Middlesex First Team Coach Richard Johnson has named a thirteen-man squad to travel to the South Coast to face Sussex over the next four days with his side looking to build on successive victories in the LV= Insurance County Championship.
Last time out Middlesex backed up a brilliant innings victory over Glamorgan in Cardiff, with an equally impressive three day ten-wicket win against Leicestershire, as Johnson's side head into their fourth County Championship match of the summer unbeaten in three games and sat in third place in the Division Two table with a game in hand on all the sides around them.
Despite several influential players missing out on action due to injury over the first month of the campaign, Johnson has been able to draw upon the strength and depth of his squad without any downturn in performances to date, with all those called in to the squad stepping up and laying a firm claim for future involvement.
With the strong start Middlesex have had to the campaign, and an injury role-call including Sam Robson and Martin Andersson (missing game one), Tim Murtagh and Stephen Eskinazi (missing games two and three) and Thilan Walallawita (missing game three), few could argue that Middlesex's squad is looking far better equipped this season than in the past, with those coming in making the most of their opportunities.
Another injury concern to Tom Helm forces further shuffling of the pack for Johnson this week, with the paceman suffering from a sore side after the Leicestershire match, so Blake Cullen comes in and gets the nod in the squad, as does young left-arm seamer Ishaan Kaushal, who celebrates his first ever call up to a County Championship squad, replacing fellow seamer Toby Roland-Jones who is rested for the trip to Hove.
This gives Johnson a five-man pace attack to select from, comprising Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has shone since his arrival at Lord's, Martin Andersson, Ethan Bamber, Blake Cullen and Kaushal, with Luke Hollman providing the specialist spin option.
John Simpson maintains his spot behind the stumps, having had his best start to a County Championship season for many a year, averaging over one hundred with the bat, with six other specialist batters vying for a start this week, in Mark Stoneman, who hit his first ever hundred at Lord's against Leicestershire, Sam Robson, Robbie White, Captain Peter Handscomb, Josh De Caires and Max Holden all in the mix.
With Sussex's campaign starting poorly this term, without a win in four games, drawing two and losing two of their opening encounters, Middlesex will be in positive and optimistic mood heading to the South Coast, although they'll need to maintain the discipline they've shown in their own performances to date, not least of all because they could be facing up to their former teammate Steven Finn, who if fit and available after missing out on Sussex's last Championship encounter, will no doubt be looking to put on a show against his former club.
Middlesex have named the following thirteen-man squad for this week's clash:
Sussex
Middlesex
