Middlesex v Leicestershire One Day Cup final at Trent Bridge September 20th

Neil Whitaker reports

MIDDLESEX won their first one-day cup since 1986 when they won the Benson & Hedges cup as they beat Leicestershire Foxes by 31 runs at Trent Bridge.

At 71 for five the Metro Bank looked to be heading to Leicestershire, but Middlesex were rescued by a sixth wicket partnership of 135 in 22 overs between Ryan Higgins and  Harry Duke on loan from Yorkshire.  Higgins  became the first Middlesex player to hit a century in a one-day cup final and gave his side a target to bowl at.

Higgins said: “We kept saying to each other that we had to take it deep, we’ll get a score. and he made sure that I didn’t play any rash shots”.

Toby Roland-Jones said: “ It’s been an amazing day and we’re an amazing team,but we’ve struggled to get into finals. This season the team has played some amazing cricket and everyone’s contributed.  Leicestershire bowled well early but thanks to Higgins and Duke they got us into a position where we thought we had a competitive score. I think Duke has impressed in four day cricket and today he’s put his stamp on the game.”

Middlesex lost their first wicket in the sixth over when   Nathan Fernandes tried to cut Ian Holland but it was too close to him and Ben Cox took a comfortable catch. Before he had scored Max Holden pushed Ian  Holland to mid-on, set off for a  single and just beat  Alex Green’s direct hit. In their next over Middlesex went two down when Holden cue ended a drive  off Holland to Cox.  Cox took his third catch of the morning when Middlesex captain Ben Geddes edged an expansive drive off Tom Scriven’s second ball.

Josh De Caires drove Ben Green to the extra cover boundary but was lucky not to edge the next ball to stumper Cox.  He drove Scriven straight to the long-on boundary.  He clipped Scriven off his feet to the mid-wicket boundary.  Every time he hit a four he was lucky not to edge the next ball, this time he tried to turn Scriven off his hips but Cox dove and twisted to his left to take a brilliant one handed catch in his left hand.

Luke Hollman edged a drive off Rehan Ahmed’s first ball to Cox and 100 looked out of Middlesex’reach but Higgins was joined by wicket keeper Duke.  The pair knocked the ball around Trent Bridge and gradually the Foxes began to look flustered. And eventually the runs started to flow.

As well as scoring runs Higgins and Duke had to make sure Middlesex batted their full 50 overs and have their share of luck.  Higgins edged Alex Green wide of Cox to the third man boundary.  He reversed swept leg spinner Rehan Ahmed to the third man boundary to bring up Middlesex’ 100 in the 26th over.  The pair began to milk runs from the spinners Rehan Ahmed and Ajaz Patel.

The Foxes should have broken the partnership when Higgins played Rehan Ahmed to point and  Duke  was halfway down the pitch he turned back.  Duke should have been run out at the bowler’s end but Rehan Ahmed made a mess off taking the bails off.

Duke pulled Ben Green to the mid-wicket boundary for a six. Duke’s 50 came from 62 balls with three fours and a six. The partnership was broken when he drove Holland but cue ended it and the ball went up the ladder and Foxes captain Stephen Eskinazi waited an age at cover for the ball to drop into his hands. 

Higgins 50 came from 72 balls with five fours.  He drove Scriven through point towards the  boundary.  Holland was pulled by Higgins to the square leg boundary and  he sliced Scriven to the point boundary.  

After their earlier trouble Middlesex 260 looked on the cards but they fell apart after Higgins reached his century. Higgins went down the pitch to Holland, to drive him got an outside and the ball looped to Kelly at mid-wicket.  Tom Helm top edged a sweep off Ben Green and his namesake Alex Green ran in treacle to   catch the ball and then took an age to stoop and flick the ball back to Ajaz  Patel.  In the next over he tried to sweep Rehan Ahmed but missed the ball and was leg before.

For the Foxes Holland took five wickets for 36 and Rehan Ahmed’s three wickets cost him 55 runs. Cox’ five catches equalled the record for the number of catches by a wicket keeper in a one-day final

In their chase the Foxes raced to 29 in five overs but Eskinazi tried to drive a full ball Naavya Sharma but edged it to at second slip who took the catch in his midriff. After Eskinazi’s dismissal, the Foxes got the jitters. 

Rishie Patel pulled Roland-Jones down Higgins’ throat on the deep mid-wicket boundary.  Hazma Shaikh pushed Roland-Jones into the covers, set off for a single and then changed his mind and went back.  Rehan Ahmed kept on running,  Shaikhi managed to get to the other end.  At the other end Shaikhi was hit on the pads by a full ball from Sharma.  Despite his review Sharma was out.  Rehan Ahmed drove Roland-Jones and was dropped at cover by Holden.

Australian Nick Kelly  nearly saw the Foxes home hitting 103 but was out when the Foxes needed 44 to win.  He pulled Sharma over the square leg boundary for a six.  Later he pulled Helm with ease to the square leg boundary. To finish the over Kelly cut him to the cover boundary.

Kelly drove Sharma to the long-off boundary.  He brought the Foxes hundred up when he drove Higgins to the long-off boundary. The next ball was an edge to the third man boundary.  In Higgins’ next over Kelly thumped him to the long-off boundary.

He pulled Hellman’s first ball to the mid-wicket boundary and three balls later tickled him to the fine leg boundary.  Kelly danced down the pitch to Zafar Gohar and launched him into the pavilion for a big six.

Kelly pulled a short ball from the leg spinner to the square leg boundary to take him five short off a century.  His  century came from 103 balls with 10 fours and three sixes. After receiving treatment he pulled Helm straight to Higgins on the mid-wicket boundary.

Foxes captain Eskinazi said: “He was gutted when he was out but when the dust settles he’ll be proud of what he’s done for the team. His skills that he played today showed that he’s capable of playing at the highest level.”

After surviving a Middlesex review when they thought Rehan Ahmed had edged Roland-Jones to stumper Duke, Rehan Ahmed was given out leg before to the next ball.  Rehan Ahmed spent too long talking to Kelly about whether they should review it; they ran out of time.  If they had, the replay would have shown it missing.

Cox pushed forward at Roland-Jones and feathered him to Duke. It could have been worse for the Foxes when Holland  was given out leg before to the next ball.  Kelly told him to review it and he did.  It was a good job that he did, the replay showed it was missing.  Roland-Jones took 3 for 27 in  his 10 overs not bad for a 38-year-old 

Holland swept the slow left arm spinner Zafar Gohar to the square leg boundary.  The ball after the fifty partnership was brought up Holland went down the pitch to Zafar Gohar, missed the ball and was easily stumped by Duke.

After adding 46 in nine overs with Kelly and getting the run rate to a manageable amount Ben Green pulled Helm down De Caires’ throat on the mid-wicket boundary.

Ajaz Patel calmly stroked Higgins for a one bounce four.  He cut Helm to Zafar Gohar at point who caught it at the second attempt.  

Eskinazi added: “Despite losing today I am really proud of them. For the first 10 overs of our innings everyone thought the pitch was a batting paradise but the pressure of a final does funny things to people.  It was a nice game for the neutrals. It was similar to Test cricket with all the twist and turns. Both teams showed why they were here.”

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