Middlesex Head Coach, Stuart Law, names a squad of fourteen for the opening clash of the 2021 LV= Insurance County Championship season, starting tomorrow at Lord’s against Somerset.
Middlesex’s pre-season plans have seen them take on both Yorkshire and Kent at Merchant Taylors’ School in separate two-day friendlies last week, and Surrey at the Oval in a three-day encounter over the Easter weekend, with Law and his coaching team able to take plenty of positives out of each encounter.
Ahead of the season Law will have been pleased with the application shown from his top order batsmen - an area singled out by the Australian last season as an area that required focus and improvement going into this season, as each of Robson, Gubbins, Holden, Eskinazi and White spent valuable time in middle and scored runs freely.
The bowlers have looked in good rhythm too, and it was great to see Toby Roland-Jones back with ball in hand and looking sharp, having returned from a season on the side-lines in 2020. A full complement of fit seamers in the squad affords Law the opportunity to rest and rotate his pace battery, with James Harris missing out on the opener this week, in a strong seam attack named by Law.
The part-time spin of Gubbins and Robson was put into good effect in pre-season, with the duo picking up useful and timely wickets against both Kent and Surrey, and without a frontline spinner named for the Somerset clash, they will be the likely men that Law will turn to if spin is required at Lord’s over the next four days, with further support on offer from Holden.
Stephen Eskinazi holds on to the captaincy reins, in the absence of overseas signing Peter Handscomb, who will not be joining up with the Middlesex side until the third match of the campaign, when Middlesex are set to face Surrey at Lord’s.
Middlesex’s last encounter with Somerset in the Championship came at the end of the 2017 season, when Middlesex were beaten in the final game of the season to confirm their relegation to Division Two, and Law’s men will be keen to reverse that result here at Lord’s to get their season off to a winning start.
Middlesex have named the following fourteen-man squad:
Stephen Eskinazi (captain)
Martin Andersson
Ethan Bamber
Blake Cullen
Jack Davies
Steven Finn
Nick Gubbins
Tom Helm
Max Holden
Tim Murtagh
Sam Robson
Toby Roland-Jones
John Simpson (wicket-keeper)
Robbie White
Additional Information
This match will be played behind closed doors, with no spectator admission allowed.
The match will be available to view on Middlesex’s enhanced live stream, available on the Club’s website in the Match Centre section.
