Match report provided by the ECB Reporters Network.
Joe Cracknell’s highest white-ball score allowed Middlesex to finish their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign with a comfortable five-wicket win over Yorkshire at Radlett.
The former Durham University student thrashed 87 from 65 balls with the help of 17 fours as the hosts chased down a target of 254 with 93 balls to spare despite a career-best 4-49 for Yorkshire spinner Jack Shutt. Cracknell shared a stand of 120 in 86 balls with Sam Robson who made 62
Earlier, Tykes skipper Shan Masood batted more than three hours for 96, sharing stands of 85 and 83 with Matthew Revis and Dominic Bess, who both made 51. However, they mustered only 26 from the final five overs, with Middlesex all-rounder Ryan Higgins taking four wickets in the final six balls to finish with 4-39.
The visitors were soon questioning their decision to bat first as Ethan Bamber and Blake Cullen found early movement on a slightly two-paced pitch. James Wharton miscued one from Cullen which stopped on him a fraction to Josh De Caires at mid-wicket without a run on the board, before Bamber had William Luxton smartly caught by wicketkeeper John Simpson.
Finlay Bean soon followed spooning another from Cullen to skipper Mark Stoneman at cover and it would have been 31-4 had Cracknell clung on to a tough chance at slip when Masood had made 18. The miss proved costly as the Pakistani international dropped anchor to play a long innings of few fireworks while others added much needed acceleration.
Revis was first to sparkle, plundering three boundaries in one wayward Martin Andersson over. He reached 50 in the grand manner with a six over mid-wicket off Luke Hollman, but the leg-spinner extracted almost immediate revenge, running out Revis with a direct hit from square leg.
Bess picked up where Revis left off, driving powerfully both sides of the wicket. He too would be dropped on the square leg fence by Cracknell, the ball escaping over the rope for six as he reached 50 in 42 balls.
When he lofted De Caires to Andersson in the deep Harry Duke took up the baton with some lusty blows, but he fell to Bamber and the innings stalled, Masood becoming one of Higgins’s four victims in that dramatic final over.
Chasing 254, Cracknell unfurled a series of drives square of the wicket while Stoneman twice hit Benjamin Cliff back over his head as 50 was raised inside five overs. Stoneman feathered one through to Duke, but Robson joined Cracknell to continue the onslaught, the former England opener lofting a six over deep square provoking a spectacular crowd catch.
Such was the ferocity of the batting, successive fours from Cracknell, including a glorious strike over bowler Shutt’s head raised the 100 partnership in only 73 balls.
A sixth four took Robson to 50 from 40 balls and Middlesex were in cruise control before Cracknell missed a full toss from Shutt to end his hopes of a first white-ball century.
There seemed little danger at 171-2 but the wicket sparked an inspired spell from the 26-year-old off-spinner who had Higgins caught in the deep, before snaffling Robson and Jack Davies from the first two balls after the drinks break, both caught by Luxton at cover.
Andersson might have been stumped of Bess as nerves jangled briefly, but he and beneficiary Simpson saw the hosts home in the 35th over.
Middlesex
Yorkshire Vikings
