Following the disappointment of a washed out NatWest T20 Blast encounter at Lord's last night, when prolonged rain, thunder and lightning forced the abandonment of Middlesex's home clash with Sussex without a single ball being bowled, Middlesex's attention turns to tonight's derby against London rivals Surrey at the Kia Oval.
Whilst a point for Middlesex last night keeps them just two points and only one win away from top spot in the South Group with a game in hand on every other side around them, skipper Dawid Malan will have been disappointed that the rain put paid to any chance he had of leading a near full strength Middlesex side into battle at the Home of Cricket in front of a home crowd of around 17,000.
For the trip to the Kia Oval, Malan again has the vast majority of the Middlesex armoury at his disposal tonight, with the in-form pairing of Brendon McCullum and Eoin Morgan, as well as Malan himself, leading the charge with the bat, whilst with the ball, Steven Finn and Mitchell McClenaghan will spearhead the pace battery in an attack to rival any.
With only one defeat in four matches played to date this term, early signs are that Middlesex's fortunes in the short form of the game have most certainly turned a corner, but all this counts for nothing if Middlesex don't build from here and continue to put points on the board in their quest to reach the knockout stages of this competition for the first time since they lifted the trophy back in 2008.
With Malan at the helm, and with the depth of quality and experience that his side possesses, there's a new steel and determination to be seen in this Middlesex side this season, and against a strong and talented Surrey T20 side in front of a partisan crowd at the Oval, Malan will need his side to display these qualities in abundance if Middlesex's resurgence is to continue.
Middlesex are pleased to announce the follownig 13-man squad to play against Surrey in the NatWest T20 Blast match tonight, Friday 17 June at the Kia Oval:
Dawid Malan (c), Steven Finn, James Fuller, James Franklin, Nick Gubbins, Ryan Higgins, Mitchell McClenaghan, Brendon McCullum, Eoin Morgan, Ollie Rayner, Toby Roland-Jones, John Simpson, Nathan Sowter.
