Joyce hopes for Middx unity

Middlesex captain Ed Joyce believes the Twenty20 Cup success will galvanise his side and persuade stars to sign new deals.

The Londoners picked up their first Twenty20 crown with a three-run victory over Kent in a pulsating final at Hampshire's Rose Bowl and they will now go on to compete in the Stanford Twenty20 tournament and the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League.

The county's first trophy for 15 years came after a tricky start to the season which saw members call for an EGM and a vote of no confidence in the committee.

The players responded and the season can now been deemed a success with the trophy cabinet now looking a lot healthier.

A number of players will be out of contract at the end of the season, including Joyce himself, Owais Shah and Dawid Malan, but the stand-in skipper hopes that all three will play their trade at Lord's again next season.

"Listen, I don't think anyone would want to leave the county," he said. I've been a Middlesex player since I came over here to England.

"It would have to be a seriously good reason to leave the county you feel a part of. I can't really see it. I haven't heard anything from any county. I haven't spoken to anyone."

And asked if Twenty20 hero Shah will be around next term, the Irishman was cautiously optimistic the England star will choose to stay with his present employers.

"Will Shah stay? You will have to ask Owais that but I would have thought so," he added. "He is a Londoner himself. There is no reason why he shouldn't - especially after Saturday."