Mike Selvey's Blog

August 17, 2025

Bob Simpson obituary

One of the greats of Australian cricket admired for his all-round abilities who served as captain and coach of the national side

They call it “catching swallows”, the capacity to sight from the edge of a cricket bat a five-and-a-half ounce missile, often propelled at 90 miles per hour, and then, a fraction of a second later – only a few yards away, and with bare hands – pluck it from the air.

It requires the reactions of a Formula One driver, the eyes of a hawk, the concentration of a chess grandmaster, and a perfect catching technique. From it emerges a mental picture of a supreme fielder diving from his habitual position at first slip to take yet another stunner for Australia. In the history of international cricket, there has been no more spectacularly efficient slip-fielder than Bob Simpson, who has died aged 89. In 62 Test matches for Australia between 1957 and 1978, he took 110 catches, a success rate of 0.94 per innnings, unmatched not just for his country, but anywhere before or since.

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Published on August 17, 2025 05:22

March 4, 2022

From the archive: the Guardian’s report on Shane Warne’s ‘ball of the century’

‘With that one remarkable delivery Warne has carved his name in cricket folklore’

Mike Selvey, the Guardian’s cricket correspondent, was there to witness Shane Warne’s stunning entry into Test cricket in England on 2 June 1993. The “ball of the century” tag came later, but Selvey was in no doubt of its impact. This report appeared in the next day’s Guardian with the headline “England Warne down and put in a spin”.

The radical idea that rather than introduce four-day county cricket to bring it closer to international matches it would be easier instead to bring in three-day Tests was never meant to be taken seriously.

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Published on March 04, 2022 09:40

December 9, 2019

Mike Gatting umpire row threatens England tour of Pakistan - archive, 10 December 1987

10 December 1987: The British Ambassador to Pakistan has been briefed following an incident in the second test that led to tension on and off the field

England’s turbulent cricket tour of Pakistan will be called off today unless the dispute between England captain Mike Gatting and umpire Shakoor Rana, which led to the abandonment of yesterday’s play in the second Test at Faisalabad, is resolved.

The Test and County Cricket Board meets at Lord’s today but the differences appear to be irreconcilable.

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Published on December 09, 2019 21:30

September 23, 2016

County cricket: Middlesex beat Yorkshire and win championship – as it happened

Middlesex have dethroned Yorkshire and pipped Somerset to title in a dramatic finale with Toby Roland-Jones sealing his side’s victory with a hat-trick at Lord’s

7.25pm BST

7.24pm BST

7.23pm BST

5.41pm BST

Middlesex are gathering in front of the pavilion, where they’ll be presented with the trophy. Yorkshire are walking around the ground, thanking their fans. Time for me to shut down, pack up, and slink off in search of a pint of cider. So long everyone, sorry for the typos, and thanks so much for making the Guardian’s live blog such a great place to follow the county game this season.

5.36pm BST

Well, if nothing else, I’m glad for my colleague and friend Mike Selvey, who is busy writing his final report for the Guardian even as I type this. It’s a fitting way for him to finish, given how much of his career he spent playing here for the Middle Saxons, as he likes to call them. It’s their first championship title since 1993. As for Somerset, well, as Andrew Benton says “there’s always next year”. They’ve been saying that for 125 years now.

5.33pm BST

After beating Yorkshire by 61 runs with 28 balls to spare, Toby-Roland Jones finishing the innings with a hat-trick spread across two overs.

5.30pm BST

It’s all over. Toby Roland-Jones has just won Middlesex the county championship.

5.29pm BST

Ryan Sidebottom walks out, last man in.

5.27pm BST

Hodd is bowled.

5.26pm BST

I think my heart just broke.

5.25pm BST

Finn has yorked Patterson.

5.25pm BST

35th over: Yorkshire 178-7 (Hodd 17, Patterson 2) need 240

Middlesex have got seven men out now when Hodd is on strike. In other news, Hampshire have been relegated. Hold on...

5.21pm BST

“I’m a Somerset fan,” writes Pete Salmon, “and I’ve just realised Middlesex are going to win aren’t they. That’s what’s going to happen, isn’t it. ISN’T IT?!”

5.20pm BST

Rafiq slices a top edge high into the air, and Simpson takes the catch over behind first slip.

5.19pm BST

34th over: Yorkshire 173-6 (Hodd 14, Rafiq 4) need 240

“So what are the odds that I get to talking cricket with the guy running the cars concession at the Autumn Fair in Ekenäs, Finland (yes, that Ekenäs, home to Ekenäs CC of OBO and the OBOccasionals matchup glory) yesterday?” asks Sara Torvalds. “OK, reasonable, I suppose, as he was of Indian descent. He tried to turn the conversation to NZ in India, but I had to confess I’d had no time for that series, what with the County Championship going down to the wire. That surprised and delighted him no end, though. He was particularly surprised to find me rooting for Somerset, so I had to confess my love for Marcus Trescothick (one day I will see him play live!), but what are the odds the guy himself lives in Somerset (when he’s not out and about letting kids ride the bumper cars)!? Surely those odds are enough to secure the necessary draw at Lord’s, right? Right?!”

5.15pm BST

33rd over: Yorkshire 172-6 (Hodd 14, Rafiq 3) need 240

All of a sudden, things feel a little different. Forget about the runs needed, for a moment, the more pertinent point is that Middlesex need four wickets to win the championship. “Nothing for Yorkshire to lose now,” points out John Leavey, “3rd if they lose, 3rd if they draw. Unless they hate the southerners more than the south-westerners!” Hodd cuts the ball just past slip.

5.10pm BST

Gale is bowled, off the bottom-edge I think, as he swings a pull shot across the line.

5.09pm BST

32nd over: Yorkshire 160-5 (Gale 22, Hodd 5) need 240

I’m told that the Somerset players are on the outfield at Taunton, trying to kill the final few minutes before they find out whether or not they’ve won the title. They can’t bear to watch. “Do you think there is a point at which Yorkshire will decide they can’t win and settle for a draw just to stop Middlesex from winning?” asks Vinny Raghavan. My guess is that they’re committed to it, now, one way or another.

5.06pm BST

31st over: Yorkshire 157-5 (Gale 22, Hodd 2) need 240

Hodd swings and misses. Then gets a single to mid-wicket. There are now just nine overs to go, Yorkshire still need another 84 runs, Middlesex another five wickets. Cross your fingers, Somerset really could be about to win the county championship for the first time in their history.

