Middlesex 2026 County Championship Full Season Preview
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
by Ronan Alexander & The Cricket Draft
With the cricket season fast approaching, now is the time to ensure you and your club are covered! Don’t risk the season with under insurance & outdated valuations; contact ASI, the specialist sports broker and PCA partner, to get your club or your own policy sorted before the first ball is bowled.
County Championship Values for 2026
Banker, Wildcard, Young Gun & England Watch
Banker: Ryan Higgins (ALR) £8.4m
Higgins is always at the top of people’s shopping lists ahead of the season due to his high level of involvement. Often taking the new ball and batting in the top six, he has a huge scope for points and is someone who consistently delivers. He was a standout in The Cricket Draft 2024 and enjoyed another solid campaign last time out.
Wildcard: Ben Geddes (BAT) £5.6m
After having limited opportunities at Surrey, Geddes made the switch to Middlesex last summer and settled into life well at his new club. He predominantly opened the batting at Surrey but adjusted well to a middle-order role at Lord’s. He finished the season with 776 runs and 1,144 points, playing all 14 games for his new county. A bit of a bargain at only £5.1m in 2025, he’ll be looking to kick on in his second year in North London and has only risen in value by £0.5m
Young Gun: Noah Cornwell (BWL) £5.1m
Middlesex have a talented crop of young quicks, including 21-year-old Noah Cornwell. He played four matches last summer and picked up 15 wickets, averaging 99.25 points per game. Valued at only £4.2m, he was a budget-friendly option who has shown he can provide great returns; his 4/58 against Gloucestershire in the final game of last season is a career-best so far. He has gone up by £0.9m in 2026, but that still feels like good value.
England Watch: Sebastian Morgan (BWL) £4.5m
While perhaps not on the senior radar just yet, he is certainly one to watch. The 18-year-old right-arm quick has featured in the last two England U19 World Cup squads, taking nine wickets at an average of 24.77 in the most recent edition earlier this winter. Having made his first-class debut last summer with three appearances, he will be looking to build on that experience heading into the 2026 season.
Potential Starting XI for GW 1
2025 Review
It was a year of “what could have been” for Middlesex after ending the season in fourth place, finishing only 11 points off the final promotion spot. A costly run of mid-season results proved to be their downfall as between May and June, they lost three matches in a row against Leicestershire, Glamorgan, and Northamptonshire.
They did show character to bounce back, winning both of their next two matches by an innings to emphatically put themselves back into promotion contention. However, three consecutive draws followed, meaning an innings victory on the final day wasn’t enough to secure a top-two finish.
Toby Roland-Jones and Ryan Higgins led the seam attack, both taking over 40 wickets apiece, while new signing Zafar Gohar added 38. Leus du Plooy was the standout performer with the bat, becoming the only Middlesex player to cross the 1,000-run barrier, with Max Holden the next closest on 898.
2025 Stat Attack
Ryan Higgins: One of only 14 players to cross the 2,000 point barrier in 2025, collecting a total of 2,020 points. He also ranked 10th for total wickets with 42, which was the fourth most for an all-rounder.
Toby Roland-Jones: Claimed the seventh most wickets overall with 45.
Ben Geddes: Provided a reliable budget batting choice; for batters valued at £6.0m or less, he had the fourth most runs while being valued at only £5.1m.
Zafar Gohar: Secured 38 scalps, ranking him sixth among all-rounders and the highest for an all-rounder who bowls spin.
Leus du Plooy: One of only 20 players in county cricket to pass 1,000 runs during the 2025 season.
Noah Cornwell: Held the most wickets (15) for bowlers valued at £4.5m or less.
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Players Ins & Outs
Middlesex have been very quiet on the recruitment front over the winter. The only news at the moment is that Steve Eskinazi has left to join Leicestershire for 2026 after having a short stint with the Foxes at the end of last summer. Middlesex are yet to announce any overseas signings, which is something to look out for. In 2025, they started the summer with South African seamer Dane Paterson in their ranks before having Kane Williamson for a two-game stint later in the season.
2026 Fixtures
Middlesex start the season with back-to-back matches at Lord’s as they open the campaign against Gloucestershire before facing recently relegated Worcestershire. The first block of three games ends with a trip to Northants. Middlesex will feel they have a chance to start well. In GW5 and 6, they face promotion favourites Durham and Lancashire before hosting Derbyshire to conclude May. June sees them on the road twice against Worcestershire and Kent. They again face Lancashire and Durham right after each other in September before concluding the season with a trip to Gloucestershire and then hosting Northants on the final day of the season.
The double headers v Durham & Lancashire will certainly prove pivotal in their chase for a promotion spot. Can they do it?
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