Middlesex vs Durham, Royal London One-Day Cup, Today Match Prediction 27 July 2021

mdx vs dur Match Prediction & Analysis

Middlesex to host Durham in the 12th game of the Royal London Cup 2021 on 27th July. The game is set to take place at the Brunton Memorial Ground from 11:00 am local time. Durham is currently sitting in third place with 3 points in 2 matches while Middlesex is at the bottom of the table without a point. Durham registered a 103 runs win against Kent in their first game. Batting first Durham posted 405 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. Durham openers Graham Clark and Alex Lees scored centuries while putting up a 242 runs stand. Clark hit 141 runs in 119 balls with help of 20 fours and two sixes. Lees made 100 runs off 98 balls with 7 fours and a six. The next two David Beddingham and Cameron Bancroft scored 67 and 60* respectively to take the target past 400. Durham stopped Kent on 302 for the loss of 8 wickets. Chris Rushworth took 3 wickets for 29 in his 7 overs spell. The second game of Durham against Sussex ended in no result after rain interrupted the game. 

Middlesex faced a completely opposite outcome in their first game against Essex. Batting first, Middlesex were bowled out on 212 in 46 overs. Middle-order batsmen Robbie White and Jack Davis were the only two to watch out for in the first game. Davis scored 70 runs off 81 balls whereas White scored 47 runs off 80 balls. Sir Alastair Cook (92*) and Essex skipper Tom Westly (87*) put a 159 runs unbeaten stand to trounce Middlesex by 9 wickets. 

This will be the second game between these two sides in the Royal One Day Cup. Back in 2014 when Durham won the inaugural Royal One Day Cup, the match between these two clubs ended without any result. In 2008, when the format was 40 overs, Durham beat Middlesex by 7 wickets with help of Paul Collingwood and Shivnarine Chandrapaul who scored half-centuries. 
Middlesex is yet to register a win this season. It will be interesting to see if they recover from the loss against Essex or suffer another defeat from the confident Durham.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Middlesex Preview

Skipper Peter Handscomb will be looking forward to boosting the depleted morale of his team against Durham. Sam Robson and Max Holden will be opening for Middlesex. Robson played a blitz knock of 18 runs in 9 balls. The Middlesex management will expect him to play fearless cricket by converting his short innings into a match-defining big-one. The failure of top-order was one of the reasons Middlesex couldn’t put a respectable target against Essex. Both Joe Cracknell and skipper Handscomb need to step up in their second outing of this season.

Middlesex’ middle order will remain unchanged as both Robbie White and Jack Davies literally saved their club with a 67 runs stand. Davis, who was playing his first 50-over game, scored 70 runs before failing to Ryan ten Doeschate. The Bowling unit didn’t produce much in the first game. But they can’t be judged on a single game. Tim Murtagh will lead the attack with debutant Thilan Walallawitta who impressed everyone in his first game. Middlesex handed a debut to leg spinner Luke Hollman. Hollman used the cloudy conditions to put pressure on the Essex players but remained wicketless. He can be the key in the second game if the weather conditions remain the same.

Key Players: Jack Davies, Tim Murtagh, Peter Handscomb

Middlesex Predicted Playing XI:

Peter Handscomb (c), Sam Robson, Max Holden, Joe Cracknell, Robbie White, Jack Davies, Tim Murtagh, Luke Hollman, James Harris, Thilan Walallawitta, Ethan Bamber

Durham Preview

All is well in Durham camp. After registering 400 plus total in their first game, it looks like they will go ahead with the same squad. Graham Clark and Alex Lees who both got three figures are set to provide the same start against the hosts. Their solid start can help Beddingham and Bancroft play freely like in the first game. Beddingham’s inning of 67 was the cherry on the top for Durham. He helped Bancroft to open his bat from the other end.

If everything worked like the sync between the top-order, Durham can hand over a big defeat to Middlesex. Christopher Rushworth is not ageing at all. The 35-year-old used his experience to take 3 wickets at an economy of 4.14. His presence in the field can boost the morale of newcomers Jack Campbell and Luke Doneathy. Campbell and Doneathy sent three Kent players back to the pavilion. 

Key Players: Graham Clark, David Bedingham, Luke Doneathy

Durham Predicted Playing XI:

Graham Clark, Alex Lees, Scott Borthwick (c), Cameron Bancroft (wk), David Bedingham, Sean Dickson, Liam Trevaskis, Luke Doneathy, Paul van Meekeren, Jack Campbell , Chris Rushworth

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The wicket helps batters and has seen a lot of runs in the past. Spinners have been helped by the pitch as the majority of the wickets are taken by the spinners on this ground. The weather will be partly cloudy throughout the day. The temperature will vary between 13°C to 19°C. The wind will be blowing at 18 km/h. Light rain is expected throughout the day.

Venue Details

The venue for this match is Brunton Memorial Ground, Radlett. It is home to the Radlett Cricket Club and has been used as an outground by Middlesex County Cricket Club. So far 1 first class match and 11 List A games have been played at Radlett.

Toss: To Bat

The ground has seen a more successful defence of the target in the past The team batting first has won on 5 occasions compared to 2 occasions where a team has successfully chased the target.  Therefore, the team winning the toss should bat first.