T20 V Surrey 22nd June 2023

[Paul W]

Squad of 13 named.

https://www.middlesexccc.com/news/2023/06/squad-preview-surrey-v-middlesex-vitality-blast

Don't know if Pieter Malan is injured- not even in the squad this time (neither are TRJ or Thilan Walallawita)

[Jonathan Winsky]

I actually felt confident that Middlesex would have maybe around half (or a third of) a chance of running Surrey close when I saw that Surrey were thrashed by nine wickets with 28 balls remaining v Hampshire at The Oval on Sunday (https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/vitality-blast-2023-1347399/surrey-vs-hampshire-south-group-1347649/full-scorecard), and I also said to myself that I would probably make a prediction on Know Your Cricket for a low-scoring match. However, last night saw Surrey play another match at The Oval v Glamorgan (https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/vitality-blast-2023-1347399/surrey-vs-glamorgan-south-group-1347656/full-scorecard), in which they posted 238-5 and won by 81 runs, so that has made me reconsider!

Another assumption I made approaching this match is that maybe lots of overs of spin would be required, as I can think of plenty of first-class matches at The Oval where spinners have enjoyed success, while this Twenty20 fixture in 2021 (https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/vitality-blast-2021-1250122/surrey-vs-middlesex-south-group-1250300/full-scorecard) saw us bowl 15 overs of spin (there may even have been a 16th over of spin had Surrey’s chase gone down to the final over and we asked Nathan Sowter to bowl it). However, the omission of Thilan Walallawita for this match suggests that we do not envisage feeling the need to have the services of someone who is surely more of a specialist spinner than Luke Hollman, Nathan Fernandes and Josh de Caires. Maybe we were influenced by Hampshire bowling Surrey out for 124 in 19.2 overs on Sunday without using any bowlers who (ordinarily at least) bowl spin.

As Toby Roland-Jones used to be a key T20 player for us, my guess is that one factor in why he has only played one match in this season’s competition is because we are more focused on giving our younger players experience for the future than we are on having success in 2023. Another potential factor is that we would prefer to not risk him getting injured and therefore possibly having to miss some County Championship matches. Our T20 results will have increased both the likelihood of us abandoning any hope that bringing in TRJ would get us into the quarter-finals, and the likelihood of us seeking to keep TRJ fit for a competition in which we actually have something to play for. He used to be such a key T20 player, that one of the teams in The Hundred (I think it was London Spirit, but I couldn’t care less if I have got this wrong) signed him as a wildcard in 2022, although he ended up not playing any matches. I think it is safe to say that his T20 Blast performances in 2023 will not have been sufficient to attract any teams this year!

The absence of Pieter Malan means that I imagine that John Simpson will once again keep wicket and Jack Davies will play as just a batter.

The weather forecast for this match isn’t great, although it proved me wrong for Sunday’s match v Essex at Lord’s.

If there is any play, then (unless my view is obstructed, as has happened before when I have attended this fixture) I should be able to devote my full attention to the match considering I foolishly purchased a ticket for this match. However, I doubt I will be able to devote my full attention to Friday's match v Kent at Canterbury, as Kent have their own streaming service which people have to pay for and which I very much doubt it would be possible to watch on my family's TV on YouTube. I don't so much mind paying for the service, unless it is poor quality, although I don't think I would have the attention span to watch it on my computer considering my evening routine is to use my computer to read the news or write my opinions on Middlesex. Maybe Middlesex will win at The Oval to cause me to feel a great deal of excitement about the match at Canterbury. Or, more likely, tomorrow will leave me sick of the sight of Middlesex in T20 cricket!

Some good news for Middlesex is that we are apparently favourites to sign Derbyshire’s Leus du Plooy (https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/derbyshire-leus-du-plooy-middlesex-1382748), so hopefully our financial position will enable this to happen.

[Paul W]

Leus Du Plooy- That's an interesting development.

Article says he wants to test himself in Division one- so he might want to wait a while before signing on the dotted line.

Du Plooy is someone I rate, but even so I was surprised to see his batting average in first class cricket is 45.06 and in List A 54.10-

https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/leus-du-plooy-595739

30% chance of rain at between 6 & 7 pm at the moment, although that is bound to change for better or worse before then-

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast/gcpuvk7px#?date=2023-06-22

[MIDDLE EXILE]

One would naturally assume our only overseas player Pieter Malan is unfit as he has not played in. our last two matches and is not in the squad for today's match, but unless I've missed it there has been mention of any reason for his absence. We were similarly left uninformed when John Simpson was surprisingly omitted from the side a little while ago. Probably nothing suspicious at all about their non-selection, however, it would be nice to be kept informed as to why both have been left out and not give cause for conspiracy theories. Any further information would be welcome if only to ease my paranoia.

[Paul W]

Well, John Simpson is out of contract at the end of the season, and we are short of money.

As you say, it doesn't have to mean anything, but if we do get Du Plooy given the cash shortage, it might have to be 'one in, one out' to be able to afford him.

I'm assuming Tim Murtagh to retire as a player, but we really do need a full time bowling coach, so whether he gets that job, or someone else does, that won't really save money.

I've tried to put myself in John Simpson's place and think what I would do. This is his testimonial year and he's 35 in a few weeks time. Some players want to retire at the top of their game, when they are still worth their place, whilst others will play on until they drop. No idea which category John Simpson puts himself in, but he might be thinking, 'If I sign another deal for two or three years, what are Middlesex's chances of winning anything? He might reasonably conclude the 50 over competition was our only chance of silverware (and that is devalued with so many players away on hundred duty) at which point he might ask himself, 'Do I won't to go on for longer, or do I retire and do what comes next? Or do I want a few years with another side that might win the championship, or T20'.

