Middlesex, winner of more county championships than anyone else bar Yorkshire and Surrey, are in terrible state right now, facing relegation to the second division and in deep financial trouble. This post explores their situation.
FINANCIAL MALPRACTICE
Middlesex have been adjudged by the ECB to have become overly financially dependent on that organization. The following punishments have been meted out:
“The ECB will henceforth reduce payments to Middlesex by £150,000, of which £100,000 will be suspended until 31 October 2025. The points deduction, equivalent to the maximum points for one win in each of the County Championship, the One Day Cup and the T20 Blast, is also suspended until 31 October 2025.”
The above quote comes from an espn story about the situation which can be read here.
Middlesex have been treated rather more kindly than were Durham a few years back when that county was guilty of offences of a similar nature.
ON FIELD WOES
Middlesex are facing relegation, which with their very limited capacity for attracting new players given the punishments hanging over them will be hard to come back from. They are struggling with both bat and ball – their two former test match openers Stoneman and Robson have both had poor seasons with the bat, and the middle order is inexperienced, while their bowling attack is toothless – they barely even have an 80mph bowler in their ranks, never mind a 90mph one. Josh de Caires, the off spinner, has had two good matches with the ball recently, but Middlesex lost both times, as the opponents had a better spinner available to them – Liam Dawson and Simon Harmer respectively. Indian leg spinner Kuldeep Yadav is there for the tail end of the season, but at the moment the only question in their current match is whether the Manchester weather has done enough to save them from defeat. Kent, currently just behind Middlesex and in the second relegation slot (Northamptonshire are pretty much beyond redemption at the bottom of the table) are going to get at least a draw from their game against Nottinghamshire, fourth from bottom, and may well manage to win it, which would put Middlesex in real jeopardy, not only in the R zone, but adrift of third bottom by a double figure points margin.
How have Middlesex, with the advantage of having a base at the most famous ground in England, got themselves into such a horrendous mess?
PHOTOGRAPHS
I have lots of photos to share…
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