Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the LV= Insurance County Championship...
Fixture: Sussex v Northamptonshire
Venue: 1st Central County Ground, Hove
Dates: Thursday, May 27, 2021 - Sunday, May 30, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
Northamptonshire make the trip down south to face a rested Sussex side who have had a week without a game. The last time these two teams played each other three weeks ago, Sussex took a thumping as Northamptonshire won by an innings and 120 runs.
Sussex's last game ended in a rain-affected draw with struggling Kent, and Ian Salisbury's side currently sit behind their visitors in Group 3 with only 12 points separating the two teams, and only 37 points separating Sussex from top-of-the-group Lancashire.
Northamptonshire are coming off a rain-hit draw with Lancashire, and a win is vital if they want to be challenging for the top position.
Who's in form?
In a shortened game two rounds ago, Ben Sanderson and Gareth Berg were on red-hot form for Northamptonshire.
In their thrashing of Sussex, the seamers shared 19 wickets between them.
Ricardo Vasconcelos is among the most in-form batsmen in the country right now with 493 runs in eight innings, giving him an average of 70.43.
South African Stiaan van Zyl hit a half-century in Sussex’s last game while Ollie Robinson continued making an impressive bowling impact. However, Robinson will be missing from this fixture owing to his England Test call-up.
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Sussex: DLLLW
Northamptonshire: DWLWL
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 133
Sussex wins: 38
Northamptonshire wins: 42
Draws: 53
Abandoned: 1
What's the team news?
Sussex make two changes from their draw with Kent ahead of their clash with Northamptonshire, with Jofra Archer and Ollie Robinson replaced – for different reasons – by Jamie Atkins and Ali Orr.
Archer has undergone surgery on his troublesome elbow, while Robinson is in England’s squad ahead of a possible Test debut against New Zealand.
Bowlers Mitch Claydon and Sean Hunt remain unavailable with calf and side injuries respectively, while Phil Salt is also unfit for selection. Chris Jordan, who has been in Barbados since the postponement of the IPL, is returning to the United Kingdom this weekend.
Sussex squad: Ben Brown (c, wk), Jamie Atkins, Jack Carson, Tom Clark, Henry Crocombe, George Garton, Tom Haines, Travis Head, Stuart Meaker, Ali Orr, Delray Rawlins, Aaron Thomason, Stiaan van Zyl
Gareth Berg and Ben Sanderson are both in Northamptonshire’s squad for the return fixture against Sussex, having claimed 19 wickets between them when the sides last met. There is also a spot for Netherlands fast bowler Brandon Glover, who is yet to feature this season.
Northamptonshire squad: Adam Rossington (c,wk), Gareth Berg, Ben Curran, Brandon Glover, Rob Keogh, Simon Kerrigan, Wayne Parnell, Luke Procter, Ben Sanderson, Tom Taylor, Charlie Thurston, Ricardo Vasconcelos, Saif Zaib
Latest Sussex news: Click here
Latest Northamptonshire news: Click here
Who's said what?
Sussex head coach Ian Salisbury admitted his excitement at having spectators back at Hove for the first time in over a year.
Indeed, several of the players in his 13-man squad have never played in front of fans before.
“There are a number of cricketers in our squad that have never played in front of a crowd,” said Salisbury.
“Tom Clark made his debut in front of supporters at the end of 2019, but every debutant since then hasn’t. Jack Carson is about to play his eleventh game and it will be his first with anyone in the stands! So, the youngsters can’t wait, but it has been a long time without fans for all the players. The way the guys have trained this week, you can see it is an extra source of motivation.
“Players and coaches alike, we want to show everyone where we have got to as a young side over the last six games and the style of cricket we are looking to play.”
What's the weather forecast?
The weather is dry and sunny across all four days at Sussex this week. Even With some cloudy spells there will be highs of 18 degrees Celsius with as it stands, a low chance of rain.
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Hove: Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: Sussex will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here
All LV= County Championship matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: BBC Local Radio and the BBC Sport website will carry ball-by-ball radio commentary of the game.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every LV= County Championship match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Going to the game?
Tickets
A limited number of tickets are available.
E-tickets for the match will be emailed to supporters ahead of their attendance.
Prices: £5 for youths, £ 10 juniors, adults £20.
These tickets will be available online until 5pm on Wednesday, May 26. Click here to visit the Sussex ticket office.
A limited amount of accessible seating will be available by telephoning 01273 827 100. No other tickets will be available via this number.
Travel
Parking: There is very limited parking at the ground for Sussex Cricket members and those with disabled parking permits on County Championship matchdays.
Please note there is no parking available for all other matchdays including.
There is a public car park, Norton Road Car Park (BN3 3BE), located a short walk West of The 1st Central County Ground opposite Hove Town Hall (charges apply between 8am and 8pm). For further information, click here.
By Train: Hove Railway Station is a 10-minute walk from the ground. Leave the station and head south on Goldstone Villas, at the bottom of the road turn left onto Eaton Road. Cross over The Drive continuing along Eaton Road, The 1st Central County Ground will appear on your left hand side.
Brighton Railway Station is approximately a mile and a half from the club. There are regular rail services from Brighton Station to Hove Station. There is also a taxi rank located just outside Brighton Station, together with a bus terminal.
By Bus: The No.7 bus runs past the North (Cromwell Road) end of the ground with several stops near the ground. This service is the George Street, Hove to Brighton Marina service and serves both Hove and Brighton Rail Stations. This bus runs approximately every 10 minutes and around every 15 minutes on Sundays.
The 21 & 21A Brighton Marina to Goldstone Valley service stops outside the main entrance to the ground; these are less frequent but do run through the central Hove and Brighton areas.
For up-to-date information on these services and for detailed route map information, click here.
Prediction?
Northamptonshire are desperate for a win to climb the standings while Sussex can still overtake them with a win. Back Northamptonshire's in-form bowlers to make the difference. Away win.
OTHER ROUND 8 MATCH PREVIEWS
Group 1
Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire
Group 2
Group 3
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