Middlesex name squad of 12 to play Warwickshire and Kent
Middlesex have named a squad of 12 for the last matches of the T20 season to play Warwickshire and Kent at Beckenham Cricket Club on Sunday.
In the batting department Middlesex will look to their skipper, Natasha Miles, and vice Naomi Dattani to set a good platform. The pair will aim to put away the bad balls and keep the run rate ticking over by running quick singles, an aspect of the county’s game that is still improving.
Maia Bouchier comes into the fixture in form with the bat following scores of 47 and 51 in Second XI matches this week. Nancy Hughes and Milly Pope also impressed for the Twos scoring 61 and 92 (68) respectively, and will be looking to continue their form if needed.
Middlesex welcome back opening right-arm quick Holly Huddleston who claimed six wickets at 18.17 in the White Ferns’ World Cup campaign, including 5-35 in the opening match against Sri Lanka. Huddleston will probably bowl in tandem with leg-spinning allrounder Dunkley who is also in fine form with the ball. Dunkley has picked up 12 wickets at 8.67 in T20s and is the leading wicket-taker in this format for Division One.
Gayatri Gole a right-arm seamer will likely be first change and has had success in the Second XI claiming an impressive 3-1 against an Essex Development XI. Dattani and Pope are two other seam options and could bowl in tandem to get a left-arm/right-arm combination – often an extra challenge for batsmen. Miles also has the option of two more spinners in leggie Emily Thorpe and off-spinner Morgan.
Second-placed Warwickshire are still in contention for the T20 title and their skipper Marie Kelly will be eager for her side to pick up two wins to maximise their chances. Likely key players for the Bears are Kelly, wicketkeeper Amy Jones, Kathryn Bryce and Rebecca Grundy.
Kelly has had a good season as a captain and batsman, scoring 167 runs in seven innings with a top score of 51 and will be looking to lead from the front on Sunday. Jones has accumulated 302 runs at 43.14 with an impressive strike rate of 131.40 across both formats and will hope to maintain her form ahead of a second season with Loughborough Lightning in the KSL. Allrounder Bryce has scored 219 runs at an average of 36.50 for the Bears this summer with a high score of 73 not out in a T20 against Surrey. Left-arm spinner Grundy has claimed ten wickets at 7.50 and has the ability to tie down the runs which could force Middlesex to attack the bowling from the other end.
Hosts Kent sit seventh on the ladder with three wins, are likely to be reliant on captain Alice Davidson-Richards and left-arm quick Natasha Farrant. Davidson-Richards has captained in Tammy Beaumont’s absence and has enjoyed success with both bat and ball, hitting 245 runs at 35.00 across both formats and taking 12 wickets at 18.17. Opening bowler Farrant has claimed 12 wickets at 13.75 in both the 50 over and 20 over games this summer.
It looks set to be an exciting day at Beckenham on Sunday with a number of Kia Super League players set to feature. Five Middlesex players; Natasha Miles, Naomi Dattani, Sophia Dunkley, Amara Carr and Holly Huddleston will all be looking to make their marks on the final T20s before they join their respective KSLteams in Lancashire Thunder, Surrey Stars and Western Storm.
Middlesex Women name the following squad for Sunday's match...
Natasha Miles (captain)
Maia Bouchier
Amara Carr
Catherine Dalton
Naomi Dattani
Sophia Dunkley
Gayatri Gole
Holly Huddleston
Nancy Hughes
Beth Morgan
Milly Pope
Emily Thorpe
Preview provided by Middlesex Women's content co-ordinator, Georgia Isaac
