Middlesex vs Northamptonshire, ENG DOMESTIC ODI, Today Match Prediction 29 July 2024

MID vs NOR Match Prediction & Analysis

Middlesex will take on Northamptonshire in the One Day Cup 2024 Group A match at Radlett Cricket Club, Radlett, on Monday, 29 July 2024. Both the teams have played and lost two matches each.

Middlesex’s losing margins read - lost by 183 runs and lost by 9 wickets. Northamptonshire’s margins, on the other hand, read - lost by 71 runs and lost by 2 wickets. Nothing is going right for these two teams at the moment. Nonetheless, one of them will open the after this match. It will be interesting to see whether it’s Middlesex or the Steelbacks.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Middlesex Preview

Middlesex have played two games so far and have lost both of them comprehensively against Worcestershire and Derbyshire. They are at the bottom of the table with the worst NRR of -2.37. They will take on not-so-well-performing Northamptonshire in search of their first victory.

Middlesex had a disastrous start to their campaign, losing by a huge margin of 183 runs against Worcs. Bowling first, Middlesex conceded a huge total of 371 runs, claiming just 2 wickets and allowing the Worcs’ openers to score a century each. In response, barring captain Mark Stoneman—75 runs off just 37 balls—none of the batters could stand, and the whole Middlesex lineup folded for 188 runs in the 26th over.

In the second match against Derbyshire as well, the bowlers forgot to turn up. After posting a decent total of 266 batting first, the Middlesex bowlers could take just 1 wicket in defence and lost the match by 9 wickets with 7 wickets to spare. Yet again, they allowed the opposition’s opener to score a century.

Middlesex’s problem is pretty evident. They have taken a grand total of 4 wickets in two matches and have conceded 3 centuries as a bowling unit. Unless their bowling unit shows some teeth, Middlesex have no chance even against a poorly performing Northampton Steelbacks. 

Key players: Mark Stoneman, Joe Cracknell, Martin Andersson

Middlesex Predicted Playing XI:

Joe Cracknell, Sam Robson, Nathan Fernandes, Mark Stoneman (c), Jack Davies (wk), Martin Andersson, Luke Hollman, Josh De Caires, Ethan Bamber, Noah Cornwell, Blake Carlton Cullen.

Northamptonshire Preview

Northamptonshire Steelbacks suffered an initial setback in the tournament, losing both of their first two matches. This is in contrast to how they started last season, winning two (and a no-result game) in the first three matches.

The game against Derbyshire was a close one. On the back of the half-centuries from Emilio Gay and George Bartlett, the Steelbacks scored 235 all-out in 47 overs. Defending the target, despite having Derbyshire 7 down for 79 in the 21st over, they allowed the Derbyshire lower order to get over the line. The Steelbacks should have closed the game much earlier, with an NRR-boosting win. In the second game against Hampshire, the Steelbacks conceded 285 but folded for just 214 in the 44th over of the chase.

Batting seems to be a concern for the Steelbacks since they could not last the full 50 overs in both games. Many of the batters got starts but could not convert them into big ones. The Steelbacks have not won a single game in their last five matches, and they cannot afford to lose any more games this season. It will be interesting to see if they can bounce back in this crucial encounter against Middlesex.

Key players: Raphael Weatherall, Prithvi Shaw, Emilio Gay, Jack White

Northamptonshire Predicted Playing XI:

Prithvi Shaw, Emilio Gay, Ricardo Vasconcelos, Rob Keogh, George Bartlett, Saif Zaib, Lewis McManus (c & wk), Gus Miller, Raphael Weatherall, Michael Finan, Jack White.

Weather Conditions

The weather on the matchday at Redlett will be very warm, with plenty of sunshine. The temperature will range between a pleasant 28°C and 16°C. With very negligible chances of rain on the match day, it seems to be the perfect day for a cricket match.

MID vs NOR Pitch Report

The match will be played at Radlett Cricket Club, Radlett, Hertfordshire. It is the first match of the One-Day Cup 2024 season at this venue.

Toss: To Bat

The venue at Redlett is one of the high-scoring venues. There is very little assistance for the bowlers early on. It’s better to bat first here and have a crack at flat conditions first up. The team winning the toss should bat first here.