Vitality T20 Blast 2023: The Rose Bowl, Southampton pitch history and T20 records

Hampshire are the defending champions of the Vitality T20 Blast. They grabbed their record third title last year after beating Lancashire in a thriller of a contest. Hampshire emerged victorious by a single run to lift the title at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Hampshire will start their title defense on May 26 when they will take on Middlesex in their opening game of the Vitality T20 Blast 2023 at The Rose Bowl in Southampton. They will play all their home games in Southampton and will look to emulate last year’s performance to win back-to-back trophies.

Ahead of Hampshire’s opening game on Friday, here’s a look at how the pitch at The Rose Bowl behaves.

The Rose Bowl, Southampton T20 records and stats

The Rose Bowl, also known as Ageas Bowl, was established in 2001. The ground with a total capacity of 6,500 has hosted plenty of games, including England’s first T20I against Australia in 2005. The capacity can be increased to 20,000 by building temporary stands. Fifty-nine T20s have taken place at this venue and the average first-innings score is 164.

T20 matches played: 59

Matches won by teams batting first: 40

Matches won by teams batting second: 18

Matches Tied: 1

Matches Abandoned: 0

Highest team score: Hampshire 221/3

Lowest team score: Glamorgan 87/10

The Rose Bowl, Southampton pitch report

The surface at The Rose Bowl is a bit on the slower side. The batters will have to be patient early on in their innings. They will have to adapt to the conditions before they can start playing high-risk strokes. The spinners enjoy bowling here as the ball grips off the surface.

Chasing has been a difficult task at The Rose Bowl. Out of 59 games, teams chasing have won only 18 times. We can expect the captains winning the toss opt to bat first at this venue in the upcoming edition of the Vitality T20 Blast.