Vitality T20 Blast 2019: 2nd Quarter-Final, Nottinghamshire vs Middlesex: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The 2nd Quarter-Final in the Vitality T20 Blast 2019 will be played between Nottinghamshire and Middlesex at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

The match starts at 7:00 PM local time (11:30 PM IST) (6:00 PM GMT).

This game will be live on Sky Sports in England and on the Fancode App in India

Preview:

In the second quarter final of the T20 Blast 2019, 2017 champions Nottinghamshire host a formidable Middlesex side at Trent Bridge on Thursday. While Nottinghamshire made it through to the knockout phase without any hiccups, Middlesex pulled of a heist as they chased down 226 in just 17 overs to sneak past Kent and Somerset in the South Group. Both sides are well equipped in the batting department with Alex Hales and AB de Villiers taking it to the field in this crucial match.

Although the pre-match talk will revolve around Middlesex’s fearsome batting order, it has been their bowlers, who have done the damage this year. The trio of Toby Roland Jones, Steven Finn and Nathan Sowter has picked 54 wickets amongst themselves to complement Dawid Malan, who is on the verge of scoring 500 runs this season. Against T20 specialist, Harry Gurney, Middlesex will be wary of the threat with both sides fancying their chances of going through into the semi-finals.

Weather Condition/Report:

There is no chance of rain during the game with the weather forecast suggesting that Thursday could be a cloudy day. A cloud cover over 70% is on the forecast according to AccuWeather with a full match being expected without any delays. As far as the temperature is concerned, it will hover between 16-19 degree Celsius and the wind blowing in at 20 km/h.

Pitch Condition/Report:

Nottingham is generally a good wicket to bat on with the shorter dimensions of the ground also coming into play. With the pitch being a touch on the slower side during the course of the T20 Blast 2019, chasing has been difficult with 160+ scores being very competitive and potentially match-winning at Trent Bridge. No team has lost after putting up 160 this season at this venue.

Average score: 149 (T20 Blast matches in 2019 at the venue)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 5, Lost – 1,

Injury and Availability News:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Probable Playing XIs:

Nottinghamshire:

Chris Nash, Alex Hales, Ben Duckett, Tom Moores, Jake Libby, Samit Patel, Daniel Christian, Matthew Carter, Harry Gurney, Luke Wood, Imad Wasim

Bench: Luke Fletcher, Joe Clarke and Jake Ball

Middlesex:

Dawid Malan, Paul Stirling, AB de Villiers, Eoin Morgan, Stephen Eskinazi, John Simpson, Toby Roland-Jones, Tom Helm, Nathan Sowter, Steven Finn, Mujeeb ur Rahman

Bench: George Scott, Tom Barber

Top Picks:

Dawid Malan has already scored 488 runs this season although he hasn’t been able to convert his starts off late. With the power-play regulations, Malan should do well at the top of the order. Harry Gurney has been the pick of the Nottinghamshire bowlers with 18 wickets in just ten games for them. Another Nottinghamshire player Alex Hales, who is well known for his exploits in the T20 format, has had a couple of decent outing for the Notts in the T20 Blast 2019

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Dawid Malan, Alex Hales, Harry Gurney

Vice-Captain – Ben Duckett, Daniel Christian, Paul Stirling

Dawid Malan and Alex Hales’ form and experience playing in various T20 leagues should serve them well on a competitive pitch in a crunch match at Trent Bridge

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Tom Moores

Batsmen – Dawid Malan (C), Alex Hales (VC), Eoin Morgan, Stephen Eskinazi

All-Rounders – Daniel Christian, Paul Stirling, Toby Roland-Jones

Bowlers – Harry Gurney, Steven Finn, Nathan Sowter

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Tom Moores

Batsmen – Dawid Malan, Alex Hales (C), Stephen Eskinazi, Jake Libby, AB de Villiers

All-Rounders – Toby Roland-Jones, Daniel Christian (VC)

Bowlers – Harry Gurney, Nathan Sowter and Matthew Carter

Expert Advice:

Allrounders will be crucial on this surface due to nature of the pitch with change of pace being the key.

Over six completed matches in Nottingham, spinners have enjoyed the conditions with Nathan Sowter and Matthew Carter in the ranks of Middlesex and Nottinghamshire respectively.

With the pitch slowing down as the game progresses, openers such as Dawid Malan and Alex Hales, who can make use of the powerplay overs would be ideal.

Probable Winners:

Although both teams are evenly matched on paper, home advantage should do the trick for Nottinghamshire against the mighty Middlesex on Thursday.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.