4.59pm BST

Bresnan goes!

4.59pm BST

30th over: Yorkshire 149-4 (Bresnan 55, Gale 20) need 240

Bresnan batters another four. Word reaches Lord’s from the Rose Bowl. Here’s Paul Weaver: “The Hampshire supporters are drifting away and Lancashire must be well into their survival celebrations by now. Durham lost their second wicket when Stoneman gloved one from Dawson to Tom Alsop at short leg and just now Graham Clark was stumped as he went down the wicket to Crane. But Durham are 259 for three and need just 37 off 11 with Ben Stokes the new man.”

4.56pm BST

29th over: Yorkshire 147-4 (Bresnan 50, Gale 19) need 240

Gale got hold of that one, a shortish ball from Finn, which he pulled to mid-wicket for four. Yorkshire now need 99 to win, from 70 balls. Four more, off Gale’s thigh pad. Ali has just reminded me that Gale and Bresnan are brothers-in-law, making this a family affair. Bresnan brings up his fifty, what a match he’s having.

4.52pm BST

28th over: Yorkshire 136-4 (Bresnan 49, Gale 14) need 240

Gale has a yahoo at Roland-Jones’ second delivery, and doesn’t get near it. He connects with a crisp cut for a single later in the over though, and we now have 12 overs to go.

4.49pm BST

27th over: Yorkshire 133-4 (Bresnan 46, Gale 12) need 240

“I take it back,” Ali adds, as Gale steps to leg and hammers a glorious four through cover. This impromptu OBO party has just become a little more official, because we’ve had an email in from Gary Naylor: “There are some people who will never feel the way we feel now.” Personally, I’m feeling hot and confused, squinting at my lap top while I sweat in the press box. But I don’t suppose that’s what you have in mind.

4.44pm BST

26th over: Yorkshire 127-4 (Bresnan 46, Gale 7) need 240

Roland-Jones is back into the attack. Gale is in horrendous form at the minute, points out my mucker Ali Martin, and is only averaging 20 for the season. Bresnan, on the other hand, is batting as well as ever, and has just smeared four to cow corner. If you’re finding all this excitement inspiring, the OBO’s own team are looking for recruits for their upcoming tour: “The OBOccasionals team are one player short for our trip to the island of Vis in Croatia next weekend, and this is a final, not at all desperate plea for someone to join us. We have two games, on Friday and Sunday, and it should be a glorious weekend. If there is anyone out there interested, email Joe.neate@gmail.com!”

4.40pm BST

25th over: Yorkshire 119-4 (Bresnan 39, Gale 6) need 240

A great over from Finn, around the wicket to Gale ending in a an edge that flies between the slip and the keeper. The slip got his fingertips to it, but it flew on for four.

4.36pm BST

24th over: Yorkshire 113-4 (Bresnan 38, Gale 1) need 240

A four! A six! And a cry of “Was that a drop?” from the back of the press box. Someone is here is paying attention, at any rate. Most people have their heads buried in their laptops, and are working away on their reports. After some debate we decide that it wasn’t, and that the ball fell just short of Compton’s grasp. Rayner runs his hands through his hair.

4.33pm BST

23rd over: Yorkshire 101-4 (Bresnan 27, Gale 0) need 240

Gale is the new man in. Bresnan cloths a lofted drive down the ground for two runs to bring up Yorkshire’s 100. Then has a wild swing at a slower ball, which he misses altogether. I only saw the very last part of Ballance’s dismissal, by the way, which is why the details are so scanty. It can tell you it was a steepler, but not much more.

4.29pm BST

Ballance is out, caught.

4.28pm BST

23rd over: Yorkshire 96-3 (Ballance 30, Bresnan 24) need 240 to win

The fifty partnership is up and... over.

4.27pm BST

22nd over: Yorkshire 96-3 (Ballance 28, Bresnan 24) need 240 to win

Four off Rayner’s latest over. And here’s Paul Weaver, with an update from the Rose Bowl: “ A cry went out from the Arlott Atrium: “Hampshire, you’re rubbish, just like the umpires.” It summed up the frustration in these parts. There have been a number of miscues from the Durham batsmen but they have survived and are now 208 for one and making their victory chase look easy. Stoneman is enjoying his Durham leaving party, having struck 14 fours in an unbeaten hundred. Durham need just 88 off 16. It looks grim for Hampshire.”

4.24pm BST

21st over: Yorkshire 92-3 (Ballance 27, Bresnan 21) need 240 to win

Finn comes around the wicket to Ballance, switches back over it when a single puts Bresnan on strike. Another single means Yorkshire need exactly 150 to win. Make that 148, as Bresnan clobbers two runs out to cover, Middlesex reeling the ball in just short of the rope and returning it with a relay throw. Having thought about it for a minute, I’ve decided I’m not conflicted after all. I do want Somerset to win. I’m just trying to find a way to make myself feel better about the fact that they’re not going to.

4.20pm BST

20th over: Yorkshire 87-3 (Ballance 24, Bresnan 19) need 240 to win

Ballance drops to one knee and carts Rayner for six over mid-wicket way. I’ll admit I’m a little conflicted, since much as I’d love Somerset to win, I’d always imagined I’d be there at Taunton to see them do it.

4.17pm BST

19th over: Yorkshire 77-3 (Ballance 17, Bresnan 16) need 240 to win

Bresnan throws a pull at a short ball from Finn, cuffs it short mid-wicket. Ballance cuts a single to third man. This wouldn’t be OBO without an email or two, so here’s Josh Robinson: “Being sat at a desk desperately trying to finish an article (it’s like my student OBOing days all over again) rather than (as I had planned) having been at Taunton this week, or indeed Lord’s today, I very much sympathize with your missing out on the cheese and wine. But what better way to share the nailbiting finish to the season than by OBOing it. All you need is Smyth there now. Having been carping away BTL about how overly generous the target was to Yorks, I’m now eating my words. Not only that, but I’m predicting that this is going to end in a draw, such that you’ll have OBOd your beloved Somerset’s first championship win. As I say: where would you rather be?”

4.13pm BST

18th over: Yorkshire 74-3 (Ballance 15 Bresnan 15) need 240 to win

That said, Wilson did seem unusually keen to chat about shipping tonnage production levels in Sunderland during WW2, so maybe I am better off up here after all. Rayner continues, four off the over.

