Success is pretty in pink for captain Ed

Re-Joyce: Ed Joyce (holding the trophy) can look forward to at least two big pay-days this winter thanks to his side's victory in the Twenty20 final at the Rose Bowl

Alexander Clyde

13 April 2012

It could have been the publicity shot to promote a new movie, with the working title, 'Harry Potter meets the Pink Panthers'.

There was actor and cricket fan Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter on film, clutching the Twenty20 Cup surrounded by the triumphant pink-shirted Middlesex team after they had hit the jackpot at the Rose Bowl.

But sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. A team that had been in apparent disarray through injuries and dressing room unrest transforms itself when the players pulled on their distinctive pink outfits, in support of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity, to compete for the new riches on offer in Twenty20.

Middlesex's victory over Kent a fortnight ago secured the team's first silverware for 15 years and booked their passport to two highly lucrative Twenty20 events: the Champions League in India and the Stanford Super Series in Antigua in October.

Although captain Ed Joyce didn't get to join his rub shoulders with Radcliffe on the day - he was doing media interviews at the time his team-mates were posing with the Harry Potter hero - his pivotal role in Middlesex's Twenty20 run can never be forgotten.

And that is why he has won the Evening Standard Cricketer of the Month award for July, for which he receives a bronze statuette plus a magnum of Verve Cliquot Champagne.

"I will happily accept this award on behalf of the team," said the 29-year-old.

"It's been an absolutely amazing journey, it's taken a while for it to sink in and to realise what we have achieved.

"We have really struggled in the Championship recently, and went to the Rose Bowl on the back of two heavy defeats, but Twenty20 finals day made up for that and a bit more.

"We're so proud of the lads for turning it round. We managed to come up with a winning formula for Twenty20, the truth is we might have stumbled across it, but everyone has played their part and been a hero."

Joyce, who took over after as skipper Ed Smith broke his ankle in early June, said of his own role in that transformation to Twenty20 heroes: "My captaincy and my style in general is very laid back. Maybe that's a good trait, especially when it came to that last over in the final against Kent. I can assure you there was a lot going on inside, but it didn't manifest itself."

Middlesex coach Toby Radford believes Joyce has galvanised the team.

He said: "Ed's captaincy has been exceptional. Twenty20 is a fast moving game, and the captain has got to be right on top of things, organising bowling changes, shifting the field constantly and making quick decisions.

"Ed's a very bright lad with a degree, and he seems to know how to get the best out of each player."

Joyce missed a team outing to Goodwood Races last week. He had stayed at home in Queens Park to work on preparations for his wedding in Dublin on 11 October to his fiance Francesca, who was a fellow student at Trinity College, Dublin, eight years ago.

He said: "The Champions League finishes on the 9th, we're getting married in Dublin on the 11th, then Middlesex are off to Antigua at the end of October, which cuts into honeymoon time. It's going to be a crazy month, but I'm sure everything will work out."

Joyce is one of three key batsmen at Middlessex who will be out of contract next month, along with Owais Shah and Dawid Malan, and all three have been linked with moves to other counties.

Joyce said: "All I can really say is that talks are ongoing. With us getting through to the Champions League, hopefully it can be sorted out.

"It would be a bit strange to win a big trophy like that and then leave. Let's hope winning the Twenty20 will unite a few factions at the club."

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Success is pretty in pink for captain Ed

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