Surrey vs Middlesex Vitality Blast Preview- Can Middlesex stop the Surrey juggernaut?

Surrey host Middlesex at the Kia Oval on Friday evening in the 2022 Vitality Blast in a London derby that is now sold out.

The hosts are sitting proudly on top of the South Group with six wins and one no result from their seven fixtures played so far in the tournament.

Middlesex, having opened up their Blast campaign with three wins have now not tasted victory for five matches and sit in seventh place in the table with six points from eight games.

The home side are the team to beat in all formats of the game having remained unbeaten so far. When these sides last met at Lords in their last Blast games before a championship match, Surrey were victorious by 20 runs at a packed home of cricket.

Middlesex have already lost to Essex Eagles, Surrey, Hampshire Hawks, Kent Spitfires and Sussex Sharks in their last five games in the competition.

With England beginning their three-match ODI tour of the Netherlands earlier in the day, Surrey will be forced to make changes to their starting eleven.

Sam Curran, Jason Roy and Reece Topley will all be on international duty for England. However, Surrey’s strength in their squad shouldn’t hamper their disadvantage of losing three key players.

Chris Jordan has been in superb form for Surrey this year. He recently took 4-31 at Lords in the win over Middlesex on June 9^th and has thus far taken 10 wickets in the Blast.

Will Jacks is in a rich vein of form for Surrey in the Blast having already hit three half- centuries with a highest score of 64.

The excellent West Indian Sunil Narine is currently top of the economy bowling rate for Surrey with a miserly rate of 5.20 with seven wickets to his name.

For Middlesex, the visitors will be without the services of England captain Eoin Morgan who will be in the Netherlands.

Captain Steve Eskinazi has already hit 259 runs in the campaign so far with 35 fours and eight sixes and a highest score of 87.

Martin Andersson is currently averaging an impressive 17.53 with the ball in the tournament, having taken 15 wickets with best figures of 3-32 against Kent Spitfires.

The ever-reliable Toby Roland-Jones has hit the ground running in the competition and is already into double figures of wickets taken with a best of 4-22 against Glamorgan at Radlett.

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