4.10pm BST

17th over: Yorkshire 70-3 (Ballance 13, Bresnan 13) need 240 to win

And here’s Steve Finn, hurtling in from the Nursery End. His first ball is a beauty, and almost has Bresnan LBW. He’s spared by a thin inside edge. Later in the over, Bresnan wallops a six over square leg, with a flick off his pads. I know that the Guardian’s own Jon Wilson is way down to my left in the sunny grandstands with a nice bottle of red wine, some cheese, bread, and a jar of pickled onions. I could be there, I should be there, if I’d only kept my mouth shut.

4.05pm BST

16th over: Yorkshire 63-3 (Ballance 13, Bresnan 6) need 240 to win

Ollie Rayner is on, for the first time this innings. Ballance drives his first ball through the covers for four.

4.02pm BST

I suspected there would come a point, sometime today when I regretted telling my editors that I’d come along to Lord’s with my laptop. And that moment has arrived. Because they’ve asked me to take over the blog and turn it into an over-by-over. It’s been about four years since I’ve last done one of these. But hey ho, let’s see how we go. Yorkshire are 59 for three, Gary Ballance nine, Tim Bresnan six, they need 240, and there are 25 overs left to play.

4.00pm BST

Oof! The third Yorkshire wicket has just fallen at Lord’s, with David Willey picking out Steve Eskinazi running around from mid-on to give Murtagh his second. The big left-hander had been pushed up the order to give it some tap but 11 from 21 was not that. Yorkshire are 48 for three from 12.4 overs ... chasing 240 in 40. This declaration is looking smarter by the minute/wicket. Yorkshire going too hard too early?

3.44pm BST

It’s swelteringly hot at Lord’s, where both the Compton and Edrich stands are jam-packed with county cricket fans, most of them debating the merits of Middlesex’s declaration. Consensus is that 240 from 40 overs was probably a touch too generous to Yorkshire. It came at the end of an excruciating, and at times utterly surreal little passage of play, in which Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth and Alex Lees delivered a few overs of particularly ugly declaration bowling. Lees still managed to take two wickets. When he took the first of them – Dawid Malan, for 116, out slapping a full toss straight to square leg – his celebrations consisted of an apologetic shrug to his team-mates. It was Lees’ first wicket in professional cricket. Given the way the game is headed – Yorkshire are 38 for one as I type this, and Lees is 19 not out – it may not be the most memorable thing that happens to him today. Anyway. Middlesex’s captain James Franklin was so determined to get the declaration spot on that he and Steve Eskinazi refused to hit a fair few of the pies Lees and Lyth were serving them. So we were treated to the strange spectacle of batsmen cautiously blocking rank bowling. Thankfully, that’s all over now, though I guess it may be a while before Somerset and their supporters forgive, or forget, this strange episode.

Oh, another wicket, Lees out for 20, and Yorkshire 39 for two. Gary Ballance joins the pinch-hitter David Willey in the middle.

3.34pm BST

A little pic for you, of the one man and his proverbial we’re so often told turn up to watch county cricket …

3.24pm BST

At the moment Hampshire, who have to win here, look like they’re going down; they have bowled 51 of their 78 overs and taken just one wicket. But there could be a lot of cricket to come. Durham have fallen behind the rate but having lost just one wicket will be tempted to launch an effort after tea. Mason Crane, the talented young Hampshire leg-spinner, is doing his best to keep both sides in the match, alternating four-balls with wicket-taking deliveries. Stoneman, playing his last innings for Durham before joining Surrey (as is Borthwick) was almost caught at deep mid-off by James Vince off Crane when he had made 67, having almost fallen to the same combo a little earlier. At tea, Durham have scored 149 for one. That means they have to make 147 more off 27 overs. It might become a terrible anti-climax but I think Durham will have a go after they’ve had a cuppa. I’m keeping half an eye on Lord’s too. All that pre-declaration bowling reminded me of one of the worst aspects of three-day cricket, and those contrived finishes on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. But both Yorkshire and Middlesex deserve this title, and I hope one of them gets it.

2.50pm BST

Right, after 30 minutes of pies being served up by Yorkshire at Lord’s (in which Alex Lees claimed the first two wickets of his first-class career), Middlesex have declared on 359 for six. It means Yorkshire will need 240 runs in 40 overs for a hat-trick of titles, Middlesex 10 wickets for their first since 1993. Seems very generous from the home side if you ask me but anyway, this game, with apologies to Somerset, is now (mercifully) on.

2.45pm BST

Yorkshire need 240 in 40 overs to win the match and the title.

2.07pm BST

And so one of the three teams that came into this final round is safe, with Warwickshire completing a crushing 237-run win over Lancashire to guarantee their Division One status and leave the Red Rose now praying for Durham to knock off the runs at Hampshire, or at least grind out a draw. Hampshire win and they are safe, at the expense of Lancs. Weaver has a tense finale on his hands …

2.06pm BST

Like many others this week, Barney Ronay’s attention is focused on this thrilling County Championship finale – and particularly the role played by Ryan Sidebottom. Here’s an extract from his column:

It has been quite a week for Sidebottom, who has been playing in Yorkshire’s final match of the season at Lord’s , and who on Thursday was involved in a brilliantly minimal, self-contained moment of pure theatre, an hour where on the face of it very little seemed to happen, but which under conditions of full immersion was as gripping as anything you’re likely to come across anywhere.

Even better this was a great moment in the County Championship, a competition that seems to spend most of its time these days being told off by its grandchildren for letting the roof leak and the windows rot and generally squandering the family pile before nodding vaguely and heading off out in the Jag for a sherry and a snooze.

1.59pm BST

Hampshire have broken through in the 27th over. A ripper from Crane caught Jennings right back on his stumps and lbw, and it was 75 for one. It’s now 79 for one, so with 50 overs remaining Durham need another 217 and Hampshire need nine wickets. Lancashire, it seems are simply relying on Hampshire not pulling it off.

12.48pm BST

It’s lunch here at the Ageas Bowl and Hampshire are still looking for their first wicket. Durham have scored 41 without loss after 15 overs, so they’re not exactly powering along. But the batsmen are looking solid. Durham need 255 from 63 overs to send Hampshire into a tailspin and into the second division. Both slow left-armer Dawson and leg-spinner Crane are spinning the ball the wrong way – from their point of view – to the two left-handers. But they will be encouraged by the fact that they have turned the ball more than Ryan Pringle in this match, and Pringle’s seven in Hampshire’s second innings meant he took 10 in the match.

