Middlesex v Derbyshire preview

Apologies for the radio silence in recent days, but a potent combo of a trip to my parents combined with running out of data meant I couldn't put down any cricket thoughts - even had I the time to do so.

Anyway, this is almost like the start of a new season, so long has elapsed since we last trod the sward. Our participants from the new competition are returned and there is a chance for players whose contracts are up at summer end to impress.

So, from a named thirteen I would omit Harry Came and Alex Thomson, who we know will be around next year. That would leave us with an eleven of:

Godleman, Reece, Wood, du Plooy, Critchley, Guest, Hughes, Dal, McKiernan, Aitchison, Conners

Our hosts have named a fifteen-man squad, a day after announcing that Steven Finn is leaving to join Sussex, very much end of era stuff. Their squad is also missing Peter Handscombe, who has returned to Australia, but they welcome back Toby Roland-Jones after a summer of injury:

Murtagh, Anderson, Bamber, Cracknell, Cullen, Eskinazi, Helm, Holden, Holman, Robson, Roland-Jones, Simpson, Stoneman, Walallawita, White. 

I hope that at the end of a wretched summer that we get something to engender optimism over the winter. That new players are required is a given. With Hudson-Prentice gone and Critchley rumoured to be going, we may well be two of our best players down, next year. With the contracts of Madsen, Godleman and du Plooy up next season, we are coming to a crucial crossroads in our club's history.