MIDDLESEX V SURREY - Specsavers
County Championship - 7 August 2016
Surrey 415 & 266-7d. Middlesex 293 & 278-6. Match drawn.
George Bailey and James Franklin built a match-saving
partnership of 174 in 51 overs as Middlesex batted out time to secure
the draw against Surrey at Lord's which keeps them 13 points clear of
second-placed Somerset at the top of the Specsavers County
Championship Division One.
Bailey finished on 110 not out, his first hundred
for the county, and Franklin made 70 in three hours as Middlesex,
wobbling at 82 for 5 at one stage in their second innings, ended up on
278 for 6 after being set 389 to win in 91 overs by Surrey's second
innings declaration at 266 for 7.
Zafar Ansari took three wickets in the first 35
minutes after lunch to give Surrey hope of victory but Australian
batsman Bailey was then joined by former New Zealand all-rounder
Franklin in a sixth wicket stand which blunted the visiting attack.
Deep inside the final hour, Ansari finally bowled
Franklin with one that turned from the rough outside the left-hander's
off stump to earn himself figures of 4 for 63.
Bailey batted for 199 balls, hitting 20 fours, and
Franklin's 153-ball effort included ten fours. Both showed huge
determination, especially as Bailey struggled early on against Ansari,
while Franklin initially had an uncomfortable time against the pace of
Stuart Meaker.
Slow left-armer Ansari, a leading contender for
England's second spinner role on the sub-continent this winter,
removed Nick Compton, Dawid Malan and John Simpson in an excellent
post-lunch spell after Middlesex had lost both openers to the new ball
before Compton and Malan rallied them to 70 for 2 at lunch.
Tom Curran nipped one back down the slope from the
Pavilion End to have Stevie Eskinazi lbw for 13 in the fifth over, and
then Sam Curran tempted Nick Gubbins, on 5, with an away-swinging full
ball which he drove straight to square cover.
From 26 for 2 Compton and Malan put on 45, although
Compton looked anything but comfortable in his first championship
appearance since being omitted from England's Test team in early June.
The right-hander survived big shouts for lbw and
caught behind on 8 and 19, against Meaker, and in the last over before
lunch was fortunate to see a diving Jason Roy just fail to get to a
miscued pull at Dominic Sibley's occasional leg spin after sprinting
from short mid on towards mid wicket.
On 22, however, Compton came down the pitch to
Ansari, seemed to play over the ball as he attempted to drive, and was
stumped by Ben Foakes.
Gareth Batty, bowling his off spin in tandem with
Ansari after lunch, helped to ramp up the pressure on the Middlesex
batsmen and beat Malan with sharp turn while his younger spin partner
twice ripped the ball past Bailey's defensive bat.
Further Surrey breakthroughs looked inevitable, and
so it proved with Foakes showing superb reflexes behind the stumps to
scoop up the catch when Malan, on 29, clipped Ansari into short leg's
boot.
Switching to around the wicket, Ansari then
straightened one to John Simpson to have the left-hander lbw for 4
and, suddenly, Middlesex were facing a long uphill struggle to save
the game. To their immense credit, Bailey and Franklin were equal to
the challenge and, by the time Franklin was dropped on 66 by Foakes
off Sam Curran, the draw was all but certain.
Earlier in the day, Surrey added 32 more runs in
four overs to their overnight 234 for 6. Sam Curran, on 71 overnight,
was stumped without addition when he gave the third ball of the day -
his second - from Ollie Rayner the charge, but Tom Curran then came in
to biff 17 not out from 11 balls and add 31 in 3.3 overs with Foakes,
who ended up on 65 not out.
Middlesex century-maker George Bailey was playing
his last championship innings for the county before joining Australia
for the one-day leg of their Sri Lanka tour. He said: "I'm playing in
the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final against Northamptonshire, which we
are all looking forward to, but then I'm off to Sri Lanka. It's always
an honour to play here at Lord's, and today was all about saving the
game.
"When we were five wickets down there was still a
long way to go but James Franklin and I decided to try to knock it
around and enjoy each other's company out there. It was a beautiful
day to be batting at Lord's!"
