Middlesex vs Kent, VITALITY T20 BLAST 2022, Today Match Prediction 19 June 2022

mdx vs kent Match Prediction & Analysis

Lord’s is all set to host the ultimate reverse fixture of the Vitality T20 Blast between Kent and Middlesex on 19th June, 7:00 PM as per IST. It will only be the second T20 of the tournament to be played at the venue this year. As the two teams buckle up to play the 86th match of the running tournament at the iconic venue, one team wants this win more than the other. As Kent lay low on the bottom of the table, Middlesex have a chance to keep themselves in the mix by staying in the center of the points table by grabbing crucial points.

This is an all-important revenge fixture for Middlesex as Kent brutally thrashed them in their previous encounter of the tournament by 55 runs. Batting first, Joe Denly’s mind-blowing 110 off 58 balls got the Kent Spitfires to a mammoth 192/8 on board with Chris Green & Martin Andersson picking up three wickets each for Middlesex. The response wasn’t a strong one as the Middlesex batting order went tumbling down courtesy of great contributions with the ball from Jack Leaning (3/30), George Linde (2/26), and Grant Stewart (2/14). This fitting reply earned Kent a 55-run victory, even though that tallied to only their second win overall in the tournament.

This match will set up as the perfect revenge opportunity for Middlesex who looks to bag points to climb on top while Kent will try everything possible to pull them down and take their spot instead. Kent are two points away and have a better NRR than Middlesex.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Middlesex Preview

Things haven’t been the smoothest for Middlesex throughout this tournament but they have managed to get three wins out of their nine games and had to fight really hard to earn those six points so far. Their NRR is extremely poor and only big wins could help them better their stats.

They are coming into this encounter after having faced 5 losses on a trot and from having won 3 matches out of 4 games to this, is a serious downfall and needs to work and improve upon in a lot of areas. In their previous loss against Surrey, every batter got off to a good start but failed to convert it into a big score. While defending a below-par target of 156, their frontline bowlers; Jason Behrendorff (1/43 in 3.1 overs), Tom Helm (0/42 in 3 overs) & Chris Green (0/35 in 4 overs) gave away runs for free and ended up giving the match in the hands of Surrey in just 15 overs.

They really need to come together as a unit and work on their bowling. Although, in a rather disappointing batting side, their skipper Stephan Eskinazi has made his position in the top ten highest run-getters of the tournament with 284 runs in 9 innings. On the other hand, a department that has faced utter humiliation by being smashed all over the park in the past five games will rely upon their leading wicket-taker, Martin Andersson (15 wickets in 9 games). A lot will be riding on these two in the upcoming encounter.

Key Players: Stephen Eskinazi, Jason Behrendorff, Tom Helm, Martin Andersson

Middlesex Predicted Playing XI:

Stephen Eskinazi (c), Max Holden, Joe Cracknell, John Simpson (wk), Jack Davies, Luke Hollman, Chris Green, Martin Andersson, Tom Helm, Jason Behrendorff, Thilan Walallawita

Middlesex Actual Playing XI:

Christopher Green, Max Holden, Tom Helm, Jason Behrendorff, Luke Hollman, Martin Andersson, Joe Cracknell, Stephen Eskinazi, John Simpson, Thilan Walallawita, Jack Davies

Kent Preview

Kent have had a rough season this year with just 2 wins in 9 games and had one of the poorest starts to the tournament in the history of the franchise. Although, their NRR is fairly better than that of Middlesex which gives them a chance to overtake their spot with a win at Lord’s on the 19th. Kent are walking into this encounter after a poor performance at the Rose Bowl against Hampshire. Choosing to bowl first turned out to be the worst decision as skipper James Vince’s 54-ball 100 and a brisk 52 off 37 by Tom Prest and alongside cameos from others got Hampshire to a gigantic 221/3 in 20 overs. All of Kent’s top bowlers got smashed for nothing below ten an over. While chasing, they were barricaded for mere 167m which Joe Denly (49 off 37), Alex Blake (44 off 26) & Jack Leaning (35 off 20), being the only crucial contributors with the bat.

Come to think of it, Joe Denly has been a reward in disguise for Kent but hasn’t gotten a lot of support from the other batters. Joe is the 5th highest run-getter of the tournament with 317 runs in just eight innings. While they have something to be proud about with the bat, there isn’t much to do with the wickets; an area which they eagerly need to work upon as they move forward. Their bowlers have given away too many runs in this tournament for nothing in return.

Key Players: Joe Denly, Alex Blake, Jack Leaning, Qais Ahmed

Kent Predicted Playing XI:

Joe Denly, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Jordan Cox, Sam Billings (c & wk), Jack Leaning, Alex Blake, George Linde, Grant Stewart, Qais Ahmad, Fred Klaassen, Matthew Quinn

Kent Actual Playing XI:

Zak Crawley, George Linde, Matt Milnes, Qais Ahmad, Joe Denly, Matthew Quinn, Alex Blake, Sam Billings, Jordan Cox, Fred Klaassen, Jack Leaning

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

There is a 60% chance of precipitation and the expected temperatures to be as low as 11 degrees. Although, fans will get to enjoy a complete 20-over action of white-ball cricket at the iconic venue as they proceed closer to match day.

Venue Details

The match will happen at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. This match is expected to be a low-scoring game as the average 1st innings score at this venue for T20s is 157. The pitch is good for batting first up and setting up a target. Only one match has been played so far at this venue in this tournament and although stats deem 157 to be the average score; both teams crossed the 180-run mark and bowlers were smashed all over the park.

Toss: To Bat

Choosing to bat first is the best decision in this venue as it gets difficult to chase on this surface as the match progresses. The wicket has a lot to offer to the batsman as the previous match witnessed a high-scoring run chase which ended in the favor of the team defending. It’s a hard wicket where the ball is coming onto the bat quite nicely. There is a slight help for pacers with pace off the wicket but the conditions are in favor of batsmen. However, it might get slightly difficult to bat if the rain pours down.