T20 Blast Essentials: Middlesex v Essex Eagles

Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, weather forecast, form, prediction and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the Vitality Blast...

Fixture: Middlesex v Essex

Venue: Lord's, London

Date: Thursday, June 24

Start time: 6.15pm

What's the lowdown?

The teams at the bottom and in sixth place of the South Group go head-to-head at Lord's. It's been an opening month to forget for Eoin Morgan's side, with just one victory and four losses in their first five games. They come into this fixture off a 21-run defeat away at Glamorgan, after their middle order failed to make inroads against a tight bowling attack in Cardiff.

Middlesex's only victory so far came at their alternate home venue in Radlett where they chased down Hampshire's 215 with two balls to spare, a batting performances they will be hoping to replicate with the support of a home crowd on Thursday. However, key batsmen Eoin Morgan and Paul Stirling have dropped out of the squad as they have called up on respective international duties. 

The Eagles come into this game with the confidence of an away victory last time out behind them. In a game severely affected by rain at The Oval, Essex chased a revised target of 115 runs set by Surrey with relative ease - securing the points with nine balls left over. 

Essex's win last week propelled them up into midtable, having previously sat just one point ahead of their opponents on Thursday. With Gloucestershire currently in third on six points, the Eagles will fancy their chances of taking vital points to keep them up with the leaders, while Middlesex will know all too well that they will need a win to try and lift them up and off the foot of the table.

Who's in form?

Middlesex's Steven Finn comes into this game off an excellent performance against Glamorgan, in which he took 4 for 19. The seamer took the crucial wicket of Marnus Labuschagne before trapping captain David Lloyd lbw the very next ball, taking his total up to 10 wickets for the tournament. 

Joe Cracknell, who comes in at No.3, has been the standout performer with the bat for Middlesex. Averaging just under 50, the right-hander now has accumulated 148 runs in three games. 

The Eagles will be looking to the 23-year-old Sam Cook to have a similar performance with the ball to that of his last outing against Surrey. Taking 4 for 15, he is now the joint-top wicket-taker in the Blast so far (prior to June 23 matches). Aron Nijjar, the left-arm spinner, has delivered 51 dot balls so far in the Blast, the second-highest in the competition: only behind his teammate Cook himself (prior to June 23 matches).

Essex's efforts with the bat will start with Will Buttleman - who is coming off a half-century against Surrey. The hard-hitting Jimmy Neesham will be looking to find his best form - he is averaging 24.40, his highest return a 53 against Somerset during their opening game. 

What's the team news?

The Middlesex squad has seen a slight shake-up, with two key men in Eoin Morgan and Paul Stirling dropping out for the summer. Tom Helm, the seam bowler, has recovered from Covid-19 and joins up with the squad, while the New Zealand allrounder Daryl Mitchell will in time fill a vacant place in the squad. Steven Finn takes up the captaincy.

Middlesex: Steven Finn, Blake Cullen, Joe Cracknell, Stevie Eskinazi, Chris Green, Nick Gubbins, Tom Helm, Max Holden, Luke Hollman, Tim Murtagh, James Simpson

The Eagles have made no changes from the 14-man squad that defeated Surrey. 

Essex Eagles: Simon Harmer, Will Buttleman, Sam Cook, Dan Lawrence, Jimmy Neesham, Aron Nijjar, Michael Pepper, Jack Plom, Jamie Porter, Shane Snater, Ryan ten Doeschate, Paul Walter, Tom Westley, Adam Wheater

Last five T20 results (most recent first)

Middlesex: LLWLL

Essex Eagles: WLDLL

Head-to-head T20 record

Total matches: 30

Middlesex wins: 14

Essex wins: 15

Tied: 0

No result: 1

Abandoned: 3

Latest Middlesex news: Click here

Latest Essex Eagles news: Click here

What's the weather forecast?

It should be a pleasant, clear evening at Lord's.

To get the latest forecast from the Met Office, Click here

How do I follow the match?

TV/stream: The ECB are offering a streaming service which can be found here.

Middlesex will also be offering a live stream of the match which can be found here.

Radio: A live stream of the game will be available on Middlesex's website.

Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every Vitality T20 Blast match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.

Going to the game?

Tickets

Tickets for Middlesex's three T20 Blast fixtures at Lord's are available online to the public. The match will be played in front of a reduced capacity crowd in line with the government's latest Covid-19 guidelines.

Click here to visit the Middlesex box office.

Travel

Address: St John's Wood Road, London, NW8 8QN

On the tube: The following stations are within walking distance of the ground.

St. John’s Wood – Jubilee line (5 mins)

Baker Street – Bakerloo, Circle, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City lines (15 mins)

Warwick Avenue – Bakerloo line (15 mins)

Marylebone – Bakerloo line (15 mins)

Edgware Road – Bakerloo, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines (15 mins)

Paddington - Bakerloo, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines (20 mins)

By bus: The 13 and 113 routes run adjacent to Lord's on Wellington Road and are closest to the North and East gates. The Grace Gate is within comfortable walking distance.

The 139 and 189 routes run adjacent to Lord's on Grove End Road and stop closest to the Grace Gate.

By train: The nearest main line railway station is Marylebone, served by Chiltern Railways, which is approximately ten minutes’ walk from the Ground. Marylebone Station is on the Chiltern line.

Paddington Station is approximately twenty minutes’ walk from the Ground, for services to West and South-West England and South Wales.

Euston, King’s Cross and St Pancras International stations are only a short journey away.

By road: If choosing to go by road, the ground is 6 miles from the M1 and 1.5 miles from Marble Arch. It is also close to the M40 and M4.

M40 – from the end of the M40 take the A40 (Westway). Turn left into Lisson Grove. at the end of Lisson Grove, turn right into St. John’s Wood road. Lord’s is on the left.

M1 – from the end of the M1 take the Hendon Way, past Brent Cross Shopping Centre and over the north Circular Road (A406). Turn right on to Finchley Road (A41) and continue to Wellington Road. Pass St. John’s Wood underground station on the left and the Wellington Hospital on the right. Lord’s is on the right.

There are parking restrictions affecting non-residents on the streets surrounding Lord’s and on St John’s Wood High Street on all major match days, so please ensure you do not park in bays which are for residents’ use only. Click here for local car park information.

By bike: A number of bike racks are available outside the Ground for cyclists to lock their bikes to.

There are several Cycle Hire docking stations within five minutes’ walk of the Ground, on Abbey Road, St John’s Wood Road, Wellington Road, Lodge Road, Lisson Grove and Prince Albert Road.

Prediction

With Middlesex failing to really give their season a kickstart, and star man and skipper Eoin Morgan leaving the team, the Eagles should benefit from the firepower in their squad to get the two points. Essex win.