Michael Di Venuto, the Surrey head coach, said:
"There was a bit of spin out there but it wasn't that consistent. I
was surprised that the pitch didn't crack up a little bit more, but we
threw everything at them and gave it our all.
"We were in a pretty good position when we had them
five-down but they had two experienced guys who batted very well. By
the time we dropped Franklin it was very late in the game and, other
than that, we didn't miss any chances."
TEA REPORT
Zafar Ansari took 3 for 35 from 18 overs as Surrey
pushed hard for a last day victory against Middlesex in the Specsavers
County Championship Division One clash at Lord's.
Slow left-armer Ansari, a leading contender for
England's second spinner role on the sub-continent this winter,
removed Nick Compton, Dawid Malan and John Simpson in a devastating
post-lunch spell as Middlesex slid to 82 for 5. But, by tea, a
fighting unbroken sixth wicket stand of 70 between George Bailey and
James Franklin had taken Middlesex to 152 for 5 with one session of
the match remaining.
Bailey was unbeaten on 48 at the interval, having
struggled early on against Ansari, while Franklin was 24 not out
despite an uncomfortable time against the pace of Stuart Meaker.
Set 389 to win in a minimum of 90 overs, after
Surrey had batted on for four overs from an overnight 234 for 6 before
declaring their second innings on 266 for 7, Middlesex lost both
openers to the new ball before Compton and Malan rallied them to 70
for 2 at lunch.
Tom Curran nipped one back down the slope from the
Pavilion End to have Stevie Eskinazi lbw for 13 in the fifth over, and
then Sam Curran tempted Nick Gubbins, on 5, with an away-swinging full
ball which he drove straight to square cover.
On 22, Compton came down the pitch to Ansari, seemed
to play over the ball as he attempted to drive, and was stumped by Ben
Foakes. Gareth Batty, bowling his off spin in tandem with Ansari after
lunch, helped to ramp up the pressure on the Middlesex batsmen and
beat Malan with sharp turn while his younger spin partner twice ripped
the ball past Bailey's defensive bat.
Further Surrey breakthroughs looked inevitable, and
so it proved with Foakes showing his excellent reflexes behind the
stumps to scoop up the catch when Malan, on 29, clipped Ansari into
short leg's boot.
Switching to around the wicket, Ansari then
straightened one to John Simpson to have the left-hander lbw for 4 and
Middlesex were facing a long uphill struggle to save the game.
LUNCH REPORT
Surrey's all-action Curran brothers, Tom and Sam,
each made an important new ball strike to leave Middlesex, who reached
lunch on the final day at 70 for 2, with an uphill struggle to save
the Specsavers County Championship Division One clash at Lord's.
Tom Curran nipped one back down the slope to have
Stevie Eskinazi leg-before for 13 in the fifth over of Middlesex's
second innings, after they had been set 389 to win from a minimum of
90 overs by Surrey's declaration on 266 for 7.
And Nick Gubbins, dropped on 0 at second slip by
Jason Roy off Tom Curran, then drove a full, away-swinging ball from
Sam Curran straight into his elder brother's hands at square cover to
go for 5.
From 26 for 2 Middlesex fought through to the
interval as Nick Compton and Dawid Malan put on 44 - but Compton was
close to being lbw to Stuart Meaker on 8 and Surrey have yet to bowl
both their frontline spinners, Ansari and Gareth Batty, in tandem. A
tough afternoon is in prospect for the home side.
Compton, who also survived a big shout for a catch
at the wicket off Meaker on 19, was then fortunate to survive a mishit
pull at Dominic Sibley's leg spin, in the final over before lunch -
the ball lobbing up to mid wicket where Roy, sprinting from short mid
on, just failed to get his fingers under it as he dived full length.
At lunch, Compton was on 22 and Malan 23.
Earlier this morning, resuming on 234 for 6, Surrey
added 32 more runs in four overs. Sam Curran, on 71 overnight, was
stumped without addition when he gave the third ball of the day - his
second - from Ollie Rayner the charge, but Tom Curran then came in to
biff 17 not out from 11 balls and add 31 in 3.3 overs with Ben Foakes,
who ended up on 65 not out.
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