Head Coach Grant Bradburn has named a 13-man squad for our third Vitality County Championship home match of the summer as we welcome Middlesex to Sophia Gardens.
After defeating table-topping Sussex in our previous game, we now face Middlesex, who are second in the points table and just one point ahead of us. A win in this game would place Glamorgan in the top 2.
The game against Sussex was a complete all-round performance. Batters Kiran Carlson and Colin Ingram had outstanding outings, establishing a record-breaking 5th wicket partnership for Glamorgan with impressive knocks of 148 and 170, respectively. From a bowling perspective, Mir Hamza picked up 7 wickets in the game, and Andy Gorvin registered a match-winning 5-wicket haul, the first in his first-class career. The fielding was also outstanding.
Colin Ingram (637) surpassed Sam Northeast (568), to become the leading run-scorer across the Vitality County Championship this season and is on track to reach 1,000 runs before the end of May.
Mir Hamza is rested for this game and will be replaced by another overseas player, the world-renowned batter Marnus Labuschagne who has returned to Cardiff this week.
Seamers Timm Van der Gugten and Harry Podmore are back in action for the 2nd XI after recovering from injuries.
Squad against Middlesex:
16 Sam Northeast (C)
05 Kiran Carlson (VC)
13Tom Bevan
97 Eddie Byrom
46 Chris Cooke (WK)
03 Mason Crane
11 Andy Gorvin
09 James Harris
41 Colin Ingram
33 Marnus Labuschagne
35 Jamie McIlroy
07 Billy Root
27 Zain ul Hassan
View from the Camp - Grant Bradburn
“The squad have taken a huge amount of confidence away from last week's victory over Sussex and there’s a nice positive vibe in the camp. I’m very proud of the way the team have grown from each match so far this season.
“While we have stuck to positive process, an outright victory eluded us in the first four rounds, so I’m pleased for the squad and the Club as a whole, who have deserved success from the efforts going in.
“While Mir Hamza takes a well-earned rest for this game, it’s nice to welcome Marnus back to Glamorgan this week and I’m sure his infectious energy and skills will add huge value to our group."
Head-to-head – Glamorgan v Middlesex
The two teams were involved in a high-scoring draw in the opening match of the Vitality County Championship season in early April at Lord’s, with Sam Northeast making a record-breaking 335* and Colin Ingram 132* before Glamorgan declared on 620-3. Middlesex responded with 655 with Ryan Higgins posting 221.
Middlesex were the victors the last time the two teams met at Cardiff with the visitors winning by an innings and 82 runs in April 2022 thanks to eight wickets from Toby Roland-Jones and an unbeaten 104 by John Simpson, who is now the captain of Sussex.
It is thirty-three years since Glamorgan last recorded a Championship victory at their Cardiff base against Middlesex, with the victory in June 1991 coming during a rain-affected contest as four-wicket hauls by off-cutter Steve Barwick and seamer Mark Frost saw Glamorgan to a 129-run victory.
How to watch
A live stream of the fixture will be provided via our Match Centre and YouTube channel, with commentary from Nick Webb and the BBC Wales team. You can follow along and see the highlights of the fixture across the Glamorgan social media channels.