Middlesex Head Coach Stuart Law has named an unchanged squad to face Hampshire at Radlett in the Bob Willis Trophy, backing the squad that secured an opening round 190-run victory over London rivals Surrey in the Bob Willis Trophy earlier this week.
Nick Gubbins stole all the headlines in Middlesex’s dominant victory over Surrey at the Oval, hitting 252 runs in the match, although with runs from John Simpson (53 in the first innings), Martin Andersson (51 in the second innings) and Max Holden (91 runs in the game), Law will have been delighted with the time his batsmen spent in the middle and their contributions towards Middlesex's win.
With the ball it was the ever-reliable veteran seamer Tim Murtagh who did the most damage for Middlesex, picking up seven wickets in the game, whilst the rest of the bowling unit all chipped in, with wickets shared around the attack.
With both home Bob Willis Trophy clashes at Radlett this summer, Middlesex benefit from a huge amount of ‘local knowledge’ in the squad, in that many of Law’s side will have played at Cobden Hill on over a hundred occasions for Middlesex’s Second Eleven, and will be more than comfortable with their surroundings and pitch conditions.
The balance of Law’s squad looks key here, with a heavy presence of seamers to select from, supported well by two frontline spinners in Sowter and Walallawita, who can be ably supported by a third or fourth spin option in Robson and Holden. On a ground that traditionally takes spin late on in the game, Middlesex’s spinners could prove crucial at Radlett, with Robson the surprise package at the Oval, taking two crucial wickets against Surrey in a double wicket maiden.
Once again Steven Finn and Ethan Bamber miss out on squad selection, although with Law citing a clear rest and rotation policy for his pace battery this season, their time will no doubt come as the Coach looks to manage his bowlers’ workloads as the campaign progresses.
Stuart Law has named the following squad for the Hampshire clash.
Stephen Eskinazi (captain)
Martin Andersson
Miguel Cummins
Nick Gubbins
James Harris
Tom Helm
Max Holden
Tom Lace
Tim Murtagh
Sam Robson
Toby Roland-Jones
John Simpson (wicket-keeper)
Nathan Sowter
Thilan Walallawita
Middlesex
Hampshire
