- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR8.4 Through the gate! Murtagh gets on on about off stump that pitches and nips in, clipping the top of middle stump. Crawley's expansive drive found nothing but air 29/117.6 Gone! Good work from Bamber, keeping things tight against Bell-Drummond before offering the merest hint of width. The right-hander goes after it but can only edge high to Eskinazi's right, well taken by the stand-in skipper 44/220.3 Higgins strikes! Just three balls in and the allrounder has drawn an edge: Leaning going hard outside off stump and nicking low to Robson at 2nd slip. Two wickets lost for three runs... 47/321.3 A cartwheeling stump! With all due respect to Bamber, he is not known for taking out timber, but he's done just that here, profiting from a very bad leave from Jordan Cox. That's now 3 wickets lost for just 4 runs... 48/4Extras19 (b 4, lb 11, nb 4)TOTAL186 all out (65.2 Overs, RR: 2.84)Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Zak Crawley, 8.4 ov), 2-44 (Daniel Bell-Drummond, 17.6 ov), 3-47 (Jack Leaning, 20.3 ov), 4-48 (Jordan Cox, 21.3 ov), 5-69 (Sam Billings, 32.5 ov), 6-92 (Joey Evison, 43.1 ov), 7-145 (Ben Compton, 55.3 ov), 8-166 (Matt Quinn, 62.2 ov), 9-180 (Wes Agar, 64.2 ov), 10-186 (Grant Stewart, 65.2 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ WD NB TJ Murtagh 17 5 40 4 2.35 0 0 TG Helm 20 2 76 0 3.80 0 2 ER Bamber 17 5 42 4 2.47 0 0 RF Higgins 11.2 3 13 2 1.14 0 0
- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR2.1 Quick out the blocks... now back in the pavilion. Stoneman brisk start comes to an end, neither forward nor back, throwing his hands at a delivery and skewing it head height to Crawley at second slip, who parries the ball over the bar and into the hands of Cox at first 22/110.2 Good catch! Agar gets one to seam just enough up the slope to find an edge, brilliantly taken by second slip diving to his right 47/39.1 Gone! Seven balls after the interval, Malan skims a half-volley outside leg stump through to Billings. Should have gone for four, really, but Malan falls to the offside and can't connect adequately enough 37/216.1 Sorry to say it's another Middlesex collapse... Stand-in captain Eskinazi feathers an edge through to Billings off Quinn's first delivery of the match. That's now 4 wickets lost for 25 runs... 62/515.4 Another! Another tame dismissal from Holden, who presses forward and offers his bat for an edge duly found by Stewart. A slightly open face towards the covers means Billings has a view all the way, adjusting well as the ball just dips to shin height as it reaches him 62/427.4 Breakthrough! Middlesex's longest stand so far - 10.3 overs, for 28 runs - comes to an end, as Simpson is beaten by a fine delivery from Hogan from over the wicket, which pitches on leg and seams away from the left-hander, taken an edge along the way 90/6Extras21 (b 4, lb 9, nb 8)TOTAL229 all out (58.1 Overs, RR: 3.93)Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Mark Stoneman, 2.1 ov), 2-37 (Pieter Malan, 9.1 ov), 3-47 (Sam Robson, 10.2 ov), 4-62 (Max Holden, 15.4 ov), 5-62 (Stephen Eskinazi, 16.1 ov), 6-90 (John Simpson, 27.4 ov), 7-165 (Luke Hollman, 48.4 ov), 8-206 (Tom Helm, 53.5 ov), 9-216 (Ryan Higgins, 54.4 ov), 10-229 (Tim Murtagh, 58.1 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ WD NB WA Agar 15.1 4 60 4 3.95 0 2 MG Hogan 14 2 53 2 3.78 0 0 G Stewart 13 1 51 2 3.92 0 1 MR Quinn 10 2 39 2 3.90 0 1 JDM Evison 6 0 13 0 2.16 0 0
- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR37.5 Big one for Middlesex! Good delivery from Higgins, pitching on off and getting enough movement away from Leaning to take the edge through to Robson at second slip 87/346.4 Cox goes! The youngster has been restrained but is undone by Bamber, who tempts a straight drive and nips the ball away, snaring an edge through to Eskinazi at first slip. Kent lead by 55... 98/447.5 Another! A five-ball duck for the Kent skipper, as Murtagh nips one into the right-hander. Keeps a bit low and Billings doesn't need to wait for the umpire's signal. Kent lead by 56, and that's lunch 99/5Extras10 (b 1, lb 9)TOTAL128 all out (57 Overs, RR: 2.24)Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Zak Crawley, 0.1 ov), 2-0 (Daniel Bell-Drummond, 0.2 ov), 3-87 (Jack Leaning, 37.5 ov), 4-98 (Jordan Cox, 46.4 ov), 5-99 (Sam Billings, 47.5 ov), 6-104 (Ben Compton, 49.6 ov), 7-109 (Joey Evison, 51.6 ov), 8-109 (Grant Stewart, 52.1 ov), 9-109 (Matt Quinn, 53.4 ov), 10-128 (Michael Hogan, 56.6 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ WD NB TJ Murtagh 16 5 42 6 2.62 0 0 ER Bamber 20 6 28 2 1.40 0 0 TG Helm 12 3 36 1 3.00 0 0 RF Higgins 9 3 12 1 1.33 0 0
- BATSMENRBM4s6sSRExtras8 (b 4, lb 4)TOTAL86/1 (24.3 Overs, RR: 3.51)Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Mark Stoneman, 12.1 ov)
Match Details
Toss
Middlesex , elected to field first
Season
Match days
27,28,29 April 2023 (4-day match)
Match Referee
Points
Middlesex 19, Kent 3
Close of Play
- Thu, 27 Apr - day 1 - Kent 1st innings 113/6 (BG Compton 38*, G Stewart 16*, 47 ov)
- Fri, 28 Apr - day 2 - Kent 2nd innings 40/2 (BG Compton 15*, JA Leaning 19*, 17 ov)
- Sat, 29 Apr - day 3 - Middlesex 2nd innings 86/1 (24.3 ov) - end of match
Match Notes
- Middlesex 2nd innings
- Batting and bowling points: Middlesex 3, Kent 3
Match Coverage
All Match NewsTim Murtagh's grand brutally exposes Kent flaws as Middlesex go back-to-back
Life and cricket move on, but the 41-year-old remains permanent
Higgins and Murtagh lay a few on Kent as Middlesex hold edge in basement scrap
Hosts have the edge after a "fast food" red-ball feast at Lord's
Old-world Compton keeps Kent in the game as the new world encroaches
Another throwback display from opener provides a semblance of solidity on shortened first day