Lancashire hope to extend their lead at the top of Division One in the Specsavers County Championship, as they travel to Lord's to take on Middlesex at The Home of Cricket.
Ashley Giles's side endured a thrilling four-day contest against Warwickshire at Old Trafford in their last Championship match, with both Haseeb Hameed and Liam Livingstone hitting centuries on the final day to secure an 11-point draw for the Red Rose county.
The current leaders of the first division are ahead of their rivals Yorkshire by virtue of having won more games, with both Roses teams holding 99 points after seven matches. Lancashire are the only team in either division to have collected maximum bowling points from all of their matches so far this season and the form of local talent has once again been at the forefront of their success.
As well as Hameed's maiden first-class hundred and Livingstone's first century at Old Trafford - his second of the summer - 19-year-old leg-spinner Matthew Parkinson took five wickets on his first-class debut in Warwickshire's first innings, giving Lancashire the upper hand against one of the most successful teams in the history of the County Championship.
Lancashire have also been able to call on the success of their more experienced personnel, with captain Steven Croft also hitting a century in the game against Warwickshire. Seamer Kyle Jarvis is also having another superb season with the ball, with his current tally of victims in four-day cricket standing at 31 wickets at an average of 23.61.
Instead of fearing a third successive relegation from Division One, Lancashire are hoping that they can upset the odds and achieve their second Championship success in six seasons, after they lifted the trophy at Taunton in 2011.
Lancashire's last meeting with Middlesex in red-ball cricket was memorable for all the wrong reasons as far as Lancashire are concerned. In 2014, the two sides met at Old Trafford to decide which of them would retain first-division status and it was the London outfit who prevailed, having entered the match in the stronger position and managing to earn a hard-fought draw.
In that season, Lancashire only managed three wins from 16 Championship matches, but the Red Rose have already claimed that many victories in this campaign. Lancashire's last trip to Lord's was also one that ended in disappointment, with Middlesex collecting a 10-wicket victory, one that would prove vital come the end of the season when the two teams were battling for survival.
Middlesex have started this season admirably, given that they are one of four teams in the first division who are unbeaten after seven matches, but one win and six draws has left them with little to show for their undeniable quality. Having finished as runners-up to Yorkshire after narrowly avoiding relegation the previous season, Middlesex have shown time and time again that they possess and all-round threat in red-ball cricket.
International batsmen, such as Sam Robson and Adam Voges, have given Middlesex genuine quality at the top of their batting card, while veteran seamer Tim Murtagh continues to be a key wicket-taker for his side at the age of 34. Middlesex have not played a four-day game since the start of June, beating Hampshire by an innings and 116 runs to secure their first win of the season, having drawn their first six games.
Middlesex 13-man squad: James Franklin (c), Stephen Eskinazi, James Fuller, Nick Gubbins, James Harris, Ryan Higgins, Dawid Malan, Tim Murtagh, Ollie Rayner, Sam Robson, Toby Roland-Jones, John Simpson, Paul Stirling.
Lancashire 12-man squad: Steven Croft (c/wk), Karl Brown, Nathan Buck, Jordan Clark, Haseeb Hameed, Kyle Jarvis, Liam Livingstone, Matthew Parkinson, Alviro Petersen, Luke Procter, Tom Smith, Neil Wagner.
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