Hampshire can’t just rely on their international stars – they need others to produce a big 2021 Championship season

The Pakistan international bowler took 79 Division 2 wickets in 19 Championship outings for the east Midlands county across the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.

Available for the first two months of this year’s first class programme, the fixture list gives Abbas a familiar ground on which to make his competitive Hampshire debut as part of a mouthwatering new ball pairing with fellow overseas Kyle Abbott.

James Vince’s side will also face Somerset, Surrey, Middlesex and Gloucestershire in 10 group games - most of which will be played before the T20 Blast starts in early June.

The top two counties will qualify for Division 1, with a chance to compete in the season-closing Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s in September.

Here, The News looks at how Hampshire could line-up in what will be their first trip to Leicestershire since Vince and Abbott helped them a 278-run Division 2 victory en route to the title in 2014.

Joe Weatherley

First class stats: 37 matches, 1,421 runs @ 25.83. HS - 126no. 1 x 100, 7 x 50.

The 24-year-old is ‘on the verge’ of becoming a quality performer, according to Vince. No longer classed as a promising youngster, having made his first class debut in 2016, the opening batsman needs to build on last season’s displays.

Weatherley was Hampshire’s top scorer in their five Bob Willis Trophy games, with 263 at 43.83. Sam Northeast was second highest with 181 in a tournament where Hampshire struggled for runs throughout.

Indeed, the county only picked up four batting bonus points in 2020 - the joint worst among the 18 counties, along with Leicestershire and Northants. It goes without saying they will need a drastic improvement if they are to claim a top two finish in their group.

Weatherley has only passed 50 eight times in 59 first class innings for Hampshire. He needs to improve those stats to back up Vince’s assertion.

Ian Holland

First class stats: 31 matches, 986 runs @ 23.47. HS - 143. 1 x 100, 5 x 50. Bowling - 57 wickets @ 26.19. BB - 6-60.

The all-rounder will almost certainly start the season as Weatherley’s opening partner, after batting at 7 or 8 in the opening three Willis Trophy ties of 2020. But it was only after being promoted to open in the last fixture against Kent that he scored 42, his highest innings of the competition.

Holland averaged 31.86 in the 2019 Championship, where his scores as opener included 143 against Warwickshire - his sole first class century - and 60 and 69 in the same match against Kent. More of the same will delight Vince.

Bowling-wise, Holland was Hampshire’s leading Willis Trophy wicket-taker with 17 at 17.47, including 6-60 against Surrey (the fifth best figures in the competition). His seasonal best haul remains 19 in 2017, but that was from three more matches than in 2020. If Abbott and Abbas are struggling to take wickets, Holland could have a key role to play this summer as a back-up seamer.

Tom Alsop

First class stats: 49 matches, 1,999 runs @ 25.96. HS - 150. 2 x 100, 14 x 50.

Like Weatherley, Alsop - now 25 - is in need of pushing on and boosting a career first class average of under 26.

It’s seven years since Alsop, the only left-hander among the county’s likely top order, made his first class debut for the county and in 81 innings he has only reached 100 twice.

It could be a concern that Hampshire’s top three - Weatherley, Holland and Alsop - have just four first class centuries in 117 matches between them.

Alsop only averaged 23.53 from 11 games in 2019, and of his 353 runs in 18 innings he scored 150 in one of them. Last season was similar, a top score of 87 v Surrey in a total of 164 runs from seven innings at 23.42.

It cannot be left to the two most experienced batsmen - Vince and Sam Northeast - to hold the top order together; others, with considerable first class experience under their belts, must step up to the plate.

Sam Northeast

First class stats: 170 matches, 10,365 runs @ 38.82. HS - 191. 24 x 100, 53 x 50.

Arguably one of the best batsmen of his generation never to have won a Test cap, Northeast - along with Vince, Liam Dawson, Abbott and Abbas - gives the county an experienced spine of proven, consistent and international quality.

In 2019 he struck 969 Championship runs at 51.00 - only Dom Sibley and Gary Ballance scored more among Division 1 batsmen (and Ballance only scored six more from one more visit to the crease).

If he can replicate that form - he compiled three centuries and five half-centuries two years ago - then Northeast will have done his bit to give Hampshire a chance of reaching Division 1.

James Vince

First class stats: 162 matches, 9,692 runs @ 38.92. HS - 240. 25 x 100, 36 x 50.

During his captaincy, Vince has batted regularly at 3 and 4, but he ended 2019 at No 5 - hitting an imperious 142 on his last Ageas Bowl outing against Somerset.

The skipper - who averages 40.18 for the county in the first class game - could bat at 5 again behind Weatherley, Holland, Alsop and Northeast. But wherever he appears in the order Hampshire will want him building on solid foundations rather than repairing early damage.

Liam Dawson

First class stats: 152 matches, 7,363 runs @ 33.46. HS - 169. 9 x 100, 41 x 50. Bowling - 205 wickets @ 35.21. BB - 7-51.

Like his skipper, Dawson missed a large chunk of Hampshire’s 2019 Championship season due to international commitments. He played in eight of the 14 Division 1 games, while Vince only played six.

The fact both men should be available for the whole of this summer’s first class fixture list is a massive boost for Hampshire.

A consistent performer with the bat, Dawson has passed 50 on 50 occasions in first class cricket. He has also bagged 205 first class wickets, including 31 in the Championship in 2017 at 26.09.

