Stuart Law’s rejuvenated Middlesex One-Day side return to Lord’s tomorrow where they’ll take on a Glamorgan outfit who have found some form of their own ahead of their visit to St. John’s Wood.
In what is shaping up to be a hugely closely fought South Group, Middlesex will be looking to maintain winning momentum tomorrow and build on a sensational performance at Radlett against Somerset last time out, as they look to seal a first ever knockout place in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
With bat, with ball, and especially in the field, Middlesex looked more vibrant, more dangerous and more spirited than sides of old, and whatever Stuart Law and his Assistant Nic Pothas have done, they’ve certainly injected a huge amount of belief and togetherness into a side that looks like it’s enjoying the white-ball transformation it’s going through.
With Dawid Malan away with England for the Radlett win Stephen Eskinazi took over the captaincy responsibilities last time out, and he did so with aplomb, as his side outplayed the then South Group leaders in all departments.
A second highest ever List-A total with the bat, of 364 for 6, saw Sam Robson smash a maiden List-A hundred and saw Nick Gubbins fall just ten short of what would have been the sixth List-A hundred of his career. With the ball James Harris, Tom Helm and Toby Roland-Jones picked up two wickets apiece, bowling with real penetration and pace throughout their spells, whilst Nathan Sowter continued his fine form with another three wickets to take him to eighteen thus far in the competition, just two behind the leading wicket-taker Saqib Mahmood of Lancashire. The 118 run victory for Middlesex did wonders for their net run rate, which had previously suffered at the hands of both Sussex and Hampshire who inflicted heavy defeats on the Seaxes.
Middlesex can quite rightly return to Lord’s with confidence high and feeling optimistic that another win tomorrow against Glamorgan will go a long way to almost sealing their place in the knockouts.
A shocking start to Glamorgan’s campaign has been arrested in recent games, as the Welshmen head into tomorrow’s encounter unbeaten in each of their last three clashes, overturning the three straight losses they suffered at the start of proceedings.
Defeats to Essex, Hampshire, Somerset saw Glamorgan sat alongside Kent at the foot of the table after three games, before a points shared rain affected match-up with Kent saw them get their first point on the board. This acted as the springboard for an impressive demolition of Surrey and an equally impressive victory over Gloucestershire which has brought them back into the group. Whilst qualification looks a long shot for the Cardiff based side, they can come to Lord’s in confident mood, knowing that recent form will make them a tough outfit for Middlesex to face. A well balanced and competitive game is on the cards at Lord’s.
With news breaking this morning that Dawid Malan has withdrawn from the England squads after sustaining a muscle injury in his groin, he will face a period on the side-lines for certain, so Stephen Eskinazi maintains the captaincy role he excelled in at Radlett. Stuart Law backs the thirteen man squad that did so well at Radlett and names an unchanged squad for the Glamorgan game as follows:
Stephen Eskinazi (Captain)
Ethan Bamber
Nick Gubbins
James Harris
Tom Helm
Max Holden
Ollie Rayner
Sam Robson
Toby Roland-Jones
George Scott
John Simpson (wicket-keeper)
Nathan Sowter
Ross Taylor
Middlesex
Glamorgan
