Having played a floodlit encounter down in Taunton last night against Somerset, Middlesex have no time to dwell on what was a hugely disappointing evening, as we’re straight back into Vitality Blast action again tonight, when we take on Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton.
Middlesex First Team Coach, Richard Johnson, has named an unchanged squad of 14 for the clash on the south coast, where we’ll be looking to return to winning ways.
Against Somerset, Middlesex performed brilliantly with the bat, having been stuck in, as we smashed our joint second highest T20 total ever, 229 for 5, with Max Holden and Ben Geddes leading the way. Mistakes in the field cost us dearly however, opening the door for Somerset to chase the total down and secure an impressive victory!
Holden’s knock of 87 off 47 balls including 12 fours and one six, at a strike rate of 185.10 and Geddes’ knock of 69 off just 32 deliveries, with seven sixes and two fours at a strike rate of 216.62 both proved to be in vain, as an uncharacteristic poor performance in the field allowed Somerset to knock off the runs in the final over of their chase.
We now head to Southampton needing to put last night behind us quickly and focus on the challenge of Hampshire, who themselves have got off to a flyer in their own Blast campaign this season.
Hampshire won each each of their opening three encounters to take their place at the top of the South Group table, although came unstuck in their last outing, suffering their first defeat of the campaign to Kent Spitfires.
In their opener, they started with a comprehensive victory against Essex, who were well beaten by 106 runs down in Southampton. Batting first Hampshire amassed a huge total of 230, with runs from opener Toby Albert (54 off 34), skipper James Vince (62 off 31) and number three Dewald Brevis (68 off 32). They then skittled Essex for just 124, to secure a big win, with Liam Dawson taking 4 for 26 and Scott Currie 3 for 20.
Next time out they backed it up with a tight DLS win against Surrey at the Oval. It was another strong performance with the ball that set the victory up, as Surrey were restricted to just 141 for 7 in their 20 overs. Hampshire had Albert and Vince to thank again for the win, as the opening pair batted with intent in an unbeaten opening partnership to get ahead of the DLS par score, and when the heavens opened, Hampshire were comfortably in the ascendancy – securing an important 15-run DLS win, with Albert scoring 28* and Vince 33*.
They then made it three from three against Gloucestershire next time out, when again it was with the ball that the game was won. Gloucestershire were rolled for just 119, to leave Hampshire with a comfortable run chase, as Albert’s top score of 73* off 44 balls did most of the damage, as Hampshire got home three down with five overs to spare.
Hampshire’s perfect start was ended in their last encounter, when Kent got the better of them down in Canterbury. Batting first Hampshire’s 177 looked competitive, however Daniel Bell-Drummond (61) and Zak Crawley (75*) had other ideas, as they took their side to victory for the loss of just two wickets with time to spare.
Most of the heavy lifting from the Hampshire batters this term has been done by Albert, who leads the way with 173 runs. He’s followed by the experienced and dangerous Vince, with 118 runs, whilst Brevis comes next with 101.
With the ball, the wickets have been shared around, with Currie leading the way with seven. Close behind him are Chris Wood with 6, John Turner with 5 and Dawson with 4.
With Middlesex looking to shake of the frustration and disappointment of last night and get back to winning ways, tonight’s clash is more important than ever.
You can watch the game unfold as it happens, on a live stream being broadcast by our hosts Hampshire, which will be available to watch on the Middlesex website in the match centre.
Middlesex have named the following fourteen-man squad for tonight’s clash at the Utilita Bowl:
Hampshire Hawks Men
Middlesex Men
