ESS vs MID 115th Match - South Group Prediction

ESS vs MID Team Previews

Essex

Essex made a strong start to their campaign, winning 7 of their first 9 matches, and appeared to be cruising towards the quarterfinals. However, the team has hit a rough patch of late and has lost each of its last 3 matches. As a result, they are now competing with Hampshire and Kent, both of whom have the same number of points as Essex.

While there has been no standout performer with the bat, most of the players in the top and middle order have chipped in, contributing to the team’s success so far. Daniel Lawrence and Feroze Khushi gave the team an excellent start in the last match and went on to put up a century stand. Michael Pepper and Matthew Critchley have played some good innings too and will be hoping to carry on the good work here.

Paul Walter and Robin Das add stability to the middle order. Daniel Sams has been an excellent all-round performer for the team, scoring 265 runs and picking up 20 wickets. He will once again lead the pace attack here along with Aaron Beard and Ben Allison, while Simon Harmer and Matthew Critchley will be seen in the spin department. 

Middlesex

Middlesex has had a terrible run this season, winning just 1 of the 12 matches played so far. They are at the bottom of the South Group table and are already eliminated from the race to the quarterfinals. However, they would still like to win here and exit with their heads held high.

Stevie Eskinazi and Max Holden have batted well for Middlesex but have received little support from the batsmen around them. Joe Cracknell and Ryan Higgins got some good starts but failed to convert them into match-winning innings, while John Simpson, Jack Davies, and Luke Hollman have struggled throughout.

The bowling has been an even bigger letdown for Middlesex. Martin Andersson and Tom Helm are the leading wicket-takers for the team but have been very expensive, going at over 10 runs per over. The team has tried to rotate the bowlers, bringing in the likes of Max Harris, Josh De Caires, and Toby Greatwood, but that hasn’t had any positive impact.

The spin department, made up of Hollman and Higgins has struggled too, as the duo has managed to pick just 14 wickets between them.