12.40pm BST

This was not just a good morning for Middlesex and perhaps Somerset, but for county cricket. The crowd were able to spill on to the outfield during the lunch interval having witnessed a vibrant morning’s batting from Nick Gubbins and Dawid Malan. The pair had come together the previous evening with Middlesex in trouble at 2-2 and proceeded to add 198 for the third wicket, 117 of them in the first session today. Both drove with particular fluency and Gubbins seemed destined for his second hundred of the game when five minutes before the interval he chipped a gentle return catch to Akeem Rafiq from the leading edge of his bat, for 93. Milan though is still there, and will stew for a while with his score on 99. At 201 for 3, the Middlesex lead is now 81, still not enough to start thinking about the end game. There are 64 overs left.

12.12pm BST

Hampshire are desperate for the 10 wickets that will spell first division survival but Durham have made a good start to their chase. They have scored 25 without loss from their opening seven overs, with both Keaton Jennings and the more aggressive Mark Stoneman looking good against Berg and Brad Wheal. But Hampshire are now turning to spin, with Liam Dawson. Here is where the game will be won or lost. Remember – despite their early season batting frailties – it has been Hampshire’s inability to take 20 wickets in a match which has really cost them dear this year.

12.05pm BST

Find myself stationed at Lord’s today but see the match I left at Edgbaston is continuing to head one way, Warwickshire’s way. Lancashire are now 57 for five in their pursuit of 347 … and nightwatchman Simon Kerrigan is still in. Now, the Lancashire Twitter feed is pretty decent when the Red Rose are bowling, with highlights of wickets posted swiftly. When they are batting, however, nowt. Not a sausage. But Haseeb Hameed c Clarke (second slip) b Wright 27 and Steven Croft c Hain (short leg) b Clarke 1 is what I can tell you.

12.04pm BST

Ever read The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo? I once picked up a second hand copy at a railway station, to read on a long commute. The cover promised that the final chapter contained the most mindbending twist. I raced through it, alive with expectation, waiting, waiting all the while for the big reveal. Only to find that someone had torn out the very final few pages. Apparently it only happens in the penultimate paragraph. I still don’t know what it is. Anyway. I’m hoping today won’t play out the same way. I’m sure there’s something extraordinary in store at Lord’s. In the meantime, I’ve been reading more of Mike’s early works. His very first piece for The Guardian was actually a tourist’s guide to India, which contains a fine anecdote about Ken Barrington’s bath plug and a group of rowdy fans propelling oranges into the middle of Eden Gardens with a catapult made out of a car tyre. It ends with the following piece of wisdom: “It was Keith Fletcher who introduced me to the pleasures of drinking Scotch whisky by insisting I drank a tumblerful last thing at night, in an effort, he said, to kill any stomach bugs. My advice to this year’s tourists is: stock up well on the duty-frees, because while it may not be the elixir of life it might quell any rumbles on the sub-continent. And even if it doesn’t, it is one hell of a pleasant way to prove someone wrong.”

11.42am BST

Welcome to the Ageas Bowl where Hampshire have just declared at 245 for nine. That has set Durham 296 to win from a minimum of 78 overs. Hampshire resumed this morning on 176 for seven, with a lead of 226, with Lewis McManus and Mason Crane the overnight batsmen. It appears that there was an agreement between the teams, because Hampshire batted for exactly an hour. With only one run added, Crane drove Ryan Pringle to Scott Borthwick at mid-on, but the talented McManus went on to make 67 from 90 balls, with 10 fours, before he was caught behind. But then Gareth Berg – who must have felt flattered to have been protected by a nightwatchman the previous evening, hit a quick 36 as if to prove that he was a respectable batsman after all. It’s been an entertaining morning in the brilliant autumn sunshine.

11.15am BST

It’s a glorious morning at Lord’s, as if somebody up there knew this was Mike Selvey’s last day covering cricket for the Guardian and fixed the weather for the occasion. Middlesex are 119 for two as I type this, but if Selve’s taught me anything in the 10 years I’ve been working with him, apart from the locations of his favourite spots for sundowners, it’s that you’ve got to know when to watch. And I suspect this day’s play isn’t quite going to catch light till a little later in the afternoon. In the meantime, I’ve been having a rummage around in the archives. And I’ve found, alongside a report from April 23, 1985, a short report on the day’s play at Fenner’s, between Cambridge University v Essex, written, of course, by one Mike Selvey. It was his very first match report for the paper.

10.19am BST

The County Championship has come down to the wire and will be won on the very final day. It is a three-horse race, with Somerset hoping to win their first title in 141 years and Middlesex and Yorkshire facing each other at Lord’s as they do battle to claim the trophy.

1.04am BST

Hello. The live blog will get under way shortly. Here’s Mike Selvey’s report from day three at Lord’s, as Yorkshire kept their title chances alive. Win today, and the title is theirs. Lose, and they hand it to opponents Middlesex. Draw, and Somerset, who beat Nottinghamshire yesterday, will win their first ever County Championship.

It was the equinox and the autumnal shadows were already stretching out across the Lord’s turf when the Yorkshire team took the field and began their charge towards what they hoped on the final day of the season would be the County Championship title for the third year in a row.

A colossal innings of immense character from Tim Bresnan and lower‑order defiance first from Azeem Rafiq and then the old warhorse Ryan Sidebottom, took Yorkshire to the fourth batting point they needed to ensure they remained in the race and then, with what proved to be a 56-run last-wicket partnership, beyond to a lead of 120.

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Published on September 23, 2016 11:25

Toby Roland-Jones hat-trick seals Middlesex’s title against Yorkshire

• Middlesex 270 & 359-6 dec; Yorkshire 390 & 178. Middlesex win by 61 runs
• Middlesex dethrone Yorkshire and pip Somerset to title in dramatic finale

Middlesex, the Middle Saxons, are the county champions. A day of high tension at Lord’s ended with James Franklin’s side beating a gallant Yorkshire team by 61 runs, with 28 balls to spare. Albeit with a contrived declaration, Franklin had set Yorkshire 240 to win in 40 overs, in the knowledge that they had no option but to pursue the target to the end and, if there was an agreement that they would do so come what may, having been given a chance, then it was not one on which they reneged.

