounter against Somerset can be termed as high-scoring, it wasn't the case in their two subsequent meetings. While it was largely because of not so batting-friendly conditions, their bowling certainly had a huge role to play. They reduced Essex Eagles to just 133 which they eventually chased down with considerable ease.

Against Glamorgan, they displayed a rather poor performance with the bat, scoring just 128 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs, but their bowlers bowled astonishingly well and bailed them out as they dismantled Glamorgan for only 87.

All in all, in the tournament so far, while their batting has been a little inconsistent, the consistency of their bowling has been impressive. More often than not, its been their bowlers who have set up matches for them and if their batsmen can step up in the upcoming fixtures, Hampshire will be a tough team to deal with.