After some difficult years following their dramatic County Championship triumph a decade ago, a run to the final of the Metro Bank One Day Cup has allowed Middlesex to turn 2026 into a season to remember.

The Trent Bridge showpiece will be the club’s first List A final in 36 years, and their run has been built not on one individual, but on a well-balanced side that has consistently found different ways to win.

One of the Seaxes’ biggest strengths has been the emergence of a confident young core, often talked of as one of the enormous positives of the current One Day Cup.

Josh de Caires, son of former England captain Michael Atherton but also an outstanding talent in his own right, has been particularly impressive, jointly leading the run-scoring stakes with 380.

The 24-year-old shares top spot with fellow opener Nathan Fernandes, two years and one day his junior, who announced himself with a maiden white-ball century when he struck 112 against Essex at Radlett.

It has not, however, been all about the top order, with all-rounder Luke Hollman also identifying himself as one of the campaign’s defining figures, combining his leg-spin with increasingly influential innings.

Perhaps the most notable contribution from 25-year-old left-hander Hollman, who is Middlesex born-and-bred, was under the immense pressure of a semi-final against Durham.

With the Seaxes seemingly in serious trouble at 145-7 while pursuing 255 and facing an attack including Ben Stokes, Hollman stood tall to produce an unbeaten 83, completing a remarkable two-wicket win.

Naturally, though, there have been strong showings on both sides of the coin, with the bowling attack, led by precocious quick Naavya Sharma, aged just 21, also excelling on frequent occasions.

Tall right-armer Sharma, another who is Middlesex through-and-through, has 17 wickets in the One Day Cup so far, and delivered on his significant promise with an England Lions call up earlier this year.

Noah Cornwell’s 15 scalps have backed up Sharma effectively, while Toby Roland-Jones, now into his 17th season as a Middlesex player, has added a valuable layer of experience to an otherwise raw attack.

Overall, however, it has been Middlesex’s resilience that has perhaps been most impressive, and it is that quality from which they will take the most encouragement ahead of next month’s Trent Bridge final.

As pleasing as it is to dominate opponents from start to finish, that has not always been the Seaxes’ mantra; instead, they have shown character and determination to recover from tricky situations.

That is not to say there haven’t been thrashings along the way - a 160-run demolition of Hampshire at Utilita Bowl, in which the hosts crumbled to 124 all out in the face of 6/35 from de Caires, was the most notable - but there have been more slender, gritty wins too.

The comeback over Durham in the last four was the ultimate illustration of Middlesex’s character, but across the campaign as a whole, with two wins by fewer than 50 runs and two more by fewer than four wickets, they have demonstrated how comfortable they are with pressure.

That depth and adaptability, and ability of finding ways to win from any situation, will give the Seaxes genuine belief heading into the final.

With de Caires and Fernandes providing momentum, Hollman supplying all-round influence, and a varied attack led by Sharma, Cornwell, and Roland-Jones, Middlesex seem to truly be embodying the idea of a team that is greater than the sum of its parts.