Middlesex First Team Coach, Richard Johnson, has named a squad of fourteen for this week's LV= Insurance County Championship clash against London rivals, and Division One table toppers, Surrey at Lord's, as we look to build on last week's draw with Northamptonshire at Merchant Taylors' School.
There is just one change to the squad that was named to face Northamptonshire last week, with seam all-rounder Martin Andersson coming into the group of fourteen, to replace spinning all-rounder Luke Hollman who drops out of the squad.
Last week's encounter in Northwood proved to be an absolute thriller, providing great entertainment for all in attendance on the final day of the game, as Middlesex chased what looked to be an improbable target of 323 for victory from the 92 overs that remained! In what was a near perfectly timed chase, we kept wickets in hand deep into the innings to launch a late onslaught, before falling agonisingly just one run short of our victory target, scrambling nine runs from the final over of the game when needing ten to win - ending on 322 for 6 to tie the scores and draw the game.
Whilst the end result went down as a draw, the competition rules state that in the event of the scores being level when the match ends, the side batting second and chasing the target earns three more points for the 'draw' if they are not bowled out. The net result of this was that we took twelve points from the game, compared to 8 by Northants, seeing us pull sixteen points ahead of them in the Division One table, whilst also closing the gap on Kent above us, who now sit just eleven points ahead - but with Middlesex still crucially having a game in hand on them.
It was a much improved performance from Middlesex with the ball, on a wicket that proved difficult to take wickets on. The deck offered some assistance for the seamers, but not much in the way of turn for the spinners, even as the game wore on. Despite this, we bowled with discipline and control throughout the game, always maintaining a tight hold on the Northants run rate.
With the bat there was were positives too, with Sam Robson hitting our first century of the season, his highest score of the summer, 125*, and John Simpson also weighing in with his highest knock of the year to date, 75, as we wracked up 322 in the second innings. Another batting point in the bank came from our first innings too, which hopefully signals the turning of a corner for the top and middle order as we look to finish the season well with the bat.
We have revenge in our sights this week, after our South London rivals came out on top when the two sides met earlier this year at the Kia Oval, with Surrey securing a nine wicket victory on home soil.
Runs from Sam Robson (76) and Pieter Malan (66) were the only positives to take from our first innings, in which were were dismissed for just 209 inside 67 overs, before Surrey's reply of 380 put them in control. When we faired little better in our second innings, dismissed for 240, the writing was already on the wall, as Surrey knocked off their small target for the loss of just one wicket to secure an important win in the first of this year's two London red-ball derbies.
Dan Worrall and Gus Atkinson did most of the damage back in May at the Oval, with the two quicks picking up five wickets each in the game, and Middlesex's batters will need to show plenty of resolve again this week, much like they did last, if we are to put a significant score on the board and bat ourselves into contention.
Surrey were the runaway early pace setters in Division One, winning five and drawing two of their opening seven games, however a loss to Lancashire and a draw with Nottinghamshire in their last two encounters has seen the chasing pack of Essex, Warwickshire and Hampshire close the gap on them at the top.
Surrey's run scoring has largely been spread around the group, with no fewer than six batters averaging above forty this year and five batters currently having surpassed 400 runs in the Championship. Dom Sibley leads the way, with 566 runs, followed by Ben Foakes (507), Jamie Smith (486), Sean Abbott (441), and Rory Burns (401).
With the ball Jordan Clark leads the way, with 35 wickets this term, closely followed by Worrall with 33 and Abbott with 30. Clark's haul sees him currently the fifth highest wicket taker in Division One, with Worrall in eighth place and Abbott in twelfth.
Middlesex will need to be right on their A game this week to give Surrey a run for their money, but with batters coming in to form last week, and the bowling unit much improved, there's no shortage of belief going into what is another crucial Championship encounter against our neighbours from across the river.
Our fourteen man squad for the game is as follows:
Middlesex
Surrey