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Published on September 23, 2016 10:52

September 22, 2016

Tim Bresnan century keeps Yorkshire’s title hopes alive against Middlesex

• Middlesex 270 & 81-2; Yorkshire 390
• Ryan Sidebottom contributes to crucial fourth batting bonus point

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Published on September 22, 2016 11:07

County cricket: Somerset go top but Yorkshire edge closer to title – as it happened

Yorkshire are narrow favourites to win the title for the third year in a row after a dramatic day, while Somerset thrashed Notts and must wait for the outcome at Lord’s

6.39pm BST

Stumps at Lord’s, where Middlesex finish day three on 270 & 81-2, against Yorkshire’s 390 first-innings total. Middlesex trail by 39, and can still win the title with a win.

More realistically, they can deny Yorkshire with a draw tomorrow, and hand Somerset, who have already beaten Notts, a first ever County Championship. If Yorkshire win, they’ll claim their third straight title. It’s all to play for at Lord’s tomorrow.

5.55pm BST

All done for the day at Edgbaston, where Warwickshire are homing in on Division One safety with Lancashire 28 for three in their pursuit of 347. Keith Barker got the ball rolling for the home side in just the fourth over of the “chase” when Rob Jones was trapped lbw, before Jeetan Patel followed it up with the wicket of Luke Proctor, also struck in front but this time offering no shot. Chris Wright replaced Barker from the Pavilion End and, in a match littered with lbws and bowleds, produced a rare caught behind when Karl Brown feathered one. Haseeb Hameed has looked pretty unflustered at the other end from the carnage and will resume on 11 in the morning alongside Simon Kerrigan.

Meanwhile, at Lord’s, Middlesex are 53 for 2, having been 2 for 2 at one stage, but still trail Yorkshire by 67.

5.22pm BST

Hampshire have lost two more wickets. Sean Ervine, driving at Ryan Pringle, didn’t get to the pitch of the ball and though he tried to pull out of the shot it was too late and he gave a soft catch to extra-cover. Then, without addition, Ryan McLaren was caught on the back foot to one that turned from Pringle and was lbw. That was 108 for six, although now they have partially recovered to 129 for six, a lead of 179.

5.05pm BST

Notts are all out for 215. Somerset have done their bit – now they must wait on events at Lord’s.

4.34pm BST

We have a declaration at Edgbaston, with Ian Bell waving his batsmen in at 279 for seven to leave Lancashire needing 347 to win. Tim Ambrose was unbeaten on 59 with Jeetan Patel on 23, having launched a couple lusty sixes down the ground. Lancashire will face 18 overs this evening …

4.34pm BST

Hampshire’s chances of winning this game and staying in the top division are on the wane. If they are going to do so they will need to push the run rate along and get to a lead of 300 plus tonight, declaring early tomorrow or even overnight. Their batsmen have shown urgency, rattling along at five an over or so. But unfortunately they have also lost wickets. They are currently 95 for four, with Will Smith, Jimmy Adams, Tom Alsop and James Vince all gone to the spin attack of Ryan Pringle (three) and Scott Borthwick (one).

3.44pm BST

Middlesex cannot win this game now but there are 80,000 reasons why they will want to stop Yorkshire doing so. Yorkshire all out 390 with Bresnan unbeaten on 142.

3.38pm BST

At tea Nottinghamshire had reached 112 for 3. Don’t conclude that the wicket is breaking up. Two of those dismissals were run-outs, while Steve Mullaney holed out to mid-on off Roelof van der Merwe. So all is going to plan here – it’s a hard slog as the wicket eases. Both Michael Lumb and Samit Patel were quite enjoying themselves against spinners with attacking fields.

Of more concern is the progress at Lord’s. Yorkshire reaching 350 did not provoke any cheers around the ground. The tension will mount tomorrow no doubt. Abell has rejoined Somerset after tea having received a nasty blow on the shoulder earlier on. Who took over at boot hill? Trescothick, of course.

3.19pm BST

Durham have just been dismissed here for 361, which gives Hampshire a first-innings lead of 50. A lot less than they wanted, and they will have to score rapid runs this afternoon to set up a declaration. They have just gone for tea, which means we face a 48-over final session.

Onions was ninth out for 38, at 351, caught at short-leg fending off a short ball from the distinctly sharp Brad Wheal. Michael Richardson drove Liam Dawson over long-on for six but a great disappointment was to befall him: two balls later he pushed Dawson for a single to reach 99, just one away from his sixth first-class century.

3.15pm BST

Yorkshire reach 350! Ryan Sidebottom tucks Toby Roland-Jones away to the square-leg boundary to give the champions that vital fourth batting point, putting them right back into contention.

3.07pm BST

Tim Ambrose and Rikki Clarke – with perhaps a foot between them in height – have further increased Warwickshire’s lead at Edgbaston, adding 44 for the sixth wicket. And as I type this, the latter goes lbw to Simon Kerrigan trying to swipe a straight one of the backfoot for 20. Keith Barker has now joined Ambrose in the middle, with the score 197 for six and the lead now up to 264. Lancashire are looking a little forlorn, truth be told, with their fate now likely resting on Durham’s continued efforts at the Ageas Bowl.

Clarke’s was the third wicket to fall after lunch, following the loss of Ian Bell and Sam Hain. Bell, who had been so fluent before the interval, got bogged down a bit and perished for 31, playing his late cut, with the otherwise costly Jordan Clark the man to bowl him. Hain in contrast had looked to be continuing the form from the first innings that brought him the solitary half-century of the match so far, stroking six fours. But he became the third Warwickshire batsman out lbw offering no shot when Arron Lilley trapped him in front for 36.

2.37pm BST

Hampshire have let this match drift a bit and it could turn out to be a draw, which would be terminally bad news for the home side. When play started after lunch, following a rainy morning, they took the new ball immediately. But Ryan McLaren and Gareth Berg wasted it, both bowling wide on both sides. When Liam Dawsom came on at 265 for seven he took a wicket with his first delivery, as Brydon Carse edged to Will Smith at second slip. But Durham are now 348 for eight, with Michael Richardson on 87 not and Graham Onions going well on 38.

2.09pm BST

Amid the agonies up at Lord’s Somerset have taken a wicket. Mullaney caught at mid-on off Roelof van der Merwe for 18 … 49 for 1.

2.06pm BST

Rain arrives with Yorkshire 349 for 9, needing one more run to stay alive in the Championship. As dramatic an hour’s cricket as anyone could wish. Runs eked out, and Hawkeye, not in use, saying that Toby Roland-Jones had Ryan Sidebottom lbw in the previous over, Rob Bailey having turned down the appeal. Tim Bresnan has been heroic and is 122 not out.

