Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, weather forecast, form, prediction and everything else you need to know ahead of the penultimate round of the Vitality Blast...
Fixture: Middlesex v Kent Spitfires
Venue: Lord's, London
Date: Friday, July 16, 2021
Start time: 6.15pm
What's the lowdown?
Rock-bottom of the South Group and out of qualification contention, Middlesex are playing for pride in this clash at Lord's.
Middlesex have only won three of their 12 matches in the competition this season.
Kent top the group and have qualified for the quarter-finals, but are having to deal with a mass absence of playing staff owing to Covid-19 isolation protocols.
Spitfires will not have any of the players who brought them a comprehensive victory over Surrey last week available to them. They will still want to secure home advantage in the last eight, and the second-string XI may need to bag one win from their final two games to do that.
Who's in form?
Middlesex batsman Max Holden made a brisk fifty in defeat by Gloucestershire last time out. Stephen Eskinazi, the county's leading runscorer in this year's Blast with 399 at 44 (strike rate of 140) is injured and out for up to four weeks in a major blow to the Seaxes.
Mujeeb, opening the bowling, has collected wickets in each of his last two matches - including excellent figures of 2 for 23 against Gloucestershire.
For Kent, the question is largely irrelevant, given they will be missing so many players. Zak Crawley showed flourishes on England ODI duty and will be a pivotal part of this restructured team.
What's the team news?
New signing Varun Chopra has been included in Middlesex's squad to face Kent and is likely to make his debut. Stephen Eskinazi, however, will be absent after he suffered a torn groin muscle in the County Championship against Leicestershire.
Steven Finn will captain the side while wicketkeeper John Simpson returns following his three-match stint with England.
Middlesex squad: Steven Finn, Martin Andersson, Joe Cracknell, Varun Chopra, Blake Cullen, Josh De Caires, Tom Helm, Max Holden, Luke Hollman, Daryl Mitchell, Sam Robson, John Simpson, Nathan Sowter, Mujeeb ur Rahman
Kent will be without the squad that beat Surrey in their last Blast match, as they continue their period of self-isolation. They have signed Scotland trio Safyaan Sharif, George Munsey and Calum MacLeod to offset availability issues. Batsman Harry Finch is also included in Kent's squad after making a match-saving century in the County Championship, having been called up to their makeshift squad last weekend.
Zak Crawley will be available for Kent Spitfires’ two remaining group matches.
Sam Billings will not be available for those games as he follows ECB Return to Play Covid-19 protocols, after testing positive for the virus.
Last five T20 results (most recent first)
Middlesex: LLWAW
Kent Spitfires: WWALW
Head-to-head T20 record
Total matches: 30
Middlesex wins: 15
Essex wins: 13
Tied: 1
No result: 1
Abandoned: 2
Latest Middlesex news: Click here
Latest Kent Spitfires news: Click here
What's the weather forecast?
To get the latest forecast from the Met Office, Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: The ECB are offering a streaming service which can be found here.
Middlesex will also be offering a live stream of the match which can be found here.
Radio: A live stream of the game will be available on Middlesex's website.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every Vitality T20 Blast match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Going to the game?
Tickets
Click here to visit the Middlesex box office.
Travel
Address: St John's Wood Road, London, NW8 8QN
On the tube: The following stations are within walking distance of the ground.
St. John’s Wood – Jubilee line (5 mins)
Baker Street – Bakerloo, Circle, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City lines (15 mins)
Warwick Avenue – Bakerloo line (15 mins)
Marylebone – Bakerloo line (15 mins)
Edgware Road – Bakerloo, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines (15 mins)
Paddington - Bakerloo, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines (20 mins)
By bus: The 13 and 113 routes run adjacent to Lord's on Wellington Road and are closest to the North and East gates. The Grace Gate is within comfortable walking distance.
The 139 and 189 routes run adjacent to Lord's on Grove End Road and stop closest to the Grace Gate.
By train: The nearest main line railway station is Marylebone, served by Chiltern Railways, which is approximately ten minutes’ walk from the Ground. Marylebone Station is on the Chiltern line.
Paddington Station is approximately twenty minutes’ walk from the Ground, for services to West and South-West England and South Wales.
Euston, King’s Cross and St Pancras International stations are only a short journey away.
By road: If choosing to go by road, the ground is 6 miles from the M1 and 1.5 miles from Marble Arch. It is also close to the M40 and M4.
M40 – from the end of the M40 take the A40 (Westway). Turn left into Lisson Grove. at the end of Lisson Grove, turn right into St. John’s Wood road. Lord’s is on the left.
M1 – from the end of the M1 take the Hendon Way, past Brent Cross Shopping Centre and over the north Circular Road (A406). Turn right on to Finchley Road (A41) and continue to Wellington Road. Pass St. John’s Wood underground station on the left and the Wellington Hospital on the right. Lord’s is on the right.
There are parking restrictions affecting non-residents on the streets surrounding Lord’s and on St John’s Wood High Street on all major match days, so please ensure you do not park in bays which are for residents’ use only. Click here for local car park information.
By bike: A number of bike racks are available outside the Ground for cyclists to lock their bikes to.
There are several Cycle Hire docking stations within five minutes’ walk of the Ground, on Abbey Road, St John’s Wood Road, Wellington Road, Lodge Road, Lisson Grove and Prince Albert Road.
Prediction
It will take something mighty from a scratch Kent side to win this one.
FRIDAY'S OTHER MATCH PREVIEWS
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Birmingham Bears v Worcestershire Rapids
Leicestershire Foxes v Notts Outlaws
South Group
Hampshire Hawks v Essex Eagles
Hampshire Hawks v Sussex Sharks
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