Hampshire vs Sussex, County Championship One, Today Match Prediction

HAM vs SUS Match Prediction & Analysis

Hampshire will take on Sussex in the 32nd game of County Championship Division One at The Rose Bowl, Southampton, on 23rd May 2025 at 3:30 PM IST. The 2025 County Championship Division One has reached its midpoint. Nottinghamshire leads the standings with 96 points from six matches while Surrey closely follows in second place with 93 points, remaining unbeaten with two victories and four draws.

Hampshire, led by Ben Brown, have had a steady season with two wins, one loss, and three draws, placing them fifth with 79 points. Sussex, under captain John Simpson, are currently placed sixth in the points table with 75 points. Both teams are closely matched, promising an engaging contest as they look to push higher up the table.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Hampshire Preview

Hampshire done well so far to remain in the contention for the title at the mid-stage of County Championship Division One, 2025. Hampshire, currently fifth with 79 points, face sixth-placed Sussex (75 points) in a pivotal mid-table clash at the Rose Bowl starting May 23. A win would solidify Hampshire’s push toward the top three and keep them in contention for the title. Hampshire have had a mixed season: two wins, one loss, and three draws. They rebounded from a heavy 366-run defeat to Nottinghamshire in the fifth game with an 89-run victory over Warwickshire in the previous game.

After starting the season with a comprehensive 5 wicket win against Yorkshire followed by 3 draws, Hampshire suffered a heavy 366-run defeat to Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. Despite Kyle Abbott’s five-wicket haul in the first innings, Hampshire’s batting faltered, managing only 196 and 116 in their two innings. Mohammad Abbas took five-wicket haul in the first innings while Lyndon James took the five-wicket haul in the second innings to dismantle Hampshire's batting.

Hampshire came back strongly in the next game to secure an 89-run victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston. James Fuller led the bowling attack with a five-wicket haul in the second innings, while Kyle Abbott contributed with three key wickets. Earlier, Fuller’s unbeaten 52 in the first innings helped Hampshire post a total of 300.

Kyle Abbott is the top performer for Hampshire this season, topping the bowling charts with 31 wickets at an average of around 16 so far. James Fuller has complemented him well with 19 wickets this season. Although the batting has been a bit lackluster, Captain Ben Brown, and Nick Gubbins have shown some spark with the bat. Hampshire enter this match with momentum and hope for a win to climb up the points table.

Key players: James Fuller, Kyle Abbott, Nick Gubbins, Ben Brown

Hampshire Predicted Playing XI:

Mark Stoneman, Fletcha Middleton, Nick Gubbins, Tom Prest, Toby Albert, Liam Dawson, Ben Brown (c & wk), James Fuller, Kyle Abbott, Brad Wheal, John Turner

Sussex Preview

Sussex, currently sixth with 75 points, face fifth-placed Hampshire (79 points) in a crucial mid-table encounter at The Rose Bowl starting May 23. A victory would help Sussex move into the top half of the standings. In their comeback to Division One, Sussex have recorded two wins, two losses, and two draws. Notably, they secured a commanding 260-run victory over Somerset.

Sussex started the season with a draw against Warwickshire and followed it up by a comprehensive win by 260 runs against Somerset. In that game, Sussex posted 294 and 501/7 declared, with Tom Haines scoring 141 and captain John Simpson adding 110. Somerset managed 201 and 334 in reply. Jack Carson’s five-wicket haul in the first innings and Jayden Seales’ four wickets in the second were crucial for Sussex’s first win of the season.

In the 4th game, Sussex suffered a 9-wicket loss to Nottingham Shire. Sussex's weakness in batting came to the fore as they folded for 169 in the first innings and for 278 in the second innings. Sussex did manage a win against Worcestershire by  47 runs, but in the previous game they lost to Somerset by a comprehensive margin of 5 wickets. Yet again Sussex failed to score in the first innings and were asked to follow on. Sussex might not be too far away from Hampshire in of points this season but their batting has been under par which they need to improve to have any chance of beating Hampshire in this game.

Key players: John Simpson, Daniel Hughes, OE Robinson, Fynn Hudson-Prentice

Sussex Predicted Playing XI:

Daniel Hughes, Tom Haines, Tom Clark, Tom Alsop, James Coles, John Simpson (c & wk), Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Jack Carson, James Philip Henry Hayes, Ollie Robinson, Nathan McAndrew

Weather Conditions

The weather on the match day at The Rose Bowl, Southampton is is expected to be partly cloudy with no rain. Temperature will range between a high of 17°C and a low of approximately 4°C. The conditions will be slightly humid with moderate breeze.

HAM vs SUS Pitch Report

The Rose Bowl, also known as the Ageas Bowl, is a cricket ground located in West End, Southampton, England. Established in 2001, it replaced Hampshire’s previous home ground at Northlands Road. It has hosted various international matches, including Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. The stadium has a seating capacity of 15,000, which can be expanded to 25,000 with temporary seating.

Toss: To Bowl

Out of the three games played at this venue, only one resulted in an outright result. Hampshire won that game, bowling first. In Test matches, out of 7 played, teams batting first have won 2, while teams bowling first have also won 2, and 3 matches ended in a draw. The team winning the toss should bowl first here.