2.02pm BST

… and off they go as rain arrives at 349-9. County cricket!

1.58pm BST

Yorkshire reach 349-9 …

1.48pm BST

Ian Bell goes, trying to play his trademark late cut and is bowled by Kyle Jarvis. 31 for the Sledgehammer. Warwickshire 148 for four, lead by 215. Sam Hain the glossy one after lunch, to be fair,and is 29 not out.

1.11pm BST

News from Taunton is that Somerset declared at lunch on 313 for 5, setting Notts a nominal target of 541 in five sessions.

12.36pm BST

Jonathan Trott has fallen just before lunch at Edgbaston, bowled by Arron Lilley through the gate for 42 and thus falls 25 runs short of 1,000 in the Championship this season (according to my abacus). He has helped kick things on for Warwickshire, however, who lead Lancashire by 177 with the score 110 for three. So that’s 98 runs in the session and it does feel like it’s got a little easier to bat. Although bar Tom Bailey, Lancahire haven’t been as disciplined as they could have been. Ian Bell is 22 not out, having looked typically glossy.

11.56am BST

The meaningful cricket is to come. In lovely sunshine the batsmen are making merry: Ryan Davies – ever-skittish, Chris Rogers – ever-busy, and Peter Trego smashing the ball with gusto. Meanwhile I had a contrasting start to the day: an early morning visit to the dentist (“Nah, don’t bother with the local anaesthetic”) and then I met up briefly with a three-year-old grandson, attending a Somerset match for the first time. He did not seem to recognise that the hand of history was hovering over the county ground. He was more interested in a drink and a biscuit. But we got him cheering the latest Trego boundary. Trego has now just gone for a quickfire 55 from 36 balls. 262 for 4. Pitch behaving.

11.46am BST

The news from a very wet Ageas Bowl, meanwhile, is that it’s stopped raining and they will be taking an early lunch at 12pm, with a view to starting play at 12.40. Durham, remember, are 242 for seven, so they’re still 169 runs behind Hampshire. All the Hampshire players are following events at Edgbaston with keen interest.

11.41am BST

An hour gone at Edgbaston and Warwickshire have moved their lead on to 120 for the loss of only one wicket so far. It was Alex Mellor who fell in the fourth over, lbw padding up to Tom Bailey. But since then Jonathan Trott and Ian Westwood have settled things nicely. Among the stodgy accumulation, Trott played one on-drive that was pure vintage, advancing down and showing the full blade. There is the odd play-and-miss – to be expected on this surface – but steady progress for the hosts all the same, at 59 for one, 126 ahead. Lancs need a cascade of wickets and fast.

Elsewhere, Tim Bresnan has reached his century at Lord’s as Yorkshire edge towards 350. They’re currently 302 for 6, leading by 32.

10.32am BST

Welcome to the penultimate day of the county championship from the Ageas Bowl, where one third of the anti-relegation fight between Hampshire, Warwickshire and Lancashire is being played out.

Hampshire need to beat Durham – the start here is delayed because of rain – with a result looking likely between Warwickshire and Lancashire at Edgbaston, where Ali Martin is watching events unfold, with the home side enjoying the upper hand.

10.01am BST

Welcome to day three of the final crucial round of fixtures in the County Championship. Mike Selvey is at Lord’s as Yorkshire battle for a batting point on day three against Middlesex. Vic Marks is at Taunton as Somerset are just beginning to dream about winning the title.

At the other end, Ali Martin is at Edgbaston, where Warwickshire are 12-0 overnight after skittling Lancashire for 152. Paul Weaver will bring the latest from the Ageas Bowl, with Hampshire in charge against Durham.

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Published on September 22, 2016 10:46

September 21, 2016

Tim Bresnan keeps all options open for a battling Yorkshire at Middlesex

• Middlesex 270 | Yorkshire 235-6
• Yorkshire’s No5 is undefeated on 72 after taking three for 48

There is something of the Black Knight in this Yorkshire team. Vital limbs have been hacked off but they are still out there battling away optimistically. Whether or not their championship title hopes remain alive however, the third day of what is proving an absorbing finale to the season will show.

Events at Taunton, which, barring flood,plague or pestilence will surely culminate in a Somerset victory against Nottinghamshire, mean that even to stand an outside chance of sneaking home at the head of the pile they will need to score a minimum of 350 in their first innings and then go on to win the game.

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Published on September 21, 2016 11:35

County cricket: Somerset skittle Notts, Middlesex v Yorkshire and more – as it happened

Latest updates from the crucial final round of county fixturesBess the curse of Notts as he continues to make his name at Somerset Durham’s Stokes scores half-century but Hampshire stay in contention

5.28pm BST

Rain has forced play to be called off for the day at Edgbaston, with Warwickshire 12 for 0 in their second innings, 79 runs ahead of Lancashire.

4.42pm BST

Durham have lost another couple of quick wickets to encourage Hampshire’s hopes of extricating themselves from the jaws of relegation for the second time in as many seasons.

First Ben Stokes, who had reached a measured fifty from 106 deliveries, with three fours, top-edged his pull off Brad Wheal and was caught at deep square-leg. And two overs later Ryan Pringle produced a short-arm pull off the same bowler and was caught by Jimmy Adams at backward-square. That made it 186 for seven and they have advanced to 197 without any further damage.

4.24pm BST

Well, Notts all out for 138 having been 91 for 2. The follow-on, as is the mysterious way of modern cricketers, has not been enforced despite Somerset’s lead of 227. James Hildreth is “unlikely” to bat in this innings; he has a broken ankle. So Somerset now have Trego at four and three men on a pair. But that cushion of 227 is really quite handy.

There was a flurry of wickets after tea. Billy Root, who had got off the mark with a reverse sweep, popped a catch to short leg off Jack Leach. Next ball Matt Carter miscued to mid-off; then Dom Bess picked up the tail to finish with 5 for 43. Bess has now taken 13 for 102 in his two Championship matches at Taunton. It goes with saying that it took this correspondent rather longer to acquire his first 13 Championship wickets.

