Foxes Stage Evening Fightback But Middlesex Assume Control

A quartet of Leicestershire bowlers “ Ben Mike, Scott Currie, Ben Green and Rehan Ahmed “ each picked up two wickets to spearhead a Foxes fightback in the evening session, but Sam Robson and Leus du Plooy's 252-run stand put the home side in control of the Vitality County Championship clash at Lord’s.

Robson marked his return from a thumb injury by top-scoring with a meticulous 162, while Du Plooy struck 131 from 191 balls “ his second century since moving from Derbyshire over the winter “ to help the Seaxes post 407 for eight, a first-innings lead of 101.

However, with the first day washed out entirely and a gloomy weather forecast for Monday, a draw looks the most probable outcome.

With one wicket falling on the previous evening, Leicestershire doubled that tally in the first over of the day as Max Holden drove outside off stump at Currie and was taken low at slip without increasing his overnight score of 26.

However, that proved to be the visitors’ solitary success of the morning session as Robson and Du Plooy accumulated runs steadily with only rare cause for concern.

Robson, having already clipped a couple of boundaries square off his pads, survived a scare on 39 when he glanced Currie on the leg side and wicketkeeper Ben Cox, springing to his left, got a glove to the ball but could not make it stick.

A cleaner leg-glance off Tom Scriven took the opener past 50, while Du Plooy opted to give Green the charge, moving down the track to hoist a short delivery into the Mound Stand for six.

Middlesex upped the tempo after the interval and Robson won the race with his partner to three figures, driving Scriven through midwicket for a three to post the landmark from 198 balls.

Scriven, who got the ball to swing from the Nursery End, was unlucky to remain wicketless “ persuading Du Plooy to edge to Peter Handscomb at leg slip but the ex-Middlesex skipper was unable to hang on.

Still 16 short of his hundred at the time, Du Plooy took advantage of that let-off to complete a ton and the second new ball actually proved fruitful for the batters, who soon accelerated beyond Leicestershire’s total of 306.

The Foxes bowlers finally began to make inroads during the final session. Du Plooy was first to depart, feathering one behind from Currie and Ryan Higgins was bowled swinging at Green, who also claimed the scalp of Robson, neatly caught at backward point to end his six-hour stay at the crease.

Ben Mike then uprooted Stephen Eskinazi’s off stump, before Nathan Fernandes holed out Rehan to deep midwicket for a quick fire 31. Toby Roland-Jones also perished to the same bowler in pursuit of quick runs prior to bad light intervening.