The rather chaotic nature of the fixture lists means that these two sides met just five weeks ago, in round three of the County Championship, and on that occasion Middlesex had much the better of things, winning by nine wickets. The Middlesex bowling attack was too good for the Glamorgan batters at Lord’s, dismissing them for 199 in the first innings. Middlesex then racked up 470/9 declared, thanks to a century from Max Holden and 83 from Ben Geddes, despite four wickets from Ben Kellaway. A more resilient batting display from the visitors in their second innings meant they avoided an innings defeat, but Middlesex were left needing just 59 to win.
Since then Glamorgan have picked themselves up, with two wins from their last two games, while Middlesex have had mixed fortunes as they have beaten Kent, but went down last week to the runaway leaders of Division Two, Leicestershire. In this game it was a second innings batting collapse that let the Foxes in, going from 65/1 to 143 all out.
Over recent years it has been the batting that has been the main problem for Middlesex, as indicated by the relative paucity of batting bonus points. They have had to fill the spot at the top of the order left by Mark Stoneman’s departure, and although Sam Robson has returned from paternity leave, he has made only one meaningful score in six innings. Max Holden has stepped up to open and has done well, scoring 586 runs at 48.83. However, the next highest run scorer is Ben Geddes with 388 at 35.27.
The evergreen Toby Roland-Jones is leading the way again with the ball, taking 22 wickets at 27.04, while Middlesex have sorted out their spin deficiencies with the signing of Zafar Gohar, who is the leading spinner in Division Two with 21 wickets at 28.47. They might have hoped for a little more from Dane Paterson, who has taken 10 wickets in his four matches at 42.20.
Glamorgan have struggled to bowl sides out in recent seasons, but have found a way in their last two games. Their overseas signing, Asitha Fernando has found his rhythm, taking 10 wickets in these two matches, matched by club stalwart Timm van der Gugten. The return to the side of Andy Gorvin, following the failed experiment with Shoaib Bashir, has also helped as he has taken 16 wickets at a miserly 18.00.
The standout performances have come from 21-year-old Ben Kellaway, who has taken 11 wickets with his off spin and leads the run scoring with 481 at 68.71, including a century and three fifties.
Glamorgan have struggled at the top of the order for many years, but seem to have found a couple of youngsters who look to be settling into the role. In particular, 21-year-old Jersey-born Asa Tribe, who has come to Glamorgan’s attention through Cardiff UCCE. He has been playing for Jersey since 2021, but only made his first class debut at the end of last season. He has played the last three matches, and made 209 runs at 52.25, including two half centuries.
Middlesex will take confidence from their relatively comfortable win in April, but Glamorgan look to be playing with more confidence. The issue for Glamorgan is the lack of depth in their pace bowling resources, and while they might have enough left in the tank at the moment, it has a habit of catching up with them as the season progresses.
Key players:
There will be some pressure on Marnus Labuschagne when he walks out to bat this week, having registered a duck and just four runs in the last game. He has come in for two matches as preparation for the World Test Championship final, replacing Colin Ingram, who had been Glamorgan’s leading run scorer. There is no debating his quality and he will be keen to put a big score on the board.
Since Ryan Higgins‘ return in 2022, initially on loan, his record must have the Middlesex management scratching their heads as to why they let him depart to Gloucestershire in 2018. A little bit quicker than he appears, he is regularly at or near the top of the counties runs and wickets statistics. By his own standards, he has had a slow start to the 2025 season, with 277 runs at 25.18, and 13 wickets at 33.3. He will be keen to improve on that this week.
Team News:
Van der Gugten and Fernando have played all six matches for Glamorgan so far, and while Fernando will likely play his last game for the county, having come to the end of his contract, van der Gugten might be given a rest and Ned Leonard come in. Australian all rounder Hayden Kerr has arrived for the Blast, but is also available for Championship games.
Glamorgan squad (probable): Sam Northeast (c), Kiran Carlson, Chris Cooke (wk), Mason Crane, Asitha Fernando, Andrew Gorvin, James Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Ben Kellaway, Ned Leonard, Will Smale, Asa Tribe, Zain ul-Hassan, Timm van der Gugten
One Middlesex player who has not featured this season is Tom Helm, although he is playing a second team T20 game this week. 19-year-old seamer Naavya Sharma came in last week to make his maiden first team appearance.
Middlesex squad (probable): Toby Roland-Jones (c), Henry Brookes, Blake Cullen, Jack Davies (wk), Leus du Plooy, Stephen Eskinazi, Ben Geddes, Zafar Gohar, Ryan Higgins, Max Holden, Luke Hollman, Dane Paterson, Sam Robson, Naavya Sharma
Weather and Conditions
With the wind switching around to the west, there looks like being a break in the dry weather. While Friday is set fair, rain is set to come in on Saturday, and will be around for the remainder of the match.
Pitches at Sophia Gardens this season have given a little bit to the bowlers, but there has been nothing to stop batters who apply themselves making runs.
Date: 23rd May 2025
Time: 11:00
Ground: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
