Dawid Malan hit some of the biggest sixes seen at Lord’s this season as his exhilarating 156 not out rushed Middlesex to a crushing eight-wicket victory against Glamorgan in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
One of Malan’s sixes struck the balcony on the top tier of the pavilion, one flew into the top tier of the New Mound Stand and another, over a long boundary on one side of the ground, made it all the way into the Warner Stand.
It meant that Colin Ingram’s third hundred in five Royal London One-Day Cup innings this season was all in vain as Glamorgan’s 50-over total of 251 for nine was chased down by Middlesex with 10.2 overs to spare. Middlesex finished on 255 for two from 39.2 overs.
Malan, like Ingram a left-hander in superb current form, was joined by Paul Stirling in an opening stand of 139 in 21.2 overs and, in all, the 27-year-old hit four sixes and eighteen fours from 128 balls in a one-day career-best knock.
Ingram’s 102 from 93 balls included five sixes and four fours was a fine effort, but even it paled by comparison to Malan’s languid hitting. Indeed, Malan – who currently averages more than 100 in championship cricket – is probably the most in-form batsman in the county game at present.
Middlesex’s third win in Group B mathematically keeps alive their hopes of qualifying for a quarter-final place, but it is a very slim chance as they have now finished their group matches.
Glamorgan, although they have only lost two of their seven games, are already out of contention for a knockout place as they have been docked four penalty points – two for preparing a poor pitch last season and another two for the surface at Cardiff which caused their match against Hampshire on August 2 to be abandoned.
After winning the toss, Glamorgan captain Jacques Rudolph and his opening partner James Kettleborough were initially kept in check by an accurate and typically probing new ball spell by Tim Murtagh.
Playing his first 50-over game of the summer, Murtagh had Will Bragg caught at the wicket for nought while also conceding only 34 runs while bowling his ten-over stint straight through.
Kettleborough, the first to go, was leg-before to the equally steady James Harris for 25, in the 14th over, and although Ingram warmed up by hitting Ollie Rayner’s off spin for the first of his five sixes the Glamorgan total had reached only 99 for two by the halfway mark in their innings.
Rudolph was soon out lbw to Rayner for 58, from 82 balls and with just six fours, leaving Glamorgan on a wobbly 105 for three, but Chris Cooke hit 25 to help add 50 in 11 overs for the fourth wicket with Ingram.
A brilliant diving catch at the second attempt at short mid wicket by Rayner, off Neil Dexter’s medium pace, sent back Cooke while David Lloyd also fell to Dexter for 10.
Ingram, however, going to his fifty from 64 balls, then took a six and a four off the disappointing Junaid Khan, Middlesex’s overseas player, in a 43rd over which cost 14 and which brought up Glamorgan’s 200.
Though he had bowled well earlier in two spells, also bowling Craig Meschede for 7, asking Rayner to stay on to deliver the 49th over seemed a strange decision by James Franklin, the Middlesex captain, and Ingram duly hit the spinner for two sixes and a four in the space of four balls – the second six taking him to a 91-ball century.
Ingram finally fell in the last over, which ended with Harris also bowling Ruaidhri Smith to earn himself figures of 4 for 38, and the former South African one-day international has now scored 405 runs in five Royal London Cup innings at an average of 81.
It was nowhere near enough, though, as Malan produced some even more spectacular fireworks of his own and, with the assistance of Stirling and Sam Robson – who scored 22 in a second wicket stand of 76 in 16 overs – it all made Glamorgan’s creditable total look wholly inadequate.
Malan’s first six, straight-driven off the suffering Dewi Penrhyn Jones in only his second one-day appearance, scattered spectators in the pavilion and the last blow of the match, a free hit following a no ball from the same bowler, was also a six from Dexter.