3.52pm BST

The news from Taunton means that Yorkshire’s title hopes hang by a thread. The 350 runs they need to secure sufficient bonus points to avert Somerset’s sprint to the line is remote, the wickets they lost to the new ball knocking them back. Three wickets went to Toby Roland-Jones in a seven-over spell for six runs, all of them – Alex Lees, Gary Ballance and Andrew Gale – without scoring and when Adam Lyth went to Steve Finn for 43, the board stood at 53 for 4. Since then Tim Bresnan and Andy Hodd have added 64 for the fifth wicket. Crucially, Hodd, when 22 , with the score 87, was missed at third slip by Nick Compton off Finn. Thus far it has not proved too costly, but it has stopped Middlesex when they were on a surge.

3.50pm BST

Somerset have a first-innings lead of 227, and maximum bowling points, but will not be enforcing the follow-on.

3.35pm BST

Dom Bess continues to enchant and surprise. He took three wickets in the afternoon with his off-breaks and has been the most dangerous of Somerset’s triumvirate of spinners so far, closely followed by Jack Leach with Roelof van der Merwe some way behind at the moment.

Bess had Tom Moores caught at slip driving in classical manner (that’s the dismissal, not the drive, which was one of those modern, flat-batted strokes pioneered by Jos Buttler but a dodgy option on a turning track). Then there was a lull. Rogers shuffled his bowlers and not much happened – until Bess returned at the Somerset Pavilion End (the one with churches rather than a river beyond the boundary).

3.07pm BST

I’ve just had my first look at the exciting Hampshire leg-spinner Mason Crane, only 19 but already on England’s radar after becoming the youngest player in the county’s history to take a five-wicket haul in the championship, against Warwickshire here last year. He certainly looks a great prospect. He spins it like a top and already has plenty of variation. Bowling to Stokes is difficult though, and not just because the England man is a left-hander. Stokes came down the wicket to Crane, yorked himself basically, but jammed down on the ball and still sent it skudding through mid-on for four. Crane has bowled a few loose ones – what 19-year-old leggie doesn’t? – but he looks a real find for Hampshire after being turned away by Sussex when he was 14.

Hampshire took a fourth wicket when Dawson had Graham Clark caught behind for 58 (104 balls, nine fours). Clarke, by the way, is the brother of Lancashire’s Jordan Clark, so they must be having a few interesting mobile phone conversations at the end of play. And Crane has just broken through, having Collingwood caught behind with another big leg-spinner. Durham are now 140 for five and in a spot of bother.

3.05pm BST

It has been the Keith Barker and Jeetan Patel show after lunch at Edgbaston, inducing a second collapse of the Lancashire innings to see the visitors bowled out for 152 – a 67-run deficit – and put Warwickshire firmly in charge of this relegation scrap. Steven Croft and Jordan Clark had done well after lunch, putting on 55 for the sixth wicket and taking Lancs to 134 for five, before the former was bowled by Barker, chopping on, for 45. It was the first of five wickets to fall for only 18 runs, with Patel bowling Arron Lilley (attempting a huge hoik) and seeing Tom Bailey caught by Ian Bell turning one around the corner. Barker then castled Clark for 34 with a yorker and had Kyle Jarvis bowled playing around, finishing with four for 30.

2.45pm BST

This week’s edition of The Spin is in, with Andy Bull writing on the persistence of Gareth Batty:

2.10pm BST

Hampshire took a third Durham wicket in Dawson’s first over after lunch. Stoneman skipped down the pitch to drive the spinner but hit it straight to Jimmy Adams, at a shortish midwicket, where he took a good catch.

That has brought in the dangerous Ben Stokes, who has played himself in with ominous care, though he has just reverse-swept Dawson for four. I saw Stokes at the bar at tea-time yesterday, queuing up for a drink. He had his chin on his hands after a wicketless spell and looked in the mood to have a few pints of laughing juice. Disappointingly, he walked away with a jar of Coke.

1.00pm BST

At lunch there is a gathering of sage men (mostly) staring at the 22-yard strip that is the pitch for this game. They wonder around the roped square a little like visitors to Stonehenge – though they can get a little closer – seeking some sort of enlightenment. The cricket has been slow but captivating. Somerset got their fourth batting point, courtesy of a sparky innings from Dom Bess. So after the mayhem of last night they were grateful to get 365.

Then a brilliant catch at backward point by Tom Abell – apologies for first identifying the fielder as Bess, which was a bad mistake since Bess is wearing a numberless shirt – accounted for Steve Mullaney. Soon the young spin twins were in action. Bess has bowled five consecutive maidens and beat the bat of Tom Moores (son of Peter) on three balls in succession in one over. Jack Leach has been on target but the two young batsmen (the Cornish Jake Libby is the other one) have survived. The pitch is offering some turn but it is not vicious. Everywhere – at Lord’s and at Taunton – much patience has been in evidence. The chances are we will all be glued to our seats on Friday afternoon, still not knowing the destination of the trophy.

12.58pm BST

I’ve had a look at the various relegation permutations but then I got a headache and had to retire to the back of the media centre. It will become a lot easier once the bonus points have been sorted out but, basically, Hampshire are happy with the way things are going. At lunch Durham are 44 for two in reply to the home side’s 411, and Liam Dawson has turned the ball sharply in the two overs he has bowled. The other wicket to fall was that of Scott Borthwick, who was caught behind attempting to cut Brad Wheal’s first delivery of the match.

Before then Hampshire must have wondered whether they were playing Durham or Surrey – both Borthwick and Mark Stoneman will be at The Oval next year. Ryan McLaren, I see, is a modern master of the “celappeal” in which the bowler not so much appeals as explodes into a frenzied fit of high-fiving celebration. But the umpire, Mike Burns, has one of the stoniest faces on the circuit and was not impressed.

12.46pm BST

More cut and thrust. Middlesex were bowled out just before lunch, for 270, thus securing a second batting point to Yorkshire’s three bowling points. Middlesex might have had hopes of getting the score up to 300 plus, but the ball swung around a little more, and Yorkshire held their catches rather better. Nick Gubbins’s vigil ended on 125, James Franklin made 48 and the rest largely subsided as Jack Brooks finished with six for 65, career-best figures.Now we get the real meat of the day. Yorkshire have an odd batting order, with four batsmen, and what appears to be Tim Bresnan at five. Early damage with the new ball and Yorkshire could struggle to get the batting points they wiil need to take the title should Somerset get all their bowling points and win their match.

