By Rob Barnett
Middlesex captain Chris Rogers was half expecting to face Junaid Khan in this week’s LV= County Championship relegation decider and says the visitors to Emirates Old Trafford are good enough to get the six points they need to stay up.
Pakistan paceman Junaid was rumoured to be in line to make a shock return for the final round of games this season, and this afternoon has been named in Lancashire’s squad to fill the overseas place vacated by Usman Khawaja being recalled by Queensland.
Junaid last featured for Lancashire in July towards the end of their NatWest T20 Blast campaign and has since played in two Tests and as many one-day internationals.
It will be his second championship match for the Red Rose, his previous one being in 2011 against Durham at Liverpool.
Seventh-placed Middlesex are nine points ahead of Lancashire after Rogers’ second double-hundred of the championship season rescued a draw at Somerset last week when the Red Rose were not in action.
A maximum-point victory will take the hosts to 167 points so Middlesex need just six points to be sure of staying up.
Speaking exclusively to ecb.co.uk today before Junaid’s inclusion was confirmed, Australia opening batsman Rogers said:“There’s some rumours that Junaid Khan’s going to be available for Lancashire. It’ll be interesting what happens when we turn up on day one.
“I think it’ll still come down to the fact that if we play anywhere near to what we’re capable of then hopefully we’ll be assured of staying up in this division.”
Junaid will offset the unavailability of James Anderson while Middlesex must make do without Anderson’s fellow England seamer Steven Finn.
Anderson and Finn have been rested by the ECB at the end of a busy season but international team-mates Jos Buttler, Sam Robson and Eoin Morgan are available.
Lancashire are without other fast bowlers in Kabir Ali and Kyle Hogg, the latter having retired this month through injury. Like Kabir, all-rounder Tom Smith is unavailable this week due to injury.
Despite Lancashire bringing in seam cover, Rogers thinks that the pitch they produce may well favour spin.
That thought is backed up by both counties naming at least two specialist spinners in 14-man squads.
“They have to attack us. We’re quite curious to see what type of pitch is prepared because we need a result. I think a lot will depend on the wicket they produce,” he explained.
“Spin might play a crucial role and then we’ll have to see what balance we pick from there.”
This could be Rogers’ last appearance for Middlesex given the 37-year-old is coming towards the end of his career and he hopes to remain in Australia’s Test team for a tour of the West Indies in the first half of the next county season and the Ashes that follows. For now, he is focussing on facing Lancashire though.
He may been heartened by Middlesex having drawn their last six championship contests away to the Red Rose.
“It’s an interesting game for us because if we get enough bonus points we’re up,” added Rogers, who has represented Middlesex for this season and in the previous three.
“I think our motivation will be just to play a good game, be hard to beat and hopefully we can come out the right side and get what we need to stay up.”