Best Bowler

By Middlesex Infinitum
August 1 2009

I arrived at the ground just in time to see the first ball of the match, with Northamptonshire having won the toss and electing to bat. The card showed that Robson was to continue as Nick Compton’s opening partner and that Scott was in for Nash at six (presumably due the amount of Second XI runs he has scored.) However with Udal, Kartik and Murtagh at seven, eight and nine the batting depth is a concern if the upper and middle order fails, as Shaggy and Scooby may have to bail us out again. However with that elusive first championship win still evading us, we need to be able to take twenty wickets and finish sides off. So five specialist bowlers are required, especially as Berg has not been performing with bat and or been penetrative enough with the ball (with the sole exception of the Essex match.)

Murtagh opened the bowling from the Nursery End and Peters immediately looked in good form as he stroked boundaries through square leg and cover. Finn opened from the Pavilion End with an excellent over which made Howgego look utterly clueless, concluding it with an unplayable jaffa which Howgego managed to survive. Finn continued to bowl brilliantly with Howgego particularly struggling, as the ball continued to beat the edge of his bat. However it was the fluent Peters who was to be the victim of Finn’s sublime opening spell. In the sixth over he was trapped plumb in front lbw for 13, leaving Northants on 19-1.

Finn signalled his continued aggression as Rob White’s first ball was a head high bouncer, with White having to take drastic evasive action to avoid being hit, which resulted in him being spread-eagled on the pitch. Howgego who had struggled all morning and playing very tentatively outside off stump, edged Dial M in his next over straight to TSO at second slip who unfortunately parried the chance into the ground as he dived forward. White meanwhile was continuing to receive “chin music” from Finn, who was getting the ball through with good zip and carry. White swished and missed at some attempted cut shots before Finn had a strangled appeal for a glove down the leg side turned down by umpire Holder.

TSO was introduced in the fifteenth over as he replaced Dial M from the Nursery End. It was a poor start as he offered width on the off side, which Howgego willing accepted helping himself to two cover driven boundaries. That was all that was required to raise the Northants 50 and allow Howgego to settle and find his touch. Richardson replaced Finn at the Pavilion End for the eighteenth over, after Finn completed an excellent spell of eight overs, one wicket for 12 runs. Alan could not maintain this pressure though as White crashed a cut and a cover drive to the boundary. Bowling in tandem both Kartik and Richardson served up rubbish as Howgego and White began to find the boundary with increased regularity, with Murali further assisting the visitors score with three, yes three unforgiveable front foot no balls. With the bowling now wayward the pair began to dominate and with it the scoring increased. As lunch approached Middlesex left the game drift in Northants favour as the partnership grew to 80 mostly untroubled runs (especially since Murtagh and Finn were removed from the attack.) At lunch Northants were 99-1, with Howgego 47* and White 33*.

Finn returned after lunch, with his first two balls wrapping Howgego on the pads, resulting in muted lbw appeals. Finn pitched the ball up yet further and Howgego edged the ball to Eoin Morgan at first slip for 47, with Northants now 106-2. Exactly the start we needed just after lunch. Rob White did not miss out on his half century as he registered it with a beautiful on drive, his fifty coming off 88 balls with 6 fours. Having completed his half century and looking totally at ease at the crease he proceeded to gift his wicket away. A short and wide ball by Finn was cut extremely powerfully in the air straight to AC fielding on the boundary as a sweeper. White’s look of disappointment said it all as his 51 promised a lot more, as Northants were now 119-3, with Steve Finn gaining a well deserved third wicket.

Kartik’s first ball after lunch was edged by Wakely between Scooby and Owais Shah at first slip (incidentally I though they were standing too close all day) , but nonetheless bowling more successfully in tandem with Richardson this time, the pair managed to keep it tight and reduce the scoring rate to a crawl. The pressure finally told as Wessels edged Richo straight to Kartik at second slip for 19, leaving Northants on 157-4. Nicky Boje came in at six, and with Alex Wakely began to efficiently knock the ball into the gaps and safely took Northants to tea. Undeterred by an edge flying through the now vacant gully region, Wakely began to counter-attack effectively hitting a straight six off TSO and soon afterwards bringing up his fifty off 126 balls with 4 fours and a six. The pair continued to build their partnership, so Malan was introduced in the seventy fifth over to try and break the deadlock However this was a short lived experiment as AC’s second over contained consecutive boundaries for Boje through the covers and mid on.

Robson replaced Malan with his leg breaks but despite some good balls in-between the long hops, Boje went to his half century off 94 balls, with 5 fours and a six. Wakely and Boje moved the score to 254-4 with their 97 run partnership, but this was broken unexpectedly when Udal surprised Wakely with a fast Yorker which trapped him dead in front of the wicket lbw for 61. Udal’s success signalled the return of Finn and Murtagh who were armed with the new ball (which was taken in the 84th over) which would prove be the catalyst for the dramatic Northants collapse of five wickets for 34 runs. The collapse started when Boje attempted to hook a Murtagh bouncer, which ballooned into the air off a top edge and Finn running in from the boundary at fine leg dived forward at full stretch to take the catch. Boje was dismissed for 55 and Northants were 262-6. This wicket appreciably buoyed the Middle as their body language and intensity of the cricket immediately improved, spearheaded by Compton who made some superb stops fielding at point. Richardson replaced Finn at the Pavilion End and immediately got the wicket of Van Der Wath, who edged to Shah who took a sharp catch above his head at third slip. Van der Wath was dismissed for 7 and Northants were 280-7.

This brought Monty to the crease and after his heroics at Cardiff in the First Ashes Test was greeted with a standing ovation. Despite the fact Richardson beat his bat for the reminder of the over; every ball Monty survived was greeted with rapturous applause and cheers. Murtagh who remained unchanged at the Nursery End was bowling at Hall who seemed in form after bashing two boundaries off Tim’s previous over and taking the Man of the Match award in the Twenty 20 Cup Quarter-Final win over Hampshire yesterday. However he too edged the ball to Shah at third slip who took a low catch to his right hand side. Hall was dismissed for 11 and Northants were 280-8. With momentum going their way and with Monty surrounded by four slips and two gullies, Middlesex achieved what Australia ultimately could not, and dismissed Panesar when he edged Richardson to Kartik at second slip. Panesar went for 2 and Northants had now collapsed to 282-9. David Wigley hit the last ball of the day for four over extra cover, in a last show of defiance but the damage had already been done.

Good bowling by the Middlesex bowlers (in particular the exceptional Finn) and assisted by the Northants collapse means that Middlesex are in a good position to try and secure our first championship win of the season, but I fear the rain may intervene tomorrow and dash our hopes. We need a win, not another draw “we should have won”.