If Vince decides to leave out Mason Crane, Dawson will be his sole slow bowling option. In 2019 Hampshire relied almost exclusively on a pace attack, but they could need more wicket-taking variety to challenge for Division 1 cricket in the weeks and months that lie ahead.

Lewis McManus

First class stats: 44 matches, 1,5563 runs @ 27.29. HS - 132no. 1 x 100, 7 x 50. Catches - 94. Stumpings - 12.

The wicket-keeper is a handy middle order batsman - he averages more in first class cricket than Weatherley, Holland and Alsop.

It’s now seven years since he celebrated his 1st XI debut with two centuries as an opener against Cardiff University - a match sadly not granted first class status, otherwise McManus would have created history as the first player to score two tons on his first class debut.

It is five years since his best season with the bat - 493 first class runs at 37.92 with his solae century (132 not out against Surrey, batting at No 6) and three half-centuries. In 31 subsequent matches, he only has three half-centuries. Like Weatherley and Alsop, therefore, consistency will be key moving forward.

Kyle Abbott

First class stats: 114 matches, 442 wickets @ 20.94. BB - 9-40. Batting - 2,427 runs @ 19.11. HS - 97 not out. 9 x 50.

Vince will be hoping the South African pace ace can carry on tormenting Championship batsmen in his fifth season at The Ageas Bowl.

Abbott first bagged 36 wickets when Hampshire won promotion from Division 2 in 2014.

In his subsequent hree years with the county in the top flight - 2017-19 inclusive - he claimed a stunning 182 Championship wickets. Only Essex spinner Simon Harmer (212) took more.

In his last season, Abbott took 71 wickets in 13 games, including a county record 17-86 match haul against Somerset. Due to the pandemic, this week’s game at Leicestershire is his first first class game since his last Hampshire outing at Canterbury 20 months ago.

Abbott has bagged 16 hauls of five or more Championship wickets for Hampshire, and his new ball partnership with Abbas will go a long way to deciding which division the county are playing in come September.

Mohammad Abbas

First class stats: 116 matches, 485 wickets @ 21.01. BB - 8-46.

The Pakistan international’s recent arrival gives Hampshire, on paper anyway, as good a new ball pairing as any in the Championship.

Abbas is proven in English conditions; he was a hit in his two seasons with Leicestershire in 2018 and 2019, taking 50 Championship wickets in 10 games in the first year (av 17.72) and 29 in nine in the second (av 25.75).

His Test record - 84 wickets in 23 appearances at 22.80 - is another indicator as to why Hampshire were keen to use their second foreign arrival to boost their bowling attack rather than their top order.

Three years ago Abbas shone in early season British conditions - taking nine wickets in Pakistan’s Test against Ireland in Dublin in May and then winning the man of the match award for his 4-21 and 4-42 spells in the victory at Lord’s shortly after.

Available until the end of May, Abbas will be hoping for similar performances in a Hampshire shirt. The county will look to bring him back in September, but only if they are playing in Division 1.

Brad Wheal

First class stats: 28 matches, 61 wickets @ 37.42. BB - 6-51.

Unlucky with injuries since making his Hampshire debut six years ago, the seam bowler is still only 24.

Last summer he played three Willis Trophy ties, the first time he had appeared in first class cricket for over two years.

Wheal is in line to face Leicestershire after his pre-season displays - in Abbas’ absence he was asked to share the new ball with Abbott against Northants and was also second change against Sussex.

His first class bowling average is expensive - his best season featured 20 Championship wickets in 2016 - and he is another who must be filed under the ‘needs to start producing consistently’ category alongside Weatherley and Alsop.

Scott Currie

First class stats: 1 match, 3 wickets @ 19.33. BB - 3-42.

The 19-year-old made an encouraging first class debut in the final Willis Trophy game of 2020 at Canterbury. Batting at No 8 he was second top scorer in the first innings with 38 and was chief wicket-taker with 3-42 as the hosts were bowled out cheaply in their first innings (though, thanks to Zak Crawley’s second innings ton, Kent still triumphed).

Currie was used in both pre-season games, and was the first change against Sussex after Abbott and Abbas had shared the new ball. If Vince decides to go with four frontline seamers in the curtain-raiser, the youngster could get an early-season chance to impress in what is otherwise an experienced Hampshire XI.

Seamer Keith Barker and batsman Aneurin Donald will be pushing for a place in the Championship XI when fit.

Neither took part in any of the two pre-season friendlies, with Barker still recovering from a knee op last year and Donald suffering a setback in his return from an ACL op in 2019.

Both made a big impression in their first season at The Ageas Bowl two years ago.

Donald struck 554 runs at 39.57, including 173 batting at No 6 against Warwickshire, while Barker claimed 37 wickets as Hampshire finished in their highest Championship position since 2008.

Mason Crane and James Fuller will also be hoping to feature after worthwhile contributions in the Willis Trophy.

Crane missed the whole of Hampshire’s 2018 season due to injury and only played six of the 14 Championship games the following year. But he bounced back with 14 wickets in four Willis ties and confidence was further boosted with 3-43 - all tailend wickets - in the friendly against Sussex.

Fuller played in four of the five Willis games - taking a hat-trick against Surrey - but Hampshire were short of experience then and the all-rounder was mainly used in one-day games in 2019, his first season after joining from Middlesex.

Fuller was only asked to bowl two overs in the friendlies against Northants and Sussex, which does not suggest he is in the early-season Championship picture.