Hampshire’s t20 hopes have been given a boost after the ECB confirmed that England pair Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann are unavailable to play for Nottinghamshire in tomorrow’s quarter-final.

Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara and Matt Prior have all been made available for today’s Friends Life t20 quarter-finals by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

All three were involved in the first Investec Test against South Africa, which ended yesterday at The Oval.

Bopara and Cook are both in the Essex squad to face Somerset in a 4.15pm start at Taunton.

Prior is free to play for Sussex in their home clash against Gloucestershire which gets under way at 7.10pm.

But while the batsmen have been given the chance to represent their counties, England have exercised more care over their bowlers, who have been made to toil for long periods by the Proteas this week.

Nottinghamshire will not be able to call on Broad or Swann for their meeting with Hampshire, while Tim Bresnan will play no part in Yorkshire’s fixture against Worcestershire.