MATCH ABANDONED WITHOUT A BALL BEING BOWLED
A big Lord’s crowd of around 17,000 was left bitterly disappointed as Middlesex’s NatWest T20 Blast South Group fixture against Sussex Sharks was abandoned due to persistent rain in north London.
The match was the first of four floodlit T20 Blast games to be played by Middlesex at Lord’s this season, but the frustrated spectators had no action to watch after rain set in soon after both teams had finished their pre-match warm-ups.
Middlesex captain Dawid Malan had won the toss and chosen to bat first, but the match was unable to get under way at its scheduled 6.15pm start time. The abandonment came at just after 8pm, with rain still falling and no hope of starting even a five-overs-per-side contest from the cut-off time of 8.57pm.
The point that both Middlesex and Sussex take from the No Result does, at least, add something to the good start each county has made to the competition.
Sussex came into the game in second place in the South Group table with three wins from four matches, while Middlesex had won two of their opening three fixtures.
Among the exciting individual duels denied to spectators were Middlesex batsmen Brendon McCullum, Eoin Morgan and Malan taking on Sussex fast bowlers Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills.