It's all about motivation, and I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility this might be his last season (as he hasn't signed yet).

If we do snare Du Plooy I wonder if the thinking is we won't have an overseas batter next year (in which case he'd be Malan's replacement) or that Holden has had enough red ball chances, and Du Plooy becomes his replacement.

[MIDDLE EXILE]

I've no doubt that some will be leaving come the end of the season, possibly even Simpson and Malan. However, that is pure speculation and does not explain their recent non-selection, All I ask is some clarification which is not forthcoming. We may well have enquired about Du Plooy,I doubt very much if we've made him an offer yet

[MIDDLE EXILE]

We win the toss and bowl. Max Harris is in for Nathan.

[MIDDLE EXILE]

It could have been worse!

[John (Fingers) Fingleton]

It could have been worse!

Probably not a lot ...

[MIDDLE EXILE]

We're AHEAD on DLS,just keep going chaps.

[MIDDLE EXILE]

Records falling, highest ever match aggregate in T20 Blast.Highest ever total in 2nd innings run chase in T20 Blast.

[MIDDLE EXILE]

History is made. The greatest victory ever achieved against the odds in The T20 Blast, huge credit to all our batters for a magnificent achievement, The highest successful run chase ever in The Blast, and the second highest ever in all T20 cricket.

[John (Fingers) Fingleton]

History is made. The greatest victory ever achieved against the odds in The T20 Blast, huge credit to all our batters for a magnificent achievement, The highest successful run chase ever in The Blast, and the second highest ever in all T20 cricket.


I suppose it was somehow inevitable ... after probably their most disastrous season in history, against all the odds Middlesex should win - by a considerable margin and with 4 balls to spare - probably the toughest challenge they have ever faced, at least in white ball cricket - to confound us all!

Bloody well done ... !!!

[Paul W]

Well, that was special.

Winning is ALWAYS more enjoyable than losing, and that felt almost like winning the final, because of who our opponents were and the enormity of the task.

Football analogy like Surrey being 6-0 up at half time, and going on to lose 6-7.

Maxi may well be someone's wildcard pick for the hundred now.

[adelaide]

That's odd. The internet seems to be working but it is surely showing the wrong score...

[Jonathan Winsky]

While following Middlesex throughout this season’s T20 Blast campaign, I have become used to seeing opponents rack up scores way in excess of 200, and Middlesex (perhaps surprisingly for a team in our position) spend at least some of our reply looking like we might get close. Therefore, my brain almost expected to see a continuation of the high scoring of Surrey’s innings, and indeed that is what happened.

Still, it was only towards the latter part of our reply that I felt like I might be able to witness a Middlesex win rather than our latest near-miss. After all, there have been a few occasions in this campaign when we have started a chase well, only to fall off the pace when wickets started falling. And there was the match v Gloucestershire at Merchant Taylors’ School when we somehow couldn’t quite get over the line.

I can’t help feeling that a difference between the two sides is that Surrey lost wickets (not something I envisaged myself writing when Surrey were 177-0 after 12.3 overs), whereas we remained no more than two wickets down for the first 18.4 overs of our innings. Surrey’s loss of wickets meant that despite 252-7 appearing to have been a massive total, it was a lot less than seemed likely when 177-0 after 12.3 overs, which gave them a projected score of 288 at that run rate, or more likely 300 considering teams invariably score quicker in the latter overs than in the preceding overs. The fact that we managed to not lose many wickets was vital, as I am uncertain whether the batters who were not required to come to the crease would have been able to score quickly enough to carry on Stevie Eskinazi, Joe Cracknell, Max Holden and Ryan Higgins’ work, despite 10 of our 11 players arguably being as much or more of a batter as a bowler, or even simply just a batter. Thankfully, Jack Davies was able to hit the ground running as we needed him to.

When we needed 9 off the final over, Surrey must have hoped that we would fail to find any boundaries off the first couple of balls and that we would get nervous, especially after the aforementioned match at MTS, and also because the batter on strike, Davies, had hitherto been in for only one ball. Instead, Davies hit a six and a four of the first two balls of the over, so that well and truly kept the nerves at bay!

I would much prefer to bask in the glory of this match than pay any attention to the match v Kent at Canterbury!

[wembleylion]

Yes a memorable performance on a batting pitch. I thought that apart from their two openers,who were superb, Surrey were very poor, batting, bowling, wicket-keeping and fielding well below standard. The other nine deserved to lose so well done to the boys for making sure they did.

[James Mitchell]

This Surrey Member is keeping a low profile today.

[Paul W]

If we could only win one T20 all season, this was the one to win- at The Oval-on the telly- and a record run chase to do it.

The stars aligned last night.

We won, because unlike a few near misses this season, we got within 11 runs of victory before we lost the third wicket.

That won't happen very often, because even the best teams usually lose a couple of cheap wickets in their top six but have the strength in depth to keep going.

Suggestions Surrey may have been complacent at half time (?). Apparently they normally open the bowling with the off spin of Will Jacks, and that normally works well for them, but last night they didn't. May have thought they had enough runs in the bank they could try something different.

[Rogers and Out]

My days of visiting the Oval and Chelmsford for T20 are now in the past but I was delighted to see us prevail yesterday.

Our bowling later in their innings was varied and we took regular wickets, keeping them to under the 280 to 300 that looked likely at one stage.

Apart from one good over from Jordan, we looked capable of pulling off a great win and so it proved.

I believe I was at our last T20 victory at the Oval in 2012. A low scoring game, which included the ‘great’ Kevin Pietersen saw us win by one wicket, thanks to vital runs from Ollie Wilkin and a fine match winning boundary from the Seaford Plumber (aka Tom Smith).