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Metro Bank One Day Cup Preview: Middlesex v Somerset
THE MATCH
Somerset take on Middlesex in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at Radlett at Radlett tomorrow, Wednesday August 6th.
Play is due to get underway at 11am.
Tickets for this match are still available:
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
You can keep up to date using the dedicated Match Centre on this website which will feature a live stream of the action courtesy of Middlesex CCC.
In-play updates will also appear on our X feed (formerly Twitter).
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
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.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset have named the following squad for the match:
VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset CCC Interim Head Coach, Paul Tweddle said: “There’s an air of excitement around the squad as we head into the competition and I’m looking forward to seeing what this group can achieve. The players are in good spirits and the mood in the camp is great.
“Those who played in the final last year will feel like there’s a bit of unfinished business but we will be going back to zero and looking to build again in order to put in winning performances so that we can gain momentum and have a successful tournament. It’s important to get off to a good start because winning breeds confidence and that can generate the momentum that you need to go deep in a competition like this.
“Middlesex have some very good players and like many of the teams in the competition they have a good mix of youth and experience. There’s usually a pretty good surface at Radlett and I know that the guys can’t wait to get started.”
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 1988 for our classic List A match between the two sides.
It was a match which saw one of the all time greats make a superb century for Somerset as they claimed victory by 27 runs at Lord’s.
Somerset Captain, Peter Roebuck won the toss and elected to bat first.
The visitors slipped to 20 for two, Roebuck (31) helped to get his side back on track.
Steve Waugh and Richard Bartlett (50) then shared a fourth wicket stand of 141 as the Somerset pair began to put the Middlesex attack to the sword.
Waugh went on to make 140 not out as the visitors posted a total of 247 for five from their 40 overs.
Neil Mallender (four for 31) helped to reduce the hosts to 74 for six, but Keith Brown made 102 to keep Middlesex in the game.
Neil Williams added 43, but as wickets continued to fall the hosts fell further behind the required run rate and eventually finished on 220 for nine from their allotted overs.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
If you are planning to attend the match, all the information you need can be found on the official Middlesex CCC Website.
NEXT MATCH
Our next match in the Metro Bank One Day Cup is on Friday August 8th when we take on Durham at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.
This match is also our annual Beer & Cider Festival.
There are less than 500 tickets available for this match.
