Match Preview | County Championship | Middlesex | 29 June - 2 July 2025

Round nine of the Rothesay County Championship begins on Sunday as Leicestershire welcome Middlesex to Uptonsteel County Ground on #CountyCricketDay, where the Club will grant FREE entry to all spectators to celebrate the wonders of first-class cricket.

There’s no better time to support the Foxes in the four-day arena, with Alfonso Thomas’ side adding a further 16 points to their table-topping total last time out to extend their Division Two lead to 33 points.

Leicestershire will be bidding to do the double over seventh-place Middlesex, now under the interim leadership of Dane Vilas, after securing a historic seven-wicket win at Lord’s in May.

Squad:

Rehan Ahmed drops out of the squad after suffering with a side issue which left him unable to bowl last week, with Louis Kimber coming into the 13 fresh from a scintillating century for the Seconds on Thursday.

Josh Hull is nearing a return from a heel injury and is expected to feature for the Second XI next week, while Ben Mike is set to undergo a scan to discover the extent of a hamstring issue.

Leicestershire: Budinger, Cox+, B Green, Handscomb*, Hill, Kimber, Patel, Scriven, Trevaskis, van Beek, Walker, Wood, Wright.

Last Time We Met:

A historic fixture for Leicestershire, the Foxes ended a 45-year wait for a first-class victory at Lord’s with a seven-wicket success at the Home of Cricket last month.

Ian Holland continued his stellar start to 2025 with a five-wicket haul in the first innings before captain Peter Handscomb hit 87 in a crucial knock against his former county.

An inspired bowling display on the morning and early afternoon of day three “ spearheaded by three wickets apiece for Logan van Beek and Ben Green “ dismissed the hosts for just 143, giving Leicestershire a nominal target of 102, which they chased with seven wickets to spare.

Fox to Watch:

Securing his long-awaited maiden first-class hundred last time out, Sol Budinger will be brimming with confidence as he steps out onto the Grace Road turf this week.

The explosive opener is experiencing his best red-ball season to date, leading Leicestershire’s run-scoring charts with 529 at an average of 44.08, made all the more valuable by his rapid strike rate of 85.73.

He’s also a livewire in the fielder and adds an assured presence under the lid when fielding at short leg, as Rishi Patel gratefully found when Budinger’s brilliance snared him a maiden career wicket on Wednesday. With the Kookaburra ball dictating a greater prominence for spin, his razor-sharp reactions could be crucial again this week.

Opposition Player to Watch:

With spin deployed far more both at this time of year and with the Kookaburra, Zafar Gohar’s workload will be ramped up a notch this week.

The Pakistan international has 26 wickets with his left-arm spin this term, standing as Middlesex’s second most potent bowler behind veteran Toby Roland-Jones.

With 321 runs at 24.96, Zafar is also a handy lower-order batter under pressure, a point he proved when slog-sweeping for six to secure victory over Kent with just one over remaining earlier this summer.

Tickets:

Entry for Day One is FREE of charge as we celebrate #CountyCricketDay, a fan-led initiative championing the joys of four-day cricket across the country.

Tickets for the remaining days, as well as car parking passes, can be purchased ONLINE from just £5 or via the Curzon Road gate on the day. Additionally, we are pleased to continue our ‘Free After Tea’ policy, granting free admission to all spectators for the final session each day.

Follow The Action:

Live stream coverage can be found on Foxes TV, the Club’s YouTube channel, across all four days. Supporters can also stay tuned to the Club’s social media channels for play-by-play updates and live reaction, while post-day reports will be available via the Club’s official website.