Middlesex have named an unchanged squad of fifteen for tomorrow's Vitality Blast clash against Essex at Lord's.
The Seaxes will take to the stage at 6.15pm, as part of a double-header fixture, with Sunrisers entertaining Blaze in the afternoon game, starting at 2.15pm.
Both home sides will be hoping for better fortunes in tomorrow's double-header, after they each suffered defeats last week in the first of two double headers at Lord's, with Sunrisers losing out to the South East Stars and Middlesex going down to Glamorgan.
Tomorrow Middlesex face an Essex side who have already beaten them once this season, with Essex triumphing at Chelmsford in round two of the Blast, securing a four wicket win, and Middlesex will be keen to reverse that result.
Middlesex head into this one after a hugely disappointing display last night, when defeat by nine wickets to Somerset was the net result of the Seaxes posting their lowest-ever T20 total, of just 78, surpassing the previous lowest score of 80, set against Kent in 2022.
They went into the game without lading T20 player Leus du Plooy, who missed out on the clash through illness.
There were signs of encouragement for Middlesex last weekend, when a comprehensive and assured all-round performance saw them overturn the Kent Spitfires by four wickets in Canterbury, and get the first win of this year's campaign on the board, with the batting units and bowling units both delivering the goods in tandem to secure the win, in what was a brilliantly times run chase.
All that promise fell away however last night however, when on a surprisingly pacey and lively wicket at Lord's, the home side's batters struggled to cope with the conditions and a quality Somerset pace attack, with Riley Meredith and Craig Overton doing most of the damage.
Four wickets in the powerplay overs put Middlesex deep in trouble, from which they never recovered, as the visitors attack rolled them for 78.
Somerset's victory took them to the top of the South Group table, whilst for Middlesex it was another defeat that sees them remain at the foot of the table.
With Thursday's game being played on the same deck as last night, the Middlesex batters will at least know what's coming this time round, and will hopefully be able to use this to their strengths and adjust their attacking plans accordingly.
Essex come to Lord's with a record of two wins and two losses from their opening four games, currently lying sixth of nine in the table. They'll be targeting a victory that will take them level with those at the top of a tightly contested group, whilst Middlesex will have their sights set on securing a second victory that would take them off the foot of the table if Gloucestershire are unable to match their result.
For Essex, the top order pairing of Michael Pepper and Dean Elgar are the leading run-scorers, with 139 runs and 123 runs respectively. Close behind is Jordan Cox, with 103.
On the wicket taking front, Daniel Sams and Paul Walter are leading the way, with seven wickets apiece, with Aaron Beard and Matt Critchley following up with four wickets apiece.
The honours were shared between the two counties last season, with Essex winning by 22 runs at Lord's and Middlesex winning by two wickets in Chelmsford.
Middlesex have named the following fifteen man squad for tomorrow's clash:
For those unable to come to Lord's to watch the game, a live stream of the game will be broadcast by the Club, available to watch for free on the Club's YouTube channels.
Middlesex
Essex
