da dobrowin： Today was a pleasing performance for Middlesex, who triumphed with the bat on a day that began so gloomily that most of the MCC members had retreated into the long room, taking full advantage of their brand new see-through sightscreen
Emma John at Lord's08-May-2004
ScorecardToday was a pleasing performance for Middlesex, who triumphed with the bat on a day that began so gloomily that most of the MCC members had retreated into thelong room, taking full advantage of their brand new see-through sightscreen.They finished with a first innings lead of 21, and five wickets still inhand.There was much unintentional comedy in the morning as bad light and drizzleplayed merry hell with the over count. At 11.45am the players and umpiresemerged from the pavilion, got as far as the gates, poked their headstentatively out from under the balcony then disappeared back inside. At12.40 they made it all the way to the middle, and Glen Chapple even bowledtwo balls before they beat another retreat; then at 2.25pm play restartedwith a wicket from Chapple’s fourth delivery, and the games began.The afternoon revolved around an ongoing confrontation between AndrewStrauss and the short ball. Chapple and Dominic Cork both dug the ball in to get themaximum effect out of the damp pitch and Strauss, perhaps still under theinfluence of the Caribbean, or the Caribbean rum, was keen to show off hispulling technique. Unfortunately it wasn’t much to shout about and Corkforced several miscues, none of which, unfortunately for him, went anywherenear a fielder.Still, Strauss proved that he is a master of the cut, slicing anything thatsat up outside off stump. And with Paul Weekes, his partner-in-arms, heneatly evaded the snorters of Sajid Mahmood et al; he even took a six off GaryKeedy over long-on and a century seemed certain, had it not been for thatdratted bad light. Chapple and Cork had to be content with only threewickets in return for their afternoon’s hostilities, Owais Shah defending poorly, Ed Joyce driving loosely, and Weekes pulling out of a hook shot prematurely, giving Carl Hooper the chance to show off his sprint with a running, diving catch behind the slips.