Clydesdale Bank 40: Essex scrapes 7-wicket win over Middlesex
Half centuries from Ravi Bopara and Grant Flower took Essex to a comfortable 7-wicket victory over Middlesex in a floodlit Clydesdale Bank 40 match played at the County Ground, Chelmsford on Thursday, September 2. Middlesex’s gettable 40 overs total of 189 for 7 was easily chased by Essex at the loss of just three wickets with 39 balls to spare. 114-run stand between Ravi Bopara and Grant flower for the third wicket partnership was the pick of Essex’s bowling at Chelmsford.
Middlesex indebted to skipper Neil Dexter’s unbeaten 48 mustered a chase-able total of 189 runs from their allotted 40 overs. Though the Middlesex batsmen remained successful in keeping the wicket for longer intervals but failed the pace required to post a competitive total. Plenty of dot balls were delivered by the clinical bowlers of Essex. Neil Dexter’s unbeaten 48 were followed by Dawid Malan’s 38 runs that he compiled from 61 balls without hitting even a single boundary during his an hour stay at the crease.
Chris Wright led the bowling armoury of Essex by picking up two wickets, while Ryan ten Doeschate and Danish Kaneria took one wicket each. David Master though failed to claim a single wicket but was the most economical bowler conceding only 29 runs from quota of 8 overs.
Essex in its run chase, after losing openers for a combined contribution of only 24 runs, was led by Ravi Bopara and Grant Flower towards seven-wicket victory. Both Bopara and Flower shred a three-digit partnership from 19 overs that put the Eagles on the way to an early win. Grant Flower played a fine knock of unbeaten 81 runs from 76 balls hitting the ball eight times through the boundary lines, while Ravi Bopara’s 68 from 77 contained five muscular boundaries and two lofty sixes.
Steven Finn finished with 2 for 31 from 8 overs, while Toby Roland-Jones returned with one for 41 from his 8 overs spell. Tim Murtagh turned out to be most expensive bowler from Middlesex side with an economy reaching seven per over. The winning boundary of Essex also came off Murtagh’s lose delivery.
Neil Dexter, the Middlesex skipper, after winning the toss elected to bat first. The openers of Middlesex, Scott Newman and wicketkeeper batsman John Simpson seemed to be following the quote “slow and steady wins the race” but followed only slow and forgot steady as the opening 10 overs earned the side only 36 runs. The downhill started from there, as the side still had three wickets in hand at the end of allotted 40-overs but the run rate (4.72) was below par.
Scott Newman departed in the 10th over after getting a needless plus careless run out from skipper Foster. Newman’s 24 runs contained a single six. Jonathan Simpson and Owais Shah added 26 runs to the scorecard for the next stand. Owais Shah was trapped leg before wicket by Danish Kaneria in the 15th over with 62 on the board. That became 107 for 4, when Shah was followed back by opener Simpson and Gareth Berg.
A flurry of boundary from David Malan and Neil Dexter eased the nerves of Middlesex but the excitement turned out to be short-lived as the 43-run stand between Malan and Dexter was followed by three quick wickets dragging the run rate once again. With the wickets clattering continuously, it was Neil Dexter’s unbeaten 48 off 38 that took the side to a respectable total of 189.
Essex run-chase went off with two wickets within first 10 overs with only 39 on the board but third-wicket stand between Ravi Bopara and Grant Flower compensated those early wickets and took the side home in the 34th over with seven wickets intact.