Metro Bank 50 overs v Leicestershire 18th August 2023

[Paul W]

Squad named-

https://www.middlesexccc.com/news/2023/08/squad-preview-leicestershire-foxes-v-middlesex-metro-bank-one-day-cup

Nathan Fernandes included again after being pulled out of the age group game overnight.

Stoneman (c), Andersson, Bamber, Cracknell, Davies, De Caires, Fernandes, Higgins, Hollman, Kaushal, Robson, Simpson (wk), Walallawita, White.

[Jonathan Winsky]

It would be a great scalp if Middlesex could win this match considering Leicestershire will enter having won five of their first six matches, whereas we had yet to record a win in this competition until yesterday’s match v Nottinghamshire at Radlett.

Leicestershire have named a 14-man squad for this match (https://www.leicestershireccc.co.uk/news/middlesex-ccc-one-day-cup-match-preview-18082023) consisting of Sol Budinger, Sam Evans, Peter Handscomb+, Lewis Hill*, Josh Hull, Louis Kimber, Wiaan Mulder, Rishi Patel, Uttam Ramji, Matt Salisbury, Tom Scriven, Harry Swindells, Roman Walker and Chris Wright.

Colin Ackermann has played a key role in Leics’ limited-overs sides in recent years, although he will be unavailable due to Southern Brave drafting him in (https://www.leicestershireccc.co.uk/news/colin-ackermann-called-up-to-the-hundred-by-southern-brave) as a result of an injury to Alex Davies

[Sillypoint]

Handscombe hundred and kissing the badge?

[MIDDLE EXILE]

Play is due to start at 2.20. Middlesex put in,48overs aside. Team unchanged. Not quite ready yet, still messing about out there as I post, We're playing now, seems to be back to 50 over match, Rocky and Crackers are off at apace.Think we've settled on 47 overs aside now.

[wembleylion]

Davies chosen yet again ☹️

[Erskine]

It is obvious the policy is not to pick Tim or Toby in this tournament which means when we restart our vital championship campaign against Essex in September they would have not played for six weeks which is not great preparation and if they perform badly the excuse will be they are rusty

[Sillypoint]

Bit ropey! They looked all over the place. Few terrible shots

[Jonathan Winsky]

If Middlesex were to defend 192, we needed to begin our defence with some early wickets and/or keeping the score down. The good news is that that is what has happened in the overs Ethan Bamber has bowled. The bad news is that the other overs have mainly gone Leicestershire’s way.

Perhaps it is just as well that the stream has frozen as I write, with my dad telling me that something similar happened earlier! The only problem is that no sooner do I write that, I see that I missed out on seeing Martin Andersson bowl a wicket maiden to take the big wicket of Rishi Patel. And I also see that Bamber is still bowling, so if he has an expensive over, I might regret writing that he has bowled well.

[Jonathan Winsky]

Middlesex made what would ordinarily have been a good job of keeping the runs down. However, we could certainly have done with (at least before this current rain causes DLS to change what Leicestershire’s final target is) having more than 191 runs to defend in 47 overs.

It is a shame that Ethan Bamber and Luke Hollman are going to finish on the losing side after both recording economies in the region of 2.70 over 10 and 8 overs respectively.

Once this match finishes, this match will be like our matches against Hampshire and Essex in that we have not been far off where we needed to be to win, but have ultimately lost.

[adelaide]

A bit of a throwback to the days when 60 or 65 over matches were won with scores of around 200 and one team's entire attack was entirely tight and consistent seam bowling. Not entirely by choice, as Ahmed and Ackerman would surely have bowled if available. Not much sign of bowlers "executing their skills" with all kinds of variation. These days pace off and spin are generally seen as more successful. Leicestershire looked a well-disciplined unit with clear plans. To be fair they often have in one day cricket even when their CC side has been particularly poor.

Handscomb seemed to have changed his hairstyle as well as his luck. I guess he has enjoyed himself on much more benign wickets than he experienced in his time with us.