Middlesex vs Worcestershire – County Championship Division 1 – Mitchell left to rue bold move after Middlesex triumph
Worcestershire suffered their second loss of the current County Championship season after being inflicted with a heavy 132-run defeat by Middlesex at the Lord’s stadium, London, on May 6, 2012.
Bad Light and rain on the first three days had left the game to a solitary conclusion – the draw being the favoured result. However, with Worcestershire remaining winless from their opening three games, it was their captain, Daryl Mitchell who proposed the idea of chasing down a target of 283 in 96 overs on the final day.
The stats had been calculated following a first innings declaration from the visiting team on 45 for no 2 after Middlesex had posted 327 in their initial outing. Now, with the hosts forfeiting their second innings, it meant that all three results were a possibility as the players took the field on day 4.
However, with overcast conditions on offer, it was the Middlesex bowlers that held edge, all of whom then ensured that their side came on top – bowling out Worcestershire on 150.
The visitors began the innings with skipper Mitchell partnering Australian overseas player, Michael Klinger. Both managed to weather the early new-ball threat presented by Steve Finn and Tim Murtagh despite offering little fluency.
Klinger, who had earn praise from Surrey’s director Chris Adams following an impressive half-century at Oval a couple of weeks back, was the first player to depart, caught on the crease by Murtagh.
His departure opened the flood gates with Murtagh getting his second an over later, accounting for Mitchell (9), who was then followed by Vikram Solanki (11) and Moeen Ali (1) – leaving the visiting team reeling at 35 for 4.
The fourth pairing of James Cameron and Matthew Pardue then added a run-a-ball 35, but Middlesex had plenty of resources to count to. Toby Roland- Jones and Gareth Berg both grabbed their respective second scalps – the former pinning Cameron lbw, while the latter accounting for the dismissal of his partner.
The tourists lost two more before reaching the three-figure mark, and while the 9th pairing offered resistance with a 54-run stand, Steve Finn then ran in to take the final two wickets as Middlesex completed a resounding victory.
The defeat left Mitchell to defend his decision of taking a riskier approach. "The way the points systems works out I think it's very important to try and win games of cricket," Mitchell said.
"We set our stall out in our pre-season meetings that we want to try and win games and we felt that this was an opportunity. I think it was a little bit stacked in their favour, maybe 60-40, but you have to draw five games to get the same amount of points as you do for one win," he added.