Former Hampshire Lord’s hero Rilee Rossouw returns to The Ageas Bowl aiming to maintain stunning T20 Vitality Blast start for Somerset

The South African batter will forever be remembered at Hampshire for his man of the match display in the Royal London Cup final against Kent four years ago.

Roussow struck 125 off 114 balls as Hampshire powered their way to 330-7 - the highest team total ever in a Lord’s cup final. They eventually won by 61 runs.

One of world cricket’s T20 guns for hire, the player has made Somerset only his second English county after a three-year stint with Hampshire (2017-19).

The left-hander has struck two half-centuries in his opening two games, both of which Somerset have won in the T20 Vitality Blast South group.

Roussow followed up an unbeaten 81 off 54 balls on debut against defending champions Kent at Canterbury last week with 67 off just 29 deliveries in last night’s victory against Essex at Taunton.

Both those scores are higher than his Hampshire T20 best, which was 60 (against Sussex in 2019) from 33 innings.

In a match reduced to 18 overs per side by rain, paceman Marchant De Lange, confined to the second XI for the LV= Insurance County Championship season to date, included a double-wicket maiden in taking 4-9 from three overs as Essex posted 139-9 after losing the toss.

In reply, Somerset breezed to a revised target of 144 with 3.2 overs to spare, Rossouw blitzing seven sixes - three of them in one over off left-arm spinner Aron Nijjar - and two fours.

He was well supported by 20-year-old Will Smeed, who smashed 58 from 30 deliveries, including five sixes. His fifty came off 25 balls.

Hampshire will be aiming to bounce back from defeat in their Ageas Bowl opener to Middlesex last Friday when they welcome Rossouw and his new county colleagues tonight (7pm).

James Vince and co travel to Chelmsford to face Essex tomorrow evening.