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Adam Voges admits Middlesex cannot use bad luck as an excuse to explain away their dramatic fall from grace this season.
Middlesex, who won the County Championship last year, are on the brink of relegation to Division Two following their comprehensive 231-run defeat to Somerset at Taunton.
The club were controversially docked two points for a slow over-rate against Surrey in August, after the match was abandoned when an arrow landed on the Oval pitch.
That ECB decision – along with injuries, a virtual washout in Middlesex’s crucial game against Hampshire at Uxbridge and concerns over the pitch at Taunton, which was officially graded as below average – all played a part in Middlesex’s woes.
However, Voges – who captained the side at Taunton – said: “We’ve been comfortably outplayed over these four days.
“There’s no point feeling sorry for yourself. You make your own luck in a lot of ways.
“We haven’t played well enough – that’s why we’re in the position we’re in – but there’s certainly things that haven’t gone our way.
“I think we’re probably 10 per cent off where we were last year and this is a good competition with some good teams in it, so 10 per cent can be all you need to go to where we are now.”
Voges also said that – whatever the outcome – questions would be asked of the entire club after a poor campaign.
The Australian said: “There’ll be a thorough review of the season, that goes from the playing group to the staff and the way we do everything and I’m sure some answers will transpire.
“I think this group’s a fairly resilient one. Yes, the performances haven’t been as we’d have liked and at times we haven’t been as good as we have in the past.
“I think there’s still a fighting spirit within the group and you certainly can’t fault the way the boys have prepared and trained and got ready for games.”
This post was last modified on 28/09/2017