Middlesex's week off couldn't have come at a better time, as every game around the country was rain ruined, with no results possible. This means that nobody was able to get a big win, effectively meaning Middlesex will have 16 games in a 15 game season, and the extra points there could make all the difference come the end of September. Everyone will be hoping that the rain doesn't come this week, as on paper, Worcestershire at home is our most winnable game of the year. No disrespect at all to Worcs, but looking at their squad compared to the other counties in Division One, they appear to be the weakest, and the home and away games against them should be our best chance of racking up some serious points. It would have been infuriating had this game been last week to see both teams sit in the pavilion for all four days (as happened at the Oval, where Surrey and Durham didn't even get one ball bowled), so fingers crossed the weather stays fine for this week.
Onto matters Middlesex, and the 13 man squad has been named...
Chris Rogers (c)
Gareth Berg
Corey Collymore
Joe Denly
Neil Dexter
Steven Finn
Dawid Malan
Tim Murtagh
Ollie Rayner
Sam Robson
Toby Roland-Jones
John Simpson (wk)
Andrew Strauss
Unsurprsingly, it's the 11 who took on Durham last time out, with the addition of the rested Corey Collymore, and 12th man Ollie Rayner. Chris Rogers remains as captain, and there don't seem to be any injury doubts, meaning that (perhaps Eoin Morgan aside) this is Middlesex's strongest possible squad for a four day game. (Although fans of Paul Stirling will tell you different)
As for the team that will be picked, chances are the make-up of the team will be the same. Ollie Rayner didn't play last time, and seeing as it's even less likely to spin this week, he'll probably miss out again, meaning it'll be six batsmen with the keeper at seven, followed by four seamers. Corey was rested against Durham, but he's back, and with the rotation policy that is needed for the bowlers, one of Murtagh, Roland-Jones or Berg will make way for Corey. It could be any of those three, but it won't make much difference as to who misses out, as with Finn and Collymore in (plus two others) it will be a very strong seam attack either way. The rest that whoever it is gets will be important as the season progresses, so there won't be many complaints from whoever is chosen to help Ollie mix some drinks for the four days.
As to the batting, Middlesex will really need to be on their game, especially with Wisden Cricketer of the Year, and former Middlesex favourite Alan Richardson taking the new ball. Ideally we might win a toss for the first time this year, but at some point Richo will be running in at us, and given the collapses that have plagued our season thus far, someone's really going to have to step up. Richardson is the main man for Worcs, and a real threat, and given our poor performances to Philander, Dernbach and Onions so far, that could be a real worry.
Anyway, we're currently fifth in the table, with a game in hand over three of the team above us, so let's hope we can pick up a big win this week and push up into those Champions League spots!
Showing posts with label Paul Stirling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul Stirling. Show all posts
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Murtagh set for Ireland
This might be jumping the gun a bit before any official announcement, but after tweeting earlier that he's now officially an Irish citizen, it appears that 2011 player of the year Tim Murtagh is now eligible for Ireland. Having already expressed an interest in turning out for the boys in green, Tim getting an Irish passport seems to have all but officially confirmed that he will represent the land of his three grandparents. So what does this mean?
While both Tim and Cricket Ireland have (publicly at least) been fairly non-committal about the matter, on air with Kevin Hand Tim said that were he to decide to play for Ireland, he wouldn't want to just turn up and play at a World Cup, he'd want to do it the "right way" and play in the various qualifiers that Ireland have to go through, and their international series across the globe. If Tim does, as now expected, commit to Ireland, he'll likely join Paul Stirling in missing Middlesex games every now and again to pull on the green shirt of his adopted nation.
Luckily for Middlesex fans, the Irish fixture schedule doesn't look hugely strenuous at this stage. Ireland are off for a six game series in the ICC Intercontinental Cup in Kenya next month, as well as seven World T20 Qualifiers, but all of those games will be over by the time Middlesex's season starts on April 5th. In fact, if Tim does play for Ireland in these games, he should be much more match sharp and ready in time for the big county kick off, which can only be good news.
Unfortunately, the official Ireland fixtures which will take place after this are disconcertingly vague. Ireland are to play Intercontinental Cup games against Afghanistan, the UAE, Holland and Scotland, but these are currently marked as "date not yet confirmed". The only confirmed international that Ireland have at this stage is on June 23, where they take on Australia in Belfast - which comes one day after we're due to take on Sussex in a T20 at Hove, so no huge loss for Tim to miss what's likely to be a dead rubber (by which I mean we'll have already qualified...). Other than that Tim, and Paul Stirling too, will be available for the bulk of Middlesex's fixtures this summer.
I don't know how far away any of this is away from being confirmed, or whether it'll go through at all, but it can only be a good thing for all concerned. While Middlesex fans will be upset to see a key player miss a couple of games, few will begrudge Tim the opportunity to play international cricket after years of being cruelly snubbed by England. On a professional level for Tim it can only help his game, as testing himself against the best of the world will only add to his experience, and hopefully Middlesex will see the fruits of this when he returns from his travels. And Murtagh missing a couple of games may give young players like Gurjit Sandhu or Robbie Williams the chance to get into the team and impress.
So good luck to Tim as (if) he embarks on a new adventure, and here's to plenty of wickets for both Middlesex and Ireland alike!
While both Tim and Cricket Ireland have (publicly at least) been fairly non-committal about the matter, on air with Kevin Hand Tim said that were he to decide to play for Ireland, he wouldn't want to just turn up and play at a World Cup, he'd want to do it the "right way" and play in the various qualifiers that Ireland have to go through, and their international series across the globe. If Tim does, as now expected, commit to Ireland, he'll likely join Paul Stirling in missing Middlesex games every now and again to pull on the green shirt of his adopted nation.
Luckily for Middlesex fans, the Irish fixture schedule doesn't look hugely strenuous at this stage. Ireland are off for a six game series in the ICC Intercontinental Cup in Kenya next month, as well as seven World T20 Qualifiers, but all of those games will be over by the time Middlesex's season starts on April 5th. In fact, if Tim does play for Ireland in these games, he should be much more match sharp and ready in time for the big county kick off, which can only be good news.
Unfortunately, the official Ireland fixtures which will take place after this are disconcertingly vague. Ireland are to play Intercontinental Cup games against Afghanistan, the UAE, Holland and Scotland, but these are currently marked as "date not yet confirmed". The only confirmed international that Ireland have at this stage is on June 23, where they take on Australia in Belfast - which comes one day after we're due to take on Sussex in a T20 at Hove, so no huge loss for Tim to miss what's likely to be a dead rubber (by which I mean we'll have already qualified...). Other than that Tim, and Paul Stirling too, will be available for the bulk of Middlesex's fixtures this summer.
I don't know how far away any of this is away from being confirmed, or whether it'll go through at all, but it can only be a good thing for all concerned. While Middlesex fans will be upset to see a key player miss a couple of games, few will begrudge Tim the opportunity to play international cricket after years of being cruelly snubbed by England. On a professional level for Tim it can only help his game, as testing himself against the best of the world will only add to his experience, and hopefully Middlesex will see the fruits of this when he returns from his travels. And Murtagh missing a couple of games may give young players like Gurjit Sandhu or Robbie Williams the chance to get into the team and impress.
So good luck to Tim as (if) he embarks on a new adventure, and here's to plenty of wickets for both Middlesex and Ireland alike!
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