Mike Stars Despite Defeat at Lord's
Sat 30 Apr 2022
Ben Mike was left stranded on 99 not out during a thrilling counter-attacking innings, as Leicestershire fell to a 10-wicket defeat on the third day at Lord’s.
One run shy of a maiden first-class century, the all-rounder looked set for his ton until Beuran Hendricks was bowled with the penultimate ball before tea, leaving Middlesex with just 52 runs to tick off for victory.
Resuming on 37-3, the third day started positively for the Running Foxes, as Wiaan Mulder dispatched two Toby Roland-Jones deliveries to the fence in the first full over of play.
But the first wicket of the morning fell in the next over. Sam Evans nicking an Ethan Bamber delivery to Peter Handscomb at first slip for his overnight score of 23.
Mulder and Harry Swindells steadied the ship through the next 80 minutes of play, accruing a 59-run partnership before the latter was adjudged LBW to a Roland-Jones ball that came back in off the seam. There were question marks over height, but the umpire’s finger was raised.
Leicestershire’s South African star wasn’t to be denied though. A fluent morning with bat in hand saw Mulder earn his first County 50 with a drop and run single off the same bowler just before lunch was taken on 113-5.
14 runs were added post-restart, before the half-centurion pulled a short delivery from Shaheen Afridi straight to the grateful clutches of Luke Hollmann in the deep to depart for 58.
It was a dismissal that proved to be a catalyst for an enthralling counterattack from Mike and Ed Barnes. Unintimidated by a barrage of chin music, the pair pulled and hooked 16 off Afridi’s next over, including a huge six from Mike.
The two motored to a 40-ball half-century alliance, brought by the fourth boundary of another Afridi over, in which Mike and Barnes struck 20 runs to remove the Pakistani international from the home attack.
Mike was to raise his bat to the Lord’s spectatorship soon after, driving Bamber to the ropes for a 57-ball 50.
Just as the duo were homing in on a century stand for the 7th wicket, Barnes, whose terrific 36 off 58 balls had flown under the radar, gave his wicket away.
A rank short ball from Hollman stopped on the number eight, who pulled into the air for substitute fielder Martin Andersson to take a simple catch. The stand was worth 98 runs, having taken the Running Foxes into a slender lead of four.
Callum Parkinson’s patience helped add 39 runs further runs with Mike, who had advanced to 95, before the former edged Roland-Jones to Handscomb for nine.
Both batsmen brought up the same milestone during the partnership, each scoring their 1,000th first-class run.
Chris Wright’s fleeting stay at the crease ended in the same fashion as Barnes’ dismissal, pulling a drag down from Hollman to Andersson at mid-wicket for four. Mike on 98.
Mike took a single off the second ball of the final before tea to move to within one run of his maiden ton, only for Hendricks to shoulder arms to a Roland-Jones delivery that jagged back in on the penultimate ball of the session.
An emphatic innings deserving of a century, but Mike still found the comradery to console Hendricks, who looked visibly devastated having seen his teammate stranded on a career-best 99 not out.
The all-rounder walked off to a rousing ovation from the Lord’s faithful, with Leicestershire dismissed for 272, leaving Middlesex just 52 runs to win post-tea, which they accomplished without blemish.