12.40pm BST

A big wicket for Warwickshire on the stroke of lunch as Oliver Hannon-Dalby removes Liam Livingston for 21. The right-hander whipped the ball off his pads and Keith Barker picked up a low grab at short midwicket. Livingston and Steven Croft came together at 39 for four in the 25th over and added 40 runs in a counter-attacking stand that applied some balm to the wounds of a top-order collapse that saw four wickets fall for four runs in 35 balls. Some chat between Livingston and fielders as they trot off for their vittles, presumably over the catch, which was low. But the umpires were happy Barker’s take was clean and Lancashire are now less so, sitting 79 for five at the interval and 140 runs behind.

11.53am BST

Welcome to the Ageas Bowl where, after one hour’s play, Durham have just started their innings. Hampshire, who resumed on 370 for six, were bowled out for 411, shortly after securing their maximum fifth batting point. That final point came from a remarkable shot from Lewis McManus, who tried to swipe Steve Borthwick in the direction of cow corner and missed by approximately 180 degrees, getting a thick top edge down to the third man boundary.

Liam Dawson was lbw for 62 when he got one from Graham Onions that came back into him and kept a little low. Gareth Berg, coming forward, was caught at second slip by Paul Collingwood off the same bowler, Mason Crane was bowled through the gate playing a crooked shot, again against Onions, and finally McManus slogged Borthwick to deep midwicket.

11.48am BST

Oh dear, Lancashire. The visitors have lost four wickets for four runs in 35 balls at Edgbaston to see this relegation scrap flip like Salvatore Bonpensiero facing 30 years inside for dealing H. It was Rikki Clarke who made the initial breakthrough, with Haseeb Hameed trapped in front for 17 before Chris Wright followed it up in the next over when Rob Jones went lbw for eight. Wright, who had beaten the bat consistently in the first hour, then pinned Karl Brown in front for one before Keith Barker, who was immediately introduced for Clarke after his wicket at the Pavilion End, extracted some lovely outswing to see Luke Proctor edge behind, driving, for one himself. Warwickshire’s 219 now looks much more handsome, with Lancashire 39 for four in the 25th over.

11.31am BST

Nineteen minutes late – nasty pile-up on the M5 south of Cullompton. I wasn’t the only one delayed on the way to Taunton but those stranded on the motorway were cheered upon arrival. Somerset were still batting. Dom Bess, just out for 41 as Somerset were all out for 365, got them there with passive support from Jack Leach, who has a reputation of keeping his head when the chips are down.

When Bess scampered a two to take the score past 350 there was a raucous cheer from the locals since that extra point just might be vital.

11.15am BST

A wicket here at Edgbaston, with Rikki Clarke pinning Haseeb Hameed lbw for 17. Angled in and the right-hander went to flick it off his pads but a fraction of movement sees him trapped in front. Means Clarke’s drop off the teenager yesterday wasn’t too costly too. Lancashire 35 for one after 19 overs.

11.11am BST

A fourth batting point for Somerset at Taunton, with Dom Bess and Jack Leach having put on 33 for the 10th wicket. Which means, I believe, that if Somerset go on to win Yorkshire will themselves need 350 runs in their first innings (and a win too, of course). Meanwhile Hampshire have their fifth batting point after moving past 400.
Here at Edgbaston, Chris Wright is probing for Warwickshire and beating the bat but thus far Hameed and Jones have resisted. Lancashire 35 for none.

10.33am BST

Morning all from hazy Edgbaston where Lancashire, 14 for none, have the chance to take a big step in their battle for survival and heap more pressure on Warwickshire, whom they trail by by 205 runs. Rather looking forward to watching more of Haseeb Hameed, who survived a drop at second slip late yesterday evening and resumes with Rob Jones, he of the exuberant celebration last week.

Elsewhere, Selve is at Lord’s for the second day of the big one, where leaders Middlesex resume against second-placed Yorkshire – the home side sit 208 for five after bad light curtailed the first day – and Vic Marks is battling a lengthy traffic jam on the M5 on his way to Taunton to see how much yesterday’s late collapse against Nottinghamshire affects Somerset’s chances of a first title in their history. Paul Weaver will be at the Ageas Bowl where Hampshire are making my game all the more significant, having reached 370 for six against Durham.

10.27am BST

The sun is out at Lord’s, which, given the floodlight furore of the previous evening, is a blessing in itself. MCC, the organisation that actually owns the ground, is restricted by Westminster City Council to a set number of days the lights can be used. So it was totally out of the hands of anyone involved in the game. But it still didn’t stop the conspiracy theorists blaming Andrew Strauss, who singlehandedly has attempted to scupper Yorkshire’s championship ambitions, having previously faked the moon landings and been spotted on the grassy knoll.

It might be a little tougher on the Middlesex bowlers too when their turn comes later on. Nick Gubbins’s century was a masterpiece of determination and self-denial, an innings forged in inclement conditions. The lifting of the cloud cover should make batting easier, which given the shallow nature of the Yorkshire order, will be welcome against a quality Middlesex pace attack. it might be though that the extra height of Toby Roland-Jones and Steve Finn will get something from the surface that eluded Yorkshire’s attack. Meanwhile, the Middlesex target should be at least 300.

10.13am BST

Welcome to day two of the final crucial round of fixtures in the County Championship. Mike Selvey is at Lord’s for the top of the table clash between Middlesex and Yorkshire with Vic Marks at Taunton to follow Somerset’s quest against Nottinghamshire.

At the other end, Ali Martin is at Edgbaston, where Lancs are 14-0 overnight having skittled Warwickshire for 219. And Paul Weaver is monitoring the other relegation battle at the Rose Bowl, with Hampshire making hay against Durham.

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Published on September 21, 2016 09:28

September 20, 2016

Middlesex rally against sloppy Yorkshire as Nick Gubbins hits unbeaten 120

• Middlesex 208-5 v Yorkshire
• Opener Gubbins bats for five and a half hours before bad light stops play

We expected it to be gritty and gritty it was. Grittier than the Snake Pass on an icy midwinter morning, or an egg sandwich on a windblown beach. Nick Gubbins was so gritty that come the close of play he would have needed a couple of hours sluicing with cold water like newly gathered Brancaster mussels.

For five and a half hours and 242 deliveries, Gubbins, at the fag end now of a prolific season that has propelled him to the fringes of the England team, was the belt and braces that prevented the trousers of the Middlesex innings falling around the ankles. His unbeaten 120 was his fourth, and, given the context and what was at stake, his most significant century of the summer, underpinning Middlesex’s 208 for five, made from 82 overs before bad light prevented further play.

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Published on September 20, 2016 10:40

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