Day 3 Stumps: Middlesex 326-8, leading by 260 runs
Dawid Malan’s superb unbeaten 118 has made Middlesex favourites to win a fascinating and attritional LV= County Championship Division One contest against relegation-haunted Sussex at Lord’s.
The four-and-a-quarter hour 172-ball hundred, the 14th of Malan's first-class career, followed his first innings 93 and, with John Simpson and Toby Roland-Jones both giving him determined support in fifth and eighth wicket stands worth 78 and 77 respectively, Middlesex ended the third day 260 runs ahead at 326 for eight in their second innings.
Malan, a 27-year-old left-hander who has missed much of the season with hand and hamstring injuries, has now scored 522 runs in just seven championship innings this summer at an average of 104.40.
Sussex, second from bottom of Division One and with six defeats from their previous 11 matches, had the advantage of a 66-run first innings lead as they fought hard to stop Middlesex from setting them a difficult last day victory target.
In the morning session left-arm spinner Ashar Zaidi took a wicket with his first ball and another in his fourth over, while just before tea Ollie Robinson switched from seam to off spin to snare the scalps of Simpson and James Harris in the space of four balls.
Steve Magoffin, meanwhile, took three for 70 in another testing display of swing and seam and the 35-year-old Australian went to 500 first-class wickets – 253 of them for Sussex – when he enjoyed his second success of the innings by having James Franklin caught at slip for 5 just after lunch.
Franklin’s dismissal left Middlesex only 71 runs on at 137 for four, but Simpson’s stoic 29 from 84 balls helped Malan to rally the innings. Simpson, too, in a rare moment of aggression, pulled Chris Liddle for six.
Robinson’s dramatic double-strike, however, left Middlesex vulnerable again at 215 for six, with Simpson edging to slip and Harris tickling another well-flighted off-break to leg slip.
Ollie Rayner arrived to score 17 before being leg-before to a ball slanted into his pads by Magoffin, but the 34 added for the seventh wicket was followed by the partnership between Malan and Roland-Jones which, surely, has pushed this match out of Sussex’s reach on a dusting, wearing pitch.
Earlier, Zaidi had sent back Sam Robson for 77 with his first ball as Sussex dramatically checked Middlesex’s previously steady progress. He also bowled Nick Compton behind his legs for 21, as the former England batsman got in a tangle as he advanced to drive, and by lunch Middlesex, who resumed on 47 without loss, had reached 127 for three with Zaidi boasting figures of 4-0-6-2.
But Zaidi could not add to those two early successes in a hard-fought afternoon session in which Malan’s sound judgement of what to play and what to leave alone was a feature of his excellent knock.
By stumps Malan had faced 201 balls in all, hitting 10 fours, while Roland-Jones included five fours in his spirited 36 from 81 balls before Robinson pinned him lbw to earn himself a third wicket in off-spin mode, and figures of three for 86. Roland-Jones was out to the first ball of the day’s final over – which proved to be the final ball.
Earlier Robson, on 41 overnight, had looked the most secure of Middlesex’s top order batsmen as he hit 11 fours in his 105-ball stay, losing opening partner Nick Gubbins in the seventh over of the morning when the left-hander, on 10, edged a sharply-lifting ball from Magoffin to wicketkeeper Ben Brown.
Day 3 Tea Update: Middlesex 232-6, leading by 166 runs
Dawid Malan’s second half-century of the match was keeping Middlesex afloat on the third day of a fascinating and attritional LV= County Championship Division One contest against Sussex at Lord’s.
At tea Malan was on 67 not out and, with John Simpson supporting him well in a fifth wicket stand of 78 in 26 overs, Middlesex were 166 runs ahead at 232 for six in their second innings.
But Simpson’s dismissal was followed three balls later by that of James Harris, caught in the slips for a duck, as Ollie Robinson struck twice in an over.
Malan, who top-scored with 93 in Middlesex’s first innings 234, had at tea faced 116 balls and had hit only three fours. Simpson, pulling Chris Liddle for six in an otherwise stoical 84-ball knock, reached 29 before edging Robinson to first slip as the interval approached.
Earlier, left-arm spinner Ashar Zaidi had grabbed two vital wickets in his first four overs, including that of Sam Robson for 77 with his first ball, as Sussex dramatically checked Middlesex’s previously steady progress. By lunch Middlesex, who resumed on 47 without loss, had reached 127 for three with Zaidi boasting figures of 4-0-6-2.
But Zaidi could not add to those two early successes in a hard-fought afternoon session which began with Sussex picking up the wicket of James Franklin, who on 5 edged Steve Magoffin to Ed Joyce at slip to give the 35-year-old Australian seamer the 500th first-class wicket of his career.
Malan and Simpson determinedly rallied Middlesex from 137 for four, before Robinson’s double strike edged a see-saw affair back in Sussex’s direction.
Zaidi, brought on for the 37th over half-an-hour before lunch, immediately had Robson caught behind by Ben Brown with a perfectly-pitched delivery that straightened down the Lord’s slope.
And then, switched to the Pavilion End to bowl the last over before the interval, he beat and bowled Nick Compton behind his legs for 21 when the batsman took a couple of steps down the pitch to try to drive. For the second time in quick succession, Zaidi sprinted away to the side of the pitch, arm raised in celebration.
Robson, on 41 overnight, had looked the most secure of Middlesex’s top order batsmen as he hit 11 fours in his 105-ball stay, but he lost opening partner Nick Gubbins in the seventh over of the morning when the left-hander, on 10, edged a sharply-lifting ball from Magoffin to Brown.
That was 61 for one, and Robson and Compton then added 48 to take Middlesex to a relatively untroubled 109 for one before Zaidi bowled Sussex back into contention on what is a worn pitch.
Day 3 Lunch Update:
Ashar Zaidi grabbed two vital wickets, including that of Sam Robson with his first ball, as Sussex dramatically checked Middlesex’s progress on day three of their LV= County Championship Division One match at Lord’s.
At lunch Middlesex, who resumed on 47 without loss, had reached 127 for three in their second innings – a lead of only 61 – and Zaidi boasted figures of 4-0-6-2.
Left-arm spinner Zaidi, brought on for the 37th over, struck immediately by having Robson caught behind by Ben Brown for 77 with a perfectly-pitched delivery that straightened down the Lord’s slope.
And then, switched to the Pavilion End to bowl the last over before the interval, he beat and bowled Nick Compton for 21 with his first ball back when the batsman took a couple of steps down the pitch to try to drive. For the second time in the session, Zaidi sprinted away to the side of the pitch, arm raised in celebration.
Robson, on 41 overnight, had looked the most secure of Middlesex’s top order batsmen as he hit 11 fours in his 105-ball stay, but he lost opening partner Nick Gubbins in the seventh over of the morning when the left-hander, on 10, edged a sharply-lifting ball from Steve Magoffin to Brown.
That was 61 for one, and Robson and Compton added 48 to take Middlesex to a relatively untroubled 109 for one before Zaidi bowled Sussex right back into contention on a worn pitch that is unlikely to get any easier for batting.
