Match Preview: Middlesex v Hampshire Men, Metro Bank One Day Cup

Hampshire Men v Middlesex 

Metro Bank One Day Cup

Thursday 28th August (11am start)

Radlett Cricket Club

Hampshire Men are Quarter-Finals bound and on their way to Radlett Cricket Club ready to take on Middlesex for a spot in the Semi-Final.

Gubbins’ side finished 2nd in Group A having pinched a spot above Gloucestershire following our 314 run chase on Tuesday in a thrilling game where the game constantly turned on its head. Orr, Gubbins, Middleton and Albert all passed 50 so there's a strong sense of confidence heading into the quarter-final.  Middlesex clinched 3rd place in Group B after a 1 wicket win over Lancashire on the penultimate ball of the game, with Nathan Fernandes scoring a sublime 92 runs off 79 balls.

Nick Gubbins is still the batter to watch from the Rose and Crown having scored 658 runs from 8 innings in the group stages; whilst, Sam Robson is leading the Middlesex pack with 454 runs (avg. 64). Meanwhile, Andrew Neal and Eddie Jack are the bowlers who are powering Hampshire’s attack having taken 23 wickets together. Henry Brookes from Middlesex is who Hampshire will be wary of, as he’s taken 13 wickets since moving from his 15 year stint at Warwickshire.

Hampshire Squad

Hampshire are taking a 15-player squad for their Metro Bank One Day Cup fixture against Middlesex at Radlett Cricket Club.

Dawson makes his first appearance in the One Day Cup this summer following on from his London Spirit commitments. 

Full Hampshire Men squad

Middlesex

Captain: Ben Geddes

2024 Position: Sixth (Group A)

2024 Most Runs: Joe Cracknell (306)

2024 Most Wickets: Luke Hollman (12)

Why they can win the competition: One cause for optimism should certainly be the depth of Middlesex’s pace attack. Ireland left-armer Josh Little will bring plenty of international white-ball experience to the table, supported by a clutch of exciting young talents such as Noah Cornwell, Naavya Sharma, Sebastian Morgan and Jamie Feldman – all under 21 and hungry to impress.

Player to watch: Ben Geddes. The 24-year-old has performed well in both four-day and T20 formats since his winter move across the Thames from Surrey, can bat anywhere from one to seven and has earned his captaincy opportunity. With many top-order regulars involved in The Hundred, the 50-over tournament should provide further opportunities for Geddes to shine.

Young gun: Naavya Sharma. The pacy 19-year-old was leading wicket-taker for England Under-19s in their Test series against Sri Lanka last summer and Middlesex were unafraid to pitch him in at the deep end for their County Championship campaign this year. Sharma bowled consistently, repaying the club’s faith by claiming six wickets in their innings victory over previously undefeated Leicestershire.

Final thought: Middlesex are notoriously slow out of the blocks in this tournament, having failed to win their opening fixture since 2019 – a year that also brought the county’s most recent appearance in the knockout stages.

Despite losing spinner Zafar Gohar to injury, Middlesex’s bowling options look strong. The question may be whether they can put match-winning totals on the board – the likes of Sam Robson, Ben Geddes and Joe Cracknell may need to go big more often than not.

Head-to-Head

Hampshire Men’s record in the List A matches v Middlesex:

Last five meetings:

• 14th Aug 2024 I Merchant Taylors’ School I Hampshire won by 19 runs
• 1st Aug 2023 I Utilita Bowl I Hampshire won by 18 runs
• 23rd Apr 2019 I Utilita Bowl I Hampshire won by 119 runs
• 30th May 2018 I Merchant Taylors’ School I Hampshire won by 5 wickets
• 3rd May 2017 I Utilita Bowl I Middlesex won by 89 runs

Tickets

Tickets for Hampshire Men’s One Day Cup match against Middlesex are available here.

Coverage

A live stream will be available for the match at https://www.utilitabowl.com/cricket/, along with a live match centre with the scorecard, statistics and insight available throughout the match.

Weather Forecast

Please follow the link to view the latest weather forecast for Radlett: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2639720