MIDDLESEX SENSE VICTORY by Marcus Hook
Middlesex 325 & 32-0 v Surrey 418 & 203.

On a day of fluctuating fortunes, eighteen wickets fell yesterday on a Lord’s pitch that seemed in no way to blame for the regularity with which batsmen made their way downstairs, through the Long Room, out to the middle and back again. With the Middlesex openers successfully negotiating the last half hour, the home side go into the final day needing an eminently attainable 265 more to win off a minimum of 96 overs.

Surrey tossed away their 93-run advantage at the halfway stage when both openers perished on the third man boundary inside eight overs. Nine overs later James Benning had to go, even though he was far from happy to do so. Alistair Brown made another all too brief appearance before he chased one that was angled across him up the hill only for Adam Hollioake to then be called through for an optimistic single, all of which left the visitors in a big hole at 71 for five.

Normal service was resumed after tea when Mark Ramprakash and Azhar Mahmood advanced their sixth wicket alliance to 113 in 23 overs. The fifty partnership came up in just 67 balls when the former Middlesex man cover and then off drove Paul Weekes serenely for four. In the next over Ramprakash reached his first championship half-century of the season in exactly 100 deliveries. Azhar then cut and straight drove Simon Cook to the boundary and by the time further punishment was meted out to Cook, the Surrey pair were well on their way to the hundred stand, which took 125 balls.

But just as Surrey were getting into a strong position the game changed complexion again when, with five men back on the boundary, Mahmood skied a catch to Paul Hutchison running in from long-off and, six balls later, Ramprakash was caught behind trying to run Keegan down to third man. With Salisbury going lbw, Saqlain to a reckless forehand and Murtagh losing his middle stump, the visitors surrendered their last five second innings wickets for eighteen runs in the space of 41 deliveries.

Earlier in the day, following the departure of the nightwatchman Hutchison in the first over, comprehensively bowled, Owais Shah and Ed Joyce threatened to book themselves in for the duration. But soon after being guided through the off-side for two consecutive fours by Joyce, Azhar Mahmood elicited an injudicious cut stroke out of the acting Middlesex captain.

Weekes, who would almost certainly have been lbw had Azhar not overstepped, was trapped in front again four overs later; as was Jamie Dalrymple when Jimmy Ormond got his just desserts for a tidy opening spell from the Pavilion End. Mahmood’s morning’s work, meanwhile, had amounted to three for 37 off eight overs.

David Nash tucked into Murtagh, but it was a different story when spin was introduced first in the shape of Ian Salisbury and then Saqlain Mushtaq. Saqlain soon accounted for the Middlesex wicketkeeper and also had Chad Keegan similarly bagged at short leg, by Newman, though not before Salisbury, bowling with good control, got Joyce to play over a dipping full toss.

Either side of lunch Cook and Hayward clubbed the Pakistan off-spinner for leg-side sixes, but Mushtaq brought the curtain down on the home side’s first innings when the former looped a straightforward catch to Benning at backward point.

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