Middlesex’s Royal London One-Day Cup group campaign draws to a close on Monday, with Glamorgan making the trip across the Severn Bridge from Cardiff to take on the Seaxes at the Home of Cricket.
Lack of consistency in this year’s competition has been Middlesex’s worst enemy, and with only two wins from their six completed matches thus far, Middlesex will be looking to finish on a high and secure a win in front of their home faithful.
Whilst the odds are heavily stacked against it, qualification from Group B is still mathematically possible for Middlesex, although reliance on a significant number of other results going in the club’s favour suggest that you’d be a brave man to put your house on it.
All Middlesex can do is beat Glamorgan at Lord’s on Monday, and beat them very heavily, to assist the club’s net run rate in a swing in the right direction from its current heavily negative position. All they can then do is sit and hope that the cards fall in their favour across the group in all other matches elsewhere on Monday and again on Tuesday and Wednesday when the group stages draw to a close.
Glamorgan’s campaign has not been without its own problems, which you’d be hard pressed to claim haven’t been that much greater than those of Middlesex. Starting the group stages on minus two points, following a points deduction from a poor pitch last season, Glamorgan were then hit with another points deduction earlier this month, as a result of the quality of the playing surface at Cardiff for the Sky televised game against Hampshire, which the umpires deemed, with good cause, as unsafe!
Without their penalties Glamorgan would be proudly sat on six points and fourth in the group, yet even after their double deduction they miraculously are still avoiding bottom spot in the group, as Sussex reside at the foot of the table, without a win to their name in the competition this term.
Middlesex will need to be at their very best on Monday to beat a Glamorgan side who have already beaten them once in white ball cricket this year, in the NatWest T20 Blast, and who Middlesex last managed to beat in a List A clash way back in 2009, when winning a NatWest Pro40 encounter at the SWALEC by 63 runs.
Injury Update
Nick Gubbins has a stress fracture in his foot, which requires immobilisation and rest for six weeks and unfortunately he will therefore be unavailable for the rest of the season.
Middlesex have named the following 13-man squad:
James Franklin (c), Nick Compton, Neil Dexter, James Harris, Junaid Khan, Dawid Malan, Tim Murtagh, Ollie Rayner, Sam Robson, Toby Roland-Jones, Gurjit Sandhu, John Simpson (wk), Paul Stirling.
Gates open at 9.30am with play due to start at 10.30am.
Tickets can be bought on the gate and cost £20 for adults, £10 for over 65s and £5 for under 16s.
NOTE TO MEMBERS
Middlesex CCC would like to advise all members attending our Royal London One-Day Cup match against Glamorgan at Lord's on Monday 17 August that the President's Box WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE for this match. MCC will instead be opening up Boxes L & M in the Tavern Stand for any members and their guests who wish to sit inside for this match.
Food and beverages will be available for members to purchase from the Upper Allen Stand Bar. Please note that seating will also still be available in front of the Middlesex Room.
