Middlesex Head Coach Richard Scott

Middlesex coach Richard Scott says the team are on a high as they prepare to take on third-placed Somerset in the County Championship on Tuesday.

The Lord’s side’s 10-wicket victory over Sussex last weekend has left them just seven points behind their next opponents and only 16 off top spot in Division One.

“It’s our last Championship game before the Twenty20 tournament starts and we can glean a lot of confidence from the way we performed against Sussex,” said Scott.

“We’re looking forward to Somerset because we’re on the crest of a wave, we’ve positioned ourselves helpfully coming up the halfway stage and we want to continue our good form.

“Somerset have been challenging for Division One honours for a number of years now, they’re a seasoned team and there’s no way we’ll be underestimating them – it’ll be a competitive game.”

However, the bad weather at Lord’s on Sunday dented Middlesex’s hopes in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition, with not a single ball bowled in their scheduled clash with the Netherlands, who lead Group A.

The umpires initially announced that the match would be reduced to 27 overs a side, but a downpour soon before the start time of 3.45pm put paid to any chances of play.

The Panthers’ coach also confirmed that the club have not yet had any success in their attempts to find a replacement for Sri Lankan paceman Lasith Malinga for the Friends Life t20 competition, which begins next week.

Malinga had been signed to fill one of the Panthers’ two overseas slots for the tournament, but withdrew last week due to injury concerns.

“It’s a disappointment that Malinga’s not coming and we’ve made enquiries, but there’s not a lot of choice out there, to be honest,” Scott admitted. “It’s possible we might start the tournament with another overseas player, but the moment there’s no news.”