Two of the less fancied sides meet at Lord’s, Middlesex looking for their first win. They have three home matches to start the competition, but played the first two at Chelmsford, losing the first to Kent Spitfires by 98 runs. They put up a better performance against Essex Eagles, posting 203/7 thanks to 85 not out from 42 balls by Max Holden, but the Eagles reached the target with 14 balls to spare. Glamorgan have also played two matches, comfortably defeated by Surrey in the first, but then beating Sussex Sharks by 25 runs on Sunday.
Both sides have had a miserable time in this competition in recent years, Middlesex occupying one of the bottom two spots in the South Group for the last three. They have not reached finals day since winning the title back in 2008, with just two quarter final appearances in the last eight years. Glamorgan have never won the competition and have not progressed from the group stages since they were a losing semi finalist in 2017. It seems unlikely that either side will fare much better this year.
Glamorgan have a strong batting line up led by Marnus Labuschagne and Colin Ingram, while Chris Cooke has also found some form with the bat. The bowling is the weak point, relying heavily on part time spin to support Mason Crane’s leggies.
Middlesex have no overseas players this year and Leus du Plooy, their main signing in the off season, missed the last game, presumably through injury, to be replaced by Martin Andersson at the top of the order. They have some youngsters in their bowling, 19-year-old Noah Cornwell given the new ball and it is difficult seeing them winning many games.
When these two sides met at Merchant Taylors’ School last year Glamorgan posted 238/3 thanks to 113 not out from Cooke, going on to win by 29 runs. In the return fixture in Cardiff Middlesex exacted revenge thanks in a large part to Ryan Higgins. He made 71 not out off 36 balls in Middlesex’s total of 200/9 and then took 3/20 as Glamorgan were dismissed for 151, Kiran Carlson with the only significant score, making 77 from 30 balls.
Glamorgan will start as favourites for this match as the Middlesex bowlers will come under pressure from the Glamorgan batting line up.
Key players
Ryan Higgins is key to Middlesex’s chances, capable of dominating games with both bat and ball, as he showed in Cardiff last year. He is approaching 2000 runs in T20 cricket having played 117 matches and also has 85 wickets at 25.75, with a slightly expensive economy rate of 9.25.
Mason Crane is on a year-long loan from Hampshire as Glamorgan look to bolster their spin bowling. They have been rather lacking in this department and he has made an impact already, leading their Championship wicket taking with 20 at 34.90. He has also been making contributions with the bat and will have an important role in getting Glamorgan into winning positions in this competition.
Team news:
James Harris has not been favoured in T20 cricket, but there are limited bowling options available. There are no known injury issues.
Glamorgan squad (probable): Kiran Carlson (c), Tom Bevan, Eddie Byrom, Chris Cooke (wk), Mason Crane, Dan Douthwaite, Andy Gorvin, Colin Ingram, Ben Kellaway, Marnus Labuschagne, Jamie McIlroy, Sam Northeast, Harry Podmore, Will Smale, Timm van der Gugten
There is no word about du Plooy’s status.
Middlesex squad (probable): Stephen Eskinazi (capt), Martin Andersson, Henry Brookes, Noah Cornwell, Joe Cracknell, Blake Cullen, Jack Davies (wk), Josh De Caires, Leus Du Plooy, Nathan Fernandes, Tom Helm, Ryan Higgins, Max Holden, Luke Hollman
Weather and Conditions
The forecast is for a fine evening.
There should not be any issues whether you bat or bowl first.
Date: 6th June 2024
Time: 18:15
Ground: Lord’s, London
