Middlesex Head Coach Stuart Law has made one change to his squad for tonight's Vitality Blast clash with Hampshire from the squad named for yesterday's much needed seven wicket win over Glamorgan at Radlett.
Twelve of yesterday's squad retain their places, with only Tim Murtagh dropping out, who was a non-starter in yesterday's game, as he, along with Sam Robson, join up with the likes of Peter Handscomb, to head to Billericay to play for the Seconds. Attention for Murtagh and co now turns to the red ball format, with two upcoming four-day clashes against Gloucestershire at the Cheltenham Festival and then at home against Leicestershire in Northwood on the horizon.
Middlesex looked sublime yesterday, with a comprehensive victory over Glamorgan that enacted revenge for defeat down in Cardiff nine days earlier. and the addition of Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb immediately brought that spark the side needed. He was at his very best yesterday, bamboozling the Glamorgan batsmen from the outset, going for just two runs and taking a wicket in his first over back at the Club, and from there Middlesex looked in control for the vast majority of the game.
With the visitors in desperate trouble, on 77 for 6 after 12 overs, Middlesex's only wobble came when Glamorgan built a significant partnership, their only meaningful one of the game however, but this gave the visitors hope, as they accelerated their innings at the end to get up to a total of 170, which was far more than Middlesex would have hoped to have been chasing from the dominant position they were in.
This was the only negative to take from a superb performance however, and it didn't faze Steven Finn's side, as Stephen Eskinazi continued his brilliant form with the bat, adding to his 102* against Essex, and his 64 against Surrey, with a brilliant unbeaten 91 to take his side over the line to victory.
Daryl Mitchell again proved what a terrific all-round signing he is, with another three wicket haul with the ball and a rapid 32 off 13 balls with the bat, to help his side to victory, and Middlesex can quite rightly head to the Ageas Bowl tonight high in confidence coming out of a game where everything came together at the right time.
With close and extremely unlucky Blast defeats to both Gloucestershire and Essex in recent games, things could be looking so different in the South Group table, as whilst Middlesex now sit on four points, they could so easily, with a fair wind, be on eight, and sitting right on the edge of the knockout qualification spots with a game in hand on two of the sides above them.
Middlesex must focus on repeating their winning efforts again tonight against Hampshire to keep themselves in the hunt, and having already beaten tonight's opponents once this season, they have the chance to secure the double, and a win against a side that now sit at the bottom of the South Group would keep their hopes very much alive.
In a format where momentum counts for so much, victory tonight would do wonders for Middlesex's confidence ahead of two crucial Blast clashes next week against Sussex at Lord's on Thursday and Somerset in Taunton on Friday, and if they perform tonight anything like they did last night they've got every chance of building a winning run as the group stages of the competition hots up.
Stuart Law names a twelve man squad for tonight, as follows:
Steven Finn (c)
Joe Cracknell
Blake Cullen
Stephen Eskinazi
Nick Gubbins
Tom Helm
Max Holden
Luke Hollman
Daryl Mitchell
John Simpson (wk)
Nathan Sowter
Mujeeb ur Rahman
Hampshire
Middlesex
