MALAN TO THE RESCUE FOR MIDDLESEX by Marcus Hook
Middlesex 225-9 v Surrey.

An unbeaten 62 from Dawid Malan countered a strong mid-session performance by the Surrey seamers to ensure honours finished even on a rain-affected opening day at Lord's, which ended at 7.00pm with Middlesex 225-9.

Having struggled, initially, to make the most of the cloud cover and a pitch that offered some assistance, the visitors claimed five wickets for 56 runs with Jade Dernbach, the pick of Surrey’s attack, taking 3-33. But thanks to Malan, who was supported ably by Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones, the hosts battled back from being 129-7.

Having been put into bat, Middlesex made a promising start. Joe Denly and Sam Robson appeared relatively untroubled. Tim Linley, who was preferred to Stuart Meaker, conceded two boundaries in his first over, but, come the eleventh, Denly went caught behind off Jon Lewis.

Chris Rogers also seemed to be in good nick, none more so than when he drove Chris Jordan through cover point for four. But in the 22nd over, the Aussie left-hander was undone by a delivery from Dernbach that appeared to nip back sharply.

Robson and Malan saw the hosts safely through to lunch, but a heavy shower during the break led to a 75-minute delay and the loss of twelve overs. When play resumed, Surrey came out firing on all cylinders. Robson had his off stump plucked out by Linley, then Dernbach found himself on a hat-trick when Neil Dexter, looking to leave the ball, played on and John Simpson presented Gareth Batty with a routine catch at first slip to make it 92-5.

Nine overs later, Gareth Berg was bowled playing across the line to Linley, who got one swing away from the South African at the last minute to send his leg stump flying. Malan despatched Jordan and Lewis to the cover boundary. But just before tea, Ollie Rayner pushed down the wrong line at a Lewis leg-cutter, which clipped the top of off stump, leaving Middlesex facing an uphill task.

Malan and Murtagh then combined for 53 in 17 overs. Murtagh upper cut Jordan for four and drove Lewis straight back over his head. But Murtagh's confidence finally got the better of him. Attempting an expansive slog sweep, he went lbw to Batty for 31.

In the 72nd over, shortly after hitting only his fourth boundary, Malan moved to a 143-ball half-century, which he celebrated by pulling Jordan for four. Late in the day, however, after holding an end up for eleven overs, Roland-Jones fended Jordan to first slip to make it 223-9.

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