MIDDLESEX will not be taking Mother Cricket for granted as they strive to turn around their poor record in the Royal London One-Day Cup, according to assistant coach Nic Pothas.
The county will travel to Chelmsford in their One-Day Cup opener against Essex, who are already up and running after thrashing Glamorgan by 180 runs at Sophia Gardens on Wednesday.
Middlesex have never qualified for the knockout stage in the competition in its current guise, although they came mighty close as they missed out by two points in the South Group last year.
But while it will be a difficult first examination of their credentials, Middlesex will be able to call on Dawid Malan, Paul Stirling and England ODI captain Eoin Morgan to name a few.
And with Steven Finn and Toby Roland-Jones spearheading the bowling attack, Pothas believes Middlesex have the potential to spring a few surprises in the 50-over tournament.
“The changing room has a lot of ability and skill in it,” Pothas said. “The one element we probably need to find is a harder edge, to sharpen our teeth a little bit as a group.
“Once we do that, I think you’ll start seeing results. The format is now pretty congested, so if you get a couple of wins under your belt early on, you can become difficult to stop.
This story is from the April 19,2019 edition of The Cricket Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 19,2019 edition of The Cricket Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Kohli leads RCB to much-needed win
VIRAT KOHLI returned to top form with 72 not out to lead RCB to an eight-wicket victory over the Royals in Abu Dhabi.
TEWATIA HAS SPARKED MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE IPL
James Wallace admits he has been surprisingly taken in by the IPL so far – and, in particular, the performance of a new Royal renegade
Whitewash victory is just the T20 tonic for Keightley
A SERIES that few thought would come to fruition ended in triumph for England who completed a 5-0 whitewash of the West Indies in Derby.
TEN OUT OF TEN! RYAN IS BASKING IN MORE GLORY
Chris Stocks catches up with Ryan ten Doeschate, who has plotted Essex’s recent county domination every step of the way
Surrey have the Will to end hoodoo
WILL Jacks may be a hot batting prospect but he’s relished the added responsibility with the ball in Surrey’s charge to T20 Finals Day.
NOW IT'S OUR TIME TO HELP OTHERS
Chris Stocks catches up with England’s director of cricket and discusses the need for the ECB to help boards around the world
IT'S OFTEN DOWN TO A THROW OF THE DICE
Garfield Robinson explains just how big a part luck plays in determining success or failure in sport
FINDING TALENTS LIKE TOM IS A GAIN IN ITSELF
One of the unexpected highlights to emerge from English cricket’s Covid-attenuated season was the chance given to young players to strut their stuff. With many overseas players and Kolpaks affected by travel restrictions many counties looked instead to the young talent on their staffs with gratifying results.
Future looks bright for the Ohio Slinger
ALI Khan is earning his stars and stripes in the Indian Premier League, with the first American to play in the tournament breaking down barriers in every sense.
Spin trio put squeeze on after Glenn shows off skill with the bat
SARAH GLENN helped England spin it to win it after proving she can make an all-round contribution.
