Middlesex and Sussex will face off in a south group match of the T20 Blast 2023 on Thursday 8 June. Lord's Cricket Ground in London will host the competition.

Middlesex and Sussex meet in the South Group of T20 Blast 2023 at Lord's on Thursday night. With seven losses from seven games this season, Middlesex are bottom of their group and the only team in the tournament without a win. The Sharks are one place ahead of Middlesex with one win in six. Read on as we preview this game. This clash begins in London at 18:15 local time.

Still looking for their first win of the season, Middlesex are struggling to assert themselves with both stick and ball. To be competitive in this game, they need the performance of one of their experienced batsmen.

Middlesex, led by Stephen Eskinazi, has had a campaign to forget so far. Having lost all seven games, they are at the bottom of the table with a poor net run rate of -1.539.

Sussex needs to get more out of their top batters to create the best chances in this match. They have talent on their team and could well beat Lord's with a win.

Sussex, on the other hand, also had big problems. They could slip to the bottom of the table if they lose to Middlesex. They have two points and a net run rate of -1.323, with wins in one game out of six.

Team Preview

Middlesex

This has been one of Middlesex's worst seasons to date. Steve Eskinazi looks helpless as the team loses game after game. Holden's 1950s and his partnership with Higgins gave Middlesex a good chance of securing their first win of the season in the last game.

However, they trailed by five runs and their winless streak continues. The good news for Middlesex would be the promise those mid-tier batsmen have shown. Max Holden, Ryan Higgins and Jack Davies have had crucial runs in the last three innings.

While they may not have been able to turn those results into a big hit, there is a certain consistency and therefore Eskinazi can count on them. However, the captain himself was out of control with scores of 0, 1 and 18 (24) in his last three innings.

At the same time, his opening partner Joe Cracknell has gone 0, 2, and 2 in his last three innings. This is a huge headache for Middlesex as it only increases the pressure on the middle tier batsmen.

Eskniazi would support his bowlers in this game as the opponent is also struggling with batting problems. The bad news is that Tom Helm and Blake Cullen weren't among the wickets either. The two front-line bowlers have not had consistent success and this has hampered the team's chances of winning so far.

Sussex

Tom Aslop scored 58 points from 42 in the last game and it was the only over-50 result for the Sussex Sharks in their last four games. That's how bad it's been for the Sharks since they recorded their first win against Surrey at The Oval.
Since that first win of the season, the Sussex Sharks have lost four games in a row and their batting performance has been a disaster. Shadab Khan failed to establish himself as an all-rounder.

In their game against Essex, Shadab scored 3 for 28 while the Sharks held the opposition to 163-7. He was sent to bat at number 4 and was looking for a golden duck. He was expensive and without a wicket in the next two games while scoring 1 (11) and 3 (5) in 5th place.

It looks like Ravi Bopara's time in T20 cricket is over. He's no longer able to deliver the big shots and finishes he used to do. He doesn't impress with the ball either.

Although this team, with players like George Garton, Tymal Mills and Nathan McAndrew, is not lacking in bowling talent and has put in some good bowling performances in recent games, there are no consistent and reliable batters on the team.

Pitch Report

This has been a good batting wicket in the T20 Blast so far this year with a first innings average score of 199. There's always something on the field for the fast bowlers.

Weather Forecast

There is no chance of rain in London for the time being. Temperatures will be around 15 degrees Celsius. Humidity will be in the 50's.

Toss Prediction

There is not much difference between the records of teams batting first or second in T20 games at Lord's. It gets wetter in the second inning, so we're assuming both skippers will choose to field first.

Match Prediction

Both teams have yet to find their feet and it's hard to find a clear winner. All things considered, the chasing team should win.

Prediction: The team that finishes second will win this competition of Vitality T20 Blast 2023.

Head to Head

Sussex has an excellent record against Middlesex in the T20 Blast, leading the duel 20-8. Middlesex have only beaten Sussex in this format twice since 2017.

Betting Tips

Both teams are in poor form at the moment and will be desperate for a win here. Difficult to decide this game given their strengths and weaknesses on paper, but we will support Sussex to win here. They have a good record against their opponents, which gives them the confidence to play well.

Bet on Sussex to win.

Probable XIs

Middlesex

Stephen Eskinazi (c), Joe Cracknell, Pieter Malan, Max Holden, Ryan Higgins, Jack Davies (wk), Luke Hollman, Josh De Caires, Martin Andersson, Tom Helm, Blake Cullen

Sussex

Tom Clark, Tom Haines, Tom Alsop, Ravi Bopara (c), Shadab Khan, Michael Burgess (wk), James Coles, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Nathan McAndrew, Tymal Mills, Henry Crocombe.

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Middlesex Key Player

Steve Eskinazi The Middlesex captain has only contributed one run in his last two innings but has already hit two half-centuries in this 2023 Vitality T20 Blast.

Max Holden The left-handed top batter hit 53 runs from 31 balls, including nine limits, for Middlesex against the Hampshire Hawks.

Blake Cullen The 21-year-old fast, right-arm middle bowler can be expensive in this format at times, but has the ability to pull out the best batters.

Sussex Key Players

Ravi Bopara The former England international has been in strong form this year. The Sharks captain hit five fours and three sixes in the last game.

Shadab Khan The Pakistani all-rounder scored 20 runs with the bat and also took a wicket against the Essex Eagles. He will happily contribute more with the bat in this and future Blast games.

Tymal Mills The left-armed England pace bowler fired Adam Rossington and Paul Walter on Tuesday night. He is a regular wicket taker in T20 cricket.