Although Sam Robson and Steven Finn will be available after missing out on England selection, Middlesex suffered a setback when an Australia Test call-up limited new first-class skipper Adam Voges' availability to just four LV= County Championship matches.
Kevin Howells (BBC radio)
Underachievers for too long. Voges is in the form of his life and with a winning feeling. Compton and Franklin will help form an experienced backbone which may make the difference.
David Fulton (Sky Sports News)
They’ve had middle-order issues in recent years, and there have been flat Lord’s pitches which haven’t helped their bowlers. Voges is going to need to fill those big boots of Chris Rogers.
Angus Fraser has been around cricket long enough to be well aware of the unpredictable impact that international selections can have on a county, but by any standards Middlesex have had a rollercoaster couple of weeks.
First there was the personal disappointment for Sam Robson and Steven Finn of missing out on selection for England’s Test tour of the West Indies– a cloud which offered a bright silver lining to Middlesex in the unexpected availability of two hungry cricketers for the start of the county season.
But then late on Monday night came confirmation of the news which Fraser had been quietly dreading – Adam Voges, who had been signed as captain to fill the prolific boots of Chris Rogers during an Ashes summer, would instead be joining Buck in the Australia squad for their Test series in England and before that West Indies.
“We’re two in, one out, I suppose,” reflected managing director of cricket Fraser, as he drove to Merchant Taylors School for the first day of this week’s pre-season match against Gloucestershire.
“Yeah, losing Adam is definitely a setback. We were excited about what he could do for us – in fact we still are, because he’s still coming over for the first four championship games (against Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Durham and Sussex).
“But it had become more apparent as the Sheffield Shield unfolded back in Australia, and he was scoring loads of runs, that this was a possibility. So we had plans and lists of possible replacements as a contingency, but it’s not easy.
“I guess it’s the opposite with Sam Robson and Steven Finn. They would have been hoping to be away with England, they’ll be disappointed not to be, and they’ll be determined to force themselves back into the reckoning.”
They will be joined by another man with reasonably recent experience of the pain of England disappointment – Nick Compton, who will be equally keen to make his point to the selectors and the wider world having rejoined his original county after five seasons with Somerset.
“He’s happy to be back with us and he looks in good form – he got a couple of fifties out in Abu Dhabi,” added Fraser.
Compton’s return to Taunton makes Middlesex’s visit to Somerset in late April one of the more intriguing fixtures of the early stages of the season.
With him, Robson, Finn and Voges, Middlesex would seem to have the beginnings of a very tasty side. Joe Denly has returned to Kent, Gareth Berg has also left, and Eoin Morgan is heading for the Indian Premier League.
But Dawid Malan will be keen to build on a productive 2014, and it is in bowling options that Middlesex look especially strong.
“Finn’s availability obviously adds an extra bit of spice,” said Fraser. “You add him to (Toby) Roland-Jones,(Tim) Murtagh,(James) Harris, and a couple of good youngsters in Tom Helm and Harry Podmore, and we should be doing ok.”
Podmore spent time with the England fast-bowling Performance Programme in South Africa this winter. Middlesex also have the promising left-arm spinner Ravi Patel, and Fraser reports that Ollie Rayner is determined to bounce back from a disappointing 2014.
James Franklin was their other major winter recruit, the veteran New Zealander signing as a non-overseas player through his Irish ancestry, and he could prove especially valuable in the one-day competitions.
Middlesex will be super keen to improve on a wretched campaign in the NatWest T20 Blast, in which they won only two of their 13 South Group games – with four home fixtures at Lord’s this summer, all on Thursday nights, and others at Richmond and Uxbridge.
But in the LV= County Championship, in which they started so strongly last spring only to end the summer flirting dangerously with relegation – finally securing their safety in a memorable televised match at Emirates Old Trafford where they sent Lancashire down– they open up at home to Nottinghamshire.
Voges may not be with Middlesex for long, but as his previous county experience came at Trent Bridge, he will be the centre of attention for that.
Middlesex
Captain: Adam Voges (LV= CountyChampionship), Eoin Morgan (NatWest T20 Blast and Royal London One-Day Cup)
Coach: Richard Scott
In: Stephen Eskinazi (youth), Max Holden (youth), George Scott (youth), Robbie White (youth), Adam Voges (Australia), Nick Compton (Somerset), James Franklin (New Zealand)
Out: Gareth Berg (released), Adam Rossington (Northamptonshire), Ollie Wilkin (released), Joe Denly (Kent)