Kane Williamson’s enduring class helps Middlesex to thrilling T20 victory over Essex
An entertaining short form clash at a gloriously sunny Lord's sees Middlesex win their first home T20 game in three years - helped by a certain Kiwi legend
Kane Williamson’s enduring class helps Middlesex to thrilling T20 victory over Essex
An entertaining short form clash at a gloriously sunny Lord's sees Middlesex win their first home T20 game in three years
My Middlesex vs Essex Morning Star newspaper report from Lord’s
A fine knock of 53 from the legendary Kane Williamson helped lay the foundations for Middlesex’s first home T20 victory at Lord’s in three years
Middlesex beat Essex by a single run in heatwave conditions to end a three year victory drought at Lord’s in a T20 Thursday thriller.
Tom Helm kept a cool head off his final over in front of a rapt crowd to ensure the visitors failed to hit the ten runs required, on the third anniversary of the home side’s previous T20 home victory.
In an absorbing clash to launch the post-Richard Johnson era, Middlesex had been bowled out for 161 off 19.5 overs before the visitors reached 160-6 off their full complement.
Helm (2 for 31) claimed the vital scalp of Luc Benkenstein to see his side over the line after Essex had looked set to romp home when well set at 106 for 2, thanks to a stand of 54 between Paul Walter and Jordan Cox – prior to Zafar Gohar's 2 for 20 stalling momentum, leading to the exciting climax.
Earlier, on a sweltering evening in St John’s Wood, Essex won the toss and chose to field, as the home side started the match ensconced in their regular habitat, mired near the bottom of the southern T20 table.
No matter, in heatwave conditions despite the fierce sun dipping down before the early evening start, Thursday in NW8 offered the chance to watch a couple of top-quality cricketers, in Middlesex’s Kane Williamson, and Essex’s Mohammed Amir.
New Zealander Williamson, now 34, but still a class act as one of the finest batters ever to play Test cricket, started sprightly, in tandem with Steve Eskinazi at the top of the order, easing to 47 off the first five overs of the power play.
That was before Johannesburg-born Eskinazi was taken neatly down the leg side by Essex wicketkeeper Jordan Fox, off the bowling of Amir, relentlessly relishing his second chance in the game after being embroiled in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal.
Williamson continued, swiping a couple of hefty sixes along the way, but to watch the way he worked the ball into empty spaces, beyond the reaching of any lurking fielders or tactics, was beautiful to behold. A craftsman in action.
There was quality in abundance when Simon Harmer came on to bowl for Essex. The South African off break bowler who helped lead his adopted county to two pre-Covid championships and a T20 bauble, while also earning Test caps for his country, once their previously dismissive attitude to spin abated.
Hamer, now a young 36 was brought on in a bid to halt No3 Max Holden’s progress, as the slight Middlesex academy graduate left-handed bat kept the scoreboard moving as Williamson ploughed on. At one point hitting Shane Snater over his head for a mighty six at mid-off to bring up the home side’s 100, in two balls short of 11 overs.
The legendary Kiwi reached an effortless half century off only 30 balls before, to the despair of many watching, including this correspondent, disappointed at being denied further glimpses of Williamson’s class, the batter was caught at long leg by Charlie Allison off Noah Thain for a wonderful 53 off 31 to leave Middlesex a healthy 108/2 off 11.2 overs.
Just as we wondered how Middlesex would fayre, knowing the club has consistently underperformed with the white ball for nearly two decades - their first and only T20 title coming back in 2008 - we had our answer, when ‘two became three’, after Ben Geddes fell for a sprightly 12 off five balls, the total now 121-3.
Holden was next out, for a respectable 37 off 29, captured by a superb diving catch from Allison, off the bowling of Luc Benkenstein, with the score slightly becalmed on 129-4 off 13.4 overs.
Wickets continued to fall, when the wily Harmer snaffled Higgins, bowling him for a measly 3 off five balls, with Middlesex subsiding to 134-5 with fewer than five full overs remaining. Davis then falling for 10 off eight, after smiting the ball to midwicket, where Thain was waiting to claim the ball, off Benkenstein, for his second wicket of the evening, with the score scarcely moved, at 144-6, with a mere 3.2 overs left.
There was confusion when Amir’s renowned left-arm pace bowling quite clearly removed the bails when rattling the leg stump, even if umpire Pollard was slow to acknowledge, leaving Luke Hollman to depart for four at 146-7. That was prior to Helm being caught by Dean Elgar at deep gully, off the bowling of Paul Walter, with the score at 156-8.
With three balls of the innings left, Amir claimed a third victim - to claim impressed figures of 3-19 off ratting the stumps via the help of an inside edge from Noah Cornwell’s bat, before Cox neatly ran out Zafar on 8, with Middlesex having their innings ended a ball short of 20 overs, after reached a total 161.
A figure that you couldn’t help wondering would have been considerably bolstered the longer the redoubtable Kane had stayed at the wicket.
That was before the remarkable finish that saw Essex batters Allison and Thain fail to score ten off Helm’s final over, as Middlesex posted their smallest margin of victory in the T20 format spanning nearly 20 years, leaving Essex to reflect on a rare defeat to the Seaxes.