Middlesex CCC

With the season turned to the red ball we must hope that our batsmen can finally turn around their seasons too. They will need to if we are to best Lancashire, Durham and Derbyshire in the upcoming matches.
With only two of our batsmen in the top 40 of the Division Two averages (Malan and Simpson) (more than 5 innings) and our opening bats currently lying at numbers 45, 80 and 116 in the table it is going to be a big ask. Let's hope they can do it.
If not then its over to the bowlers to bat us up to a competitive score, as it seems they have done for most of the season.
Promotion is still possible. But we need the batsmen to step up and do the business.
And, of course, for the weather to be kind.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 14/09/2019 04:11 by BarmierKev.

This may as well become the Durham match thread.

A reminder of the table, All teams have completed 11 matches.

Lancashire 181
Gloucestershire 152
Northants 138
Glamorgan 133
Durham 128
Sussex 122
Middlesex 117
Derbyshire 112
Worcestershire 94
Leicestershire 89

We play Durham
Gloucestershire v Sussex
Lancashire v Derbyshire
Leicestershire v Northants
Worcestershire v Glamorgan.

A good 22 point win for us (I'm not going to assume we score more than 349 in our first innings!) would take us up to 139 and keep Durham down to something like 135.

We could do with Gloucestershire beating Sussex (accept Gloucs get 2nd promotion spot) keeping Sussex at around 130, and Worcestershire to beat Glamorgan, keeping Glammy to around 140, and Leicstershire to beat Northants (unlikely!) to keep Northants to about 146.

Unlikely all the other matches will produce the results we need, but before we start worrying about what happens elsewhere we must beat Durham, otherwise we can forget promotion for another year.

It would help Middlesex’s chances of getting into good match positions and achieving batting points if our batsmen get themselves started and convert their starts into big scores, something which opposing batsmen seem to have done more often than ours this season.

The only day of the match that doesn’t have a good weather forecast is Wednesday, so there is a decent chance of a result.

Due to the development of the Edrich and Compton stands, there will be some disruption for those attending this match and our match v Derbyshire at Lord’s two weeks later, as the ground can only be accessed from the Grace Gate (which will result in a long walk round for those arriving from St. John’s Wood station), the view from the Allen stand may be restricted due to the groundstaff’s equipment being moved to the Pavilion end, the Compton stand scoreboard has been decommissioned, and I imagine that it will not be possible to take a full walk around the ground.

As the scheduled start each day will be 10:30am, I don't think there would be much point in me setting my sights on attending the conclusion of each day’s play.

The not very reliable weather forecast is currently suggesting there may be rain interuptions on Wednesday and Thursday.

[www.metoffice.gov.uk]

14 man squad announced-

Malan (c), Cummins, Eskinazi, Finn, Gubbins, Harris, Helm, Holden, Murtagh, Robson, Roland-Jones, Scott, Simpson (wk), Sowter.

Just the six pace bowlers included, with all those involved in the T20 campaign presumably fit...

Two of our opponents are interested promotion candidates themselves, points wise, with a healthier points bank account than THE MIDDLE.

Helm,Scott and Sowter to have rest this game.
Batting points,we require Batting points!

Despite Middlesex signing Miguel Cummins, the interesting omissions in our squad do not come in the fast bowling department, as all of the fast bowlers whose place in our side was made vulnerable due to Cummins signing are included (indeed, Ethan Bamber and Tom Barber are our only fast bowlers with 1st XI experience not included). Instead, the interesting omissions come in other departments in the form of Eoin Morgan (not that I really expected him to be involved, especially as he has previously said that he was looking forward to the season ending due to his back problem), Ollie Rayner (despite Nathan Sowter being yet to impress) and Paul Stirling (despite scoring 138 v Glamorgan at Radlett to give him an average of 50.00 to sit ahead of all of the rest of our squad bar Dawid Malan, although admittedly Stirlo’s three other innings have yielded just 12 runs).

It will be interesting to see which three players will miss out. I imagine that our line-up will cause some debate when it is announced.

Durham have named a 13-man squad for this match consisting of Chris Rushworth, Gareth Harte, Brydon Carse, Alex Lees, Angus Robson, Nathan Rimmington, Cameron Steel, Liam Trevaskis, Scott Steel, Matt Salisbury, Peter Handscomb, Ned Eckersley (c, wk) and Ben Raine.

Eckersley seems to often do well when he plays against us, while Cameron Steel (who, as I far I am aware, is not related to Scott Steel) is set to play against the side who opted against selecting him for the 1st XI. Angus Robson was also previously on our books, and will play against brother Sam if our batting line-up contains no surprises and if Durham don’t make mass changes to the batting line-up which posted 544-9 dec in their previous County Championship match v Leicestershire at Chester-le-street. One member of that batting-line up that won’t play however is second top-scorer Jack Burnham, who made 86, but is ruled out of tomorrow's match due to a niggle.

Stuart Law has spoken to our YouTube page ahead of this match.

I saw a Tweet saying that Morgan has unveiled a repainted postbox next to St. John’s Wood station to honour England winning the World Cup, so I was going to write that people attending this match (and future matches for that matter) will be likely to notice it if they come out of the station. However, as the post box is on Acacia Road, I am not sure how many people who use the station will notice it. Then again, the fact that everyone attending this match will probably have to enter via the Grace Gate means that they may notice the postbox near this gate, as I believe that has also now been repainted.

[edited to correct grammar]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2019 23:04 by Jonathan Winsky.

JW- I think Ollie Rayner is back on loan at Kent.

I don't know if our attitude now is that Paul Stirling is history, as he won't be here next year.

Max Holden's big hundred in the 2's last week means he deserves a recall.

Eski a trifle fortunate to retain his place.

I'm going to guess Cummins plays ahead of Finn (clearly at least one other seamer will also need to be left out as well).

Rayner signed to play eight games for Kent on loan.

I wonder how Bamber feels not even in the squad

Y no TRJ? Or Helm?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2019 11:22 by freddie tittlemouse.

Same old rubbish bowling from Finn and Harris. Why is Helm not playing?

Tom Helm awarded county cap.

147 all out.

Will we do any better?

Come on Middlesex!!!!

Quote:

GPM
Same old rubbish bowling from Finn and Harris. Why is Helm not playing?

Bump...

And a nice green 0 on the over rate.

Pleased to see Holden at 5. He seems to do a lot better at 5 or 6 rather than opening

Quote:

antryg
Pleased to see Holden at 5. He seems to do a lot better at 5 or 6 rather than opening

Well-

not a lot better.

About five runs better.