Visitors fight back to set up exciting day two

DAY ONE | Middlesex CCC 260 for seven

SCORECARD | Available HERE

REPORT | John Simpson leads the fightback for Middlesex with a first innings score of 73* after Leicestershire ripped through the visitors batting order in a dominating afternoon session.

There was a buzz around the Uptonsteel County Ground for the first time since September 2019, as spatterings of fans once again populated the stands in Leicestershire.

It was a strange sense of feeling, being that a sporting event with fans was now the strange scenario with a sporting event without fans being what has been the ‘norm’ for the past 20 months or so.

The news from the toss was that the visitors had won and opted to bat on a day which looked to be setting up nicely for a batsman.

Consequently, Chris Wright opened the bowling from the Bennett End “ occupied by Leicestershire members, and the new hospitality marquee “ against one of his former counties.

From the Pavilion End, Ed Barnes made up the other half of the Running Foxes’ opening bowling attack, making his first first-class appearance infront of fans having made his debut in last year’s behind-closed-doors Bob Willis Trophy campaign.

The duo made a positive start with the ball, quelling any momentum that the opening partnership of Sam Robson and Stephen Eskinazi were hoping to make.

Additions of Will Davis and Callum Parkinson into the attack built the pressure on the Middlesex batsman, who, although standing resolute at the crease, were not posting runs in any haste.

The duo in the middle made their way to the partnership’s fiftieth run, coming from 131 deliveries with Robson on 23, and Eskinazi on 27.

Robson failed to build on his 23 at the crease, though, as Callum Parkinson took the first wicket of the fixture after pinning the former-England international infront.

Though the batsmen could not build on their partnership after getting in, they had posted the first opening partnership half-century of the campaign for the visitors.

Nick Gubbins, fresh from his century against Surrey last week made his way to join Eskinazi (27*) in the middle with Middlesex on 52 for one.

County had an opportunity to dismiss Gubbins early in his innings as the batsman feathered Wright’s delivery through to Swindells who could not stick the catch, and instead watch the ball run down to third man for four.

Lunch then came with the Middlesex untested following the missed chance from Swindells with the visitors sitting on 73 for one with Eskinazi still there on 29 and Gubbins quickly onto 19.

Skipper Colin Ackermann opened the afternoon session with his second over of the day and nearly took an immediate wicket.

His delivery beat the bat of Gubbins who somehow turned around to find his stumps remained intact from the Netherlands international’s delivery.

Davis opened the second session alongside Ackermann and soon earned his first wicket of the season, with what could be a huge wicket in the landscape of this clash.

The wicket was of Gubbins (21) who joined his teammate, Robson, pinned infront and back in the pavilion.

Gubbins’ dismissal prompted Middlesex’s captain, Peter Handscomb to emerge and join Eskinazi (30*) in the middle.

The third wicket stand only put on an extra 15 runs, though, as Davis struck again to claim his second in quick succession.

The batsman to fall was Eskinazi (38) whose stint in the middle lasted 155 minutes before being pinned infront, and the Running Foxes were bowling at two new batsmen for the first time since 11:00am this morning.

Middlesex were 91 for three as Robbie White joined Handscomb (7*) in the middle.

White and Handscomb’s first job was to quell any impending momentum that the Running Foxes were looking to build with the two early wickets in the afternoon session, and did a good job in doing so.

Soon, Handscomb was the batsman that was in whilst White looked to get the Australian on-strike as often as he could.

The run-rate began to creep higher, but tight bowling from County brought it back down to the 2.2 mark “ and soon they were rewarded with a wicket.

Barnes was the man to claim the wicket “ his first of the innings “ as he pinned Handscomb infront for 26, leaving Middlesex on 118 for four with John Simpson making his way to the middle.

County looked to capitalise on the new partnership in the middle and did so courtesy of vice-captain Callum Parkinson who quickly found himself on a hat-trick ball.

The first of the back-to-back wickets saw White (16) dismissed, caught at slip by Ackermann after nicking one through.

Martin Andersson was then back in the pavilion after just one ball after Parkinson pinned the new batsman infront who failed to trouble the scorers.

Parkinson’s hat-trick ball was delivered to Luke Hollman who came in and defended the delivery well into the offside. Following Parkinson’s double-wicket maiden over, Middlesex were now 132 for six with County looking more and more in a commanding position.

The seventh wicket partnership of Simpson and Hollman were then able to see the visitors through to the tea break without losing any further wickets.

Tea came with Middlesex on 148 for six with Simpson on nine and Hollman on six following a commanding afternoon session for County.

Within four overs of the final session of the day, there was a stoppage in play after Hassan Azad took a sore one at short leg off the batting of Hollman.

The batsman looked to hit Ackermann powerfully through the leg side, but it was cut out by Azad who looked in pain with his right wrist. The Leicestershire opener left the field of play to receive treatment whilst twelfth man Rishi Patel took his place.

Eighty overs were soon up and the Running Foxes took the new ball at the first possible chance, with the seventh wicket partnership standing resolute in the middle.

Simpson was leading the fightback for Middlesex with Hollman accompanying him brilliantly, and the wicketkeeper batsman brought up the visitors’ first half-century of the innings.

The fifty came from 103 balls and included eight fours and breathed much life back into Middlesex’s batting performance.

Middlesex’s seventh wicket was finally taken, though, as Barnes claimed his second of the innings by sending Hollman’s leg stump flying for 32.

FIGURES (1st inns) | Wright 17-2-60-0, Barnes 17-3-48-2, Davis 19-4-50-2, Parkinson , Ackermann 14-8-17-0

TEAM | Hassan Azad, Sam Evans, Marcus Harris, Colin Ackermann (C), Lewis Hill, Harry Swindells (wk), Ben Mike, Callum Parkinson, Chris Wright, Ed Barnes, Will Davis.

MIDDLESEX CCC | Sam Robson, Stephen Eskinazi, Nick Gubbins, Peter Handscomb (C), Robbie White, John Simpson, Martin Andersson, Luke Hollman, Tom Helm, Ethan Bamber, Thilan Walallawita.

IMAGES | Thanks to John Mallett of Outside Off for providing the images throughout the game.

MATCH SPONSOR | Thanks to Knight Frank for being our match sponsor.