Picture by Jed Leicester/MCC. Ben Cliff bowls Aaryan Sawant at Lord’s today. Cliff struck four times and is the leading wicket-taker in the competition with 15.
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Yorkshire’s winning run in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup was ended by fellow knockout contenders Middlesex at Lord’s today, the hosts successfully defending a target of 247 to win by 35 runs and reclaim top spot in Group B.
The White Rose county are still well placed with four wins and two defeats from six games and sit second in the table with two fixtures remaining. But Middlesex, also on 16 points, are now favourites for top spot and a home semi-final given they have a game in hand and a superior net run-rate.
Yorkshire had previously won four successive games and were well placed here at 100-2. Unfortunately, though, they lost four wickets for six runs to slip to 106-6 and couldn’t recover. They were bowled out for 211 inside 48 overs, with Will Bennison contributing a fine first-team best 63 off 96 balls and captain Dom Bess a consolatory but well made 59 off 75.
Fast bowler Ben Cliff continued his excellent form with 4-39 from eight overs as Middlesex were bowled out for 246 in 48 overs. Cliff is now the leading wicket-taker in the competition with 15, including a trio of four-wicket hauls.
George Hill also struck three times, Jack White twice and Kuldeep Yadav once in his final game before heading off for international duty. Teenager Jack Nelson top-scored for Middlesex with an impressive 76 off 69 balls in only his second first-team game.
Yorkshire then slipped to 15-2 in reply, losing openers Adam Lyth and then Will Luxton cheaply. James Wharton (40) and Bennison steered things in the right direction by sharing 85 before a decisive Middlesex fightback led by the spin of Zafar Gohar, who finished with a fine 4-24 from 10 overs.
Yorkshire are second and Durham third on 16. Middlesex and Durham have played five and have a game in hand. It should be noted that Middlesex are the subject of a possible points deduction from the ECB because of the pitch prepared for a recent game against Glamorgan at Radlett. It was reported as below average after the visitors were bowled out for 66.
Picture by Jed Leicester/MCC. Will Bennison en-route to his maiden first-team fifty today.
Middlesex, having elected to bat, made a strong start as Josh de Caires, who contributed 42, and opening partner Nathan Fernandes attacked.
Fernandes heaved Hill for six over mid-wicket into the Mound Stand – a short boundary to that side – while de Caires played nicely down the ground as they raced beyond 50 in the eighth over.
But things were about to change, with Cliff brilliantly setting the ball rolling on a Yorkshire fightback.
He bowled de Caires as he dragged on trying to play to leg before left-handed Fernandes sliced to point on 25 and Aaryan Sawant was bowled by a beauty.
All of a sudden, Middlesex had gone from 74-0 in the 11th over to 77-3 after 13, with Cliff striking three times in seven balls.
Jack White, back into the side in place of Ben Coad as Anthony McGrath rests and rotates his seamers, built on that good work.
He had captain Ben Geddes caught behind tentatively pushing forwards to one which nipped away on a slowish pitch before getting Joe Cracknell caught on the pull at long-leg, where Bennison took a smart low catch.
Picture by Jed Leicester/MCC. Ben Cliff celebrates a wicket at the Home of Cricket.
Nelson, aged 18, then recovered things from 121-5 in the 25th over. Happy to use his feet against spin and quick to capitalise on anything short or full against seam, he reached his fifty in 55 balls.
By the time he got there, Middlesex had recovered to 185-5 in the 39th over, with Gohar at the crease.
Nelson and Gohar shared 94 in all. But when Yorkshire broke their stand, things ended pretty quickly.
Gohar, on 25, hoisted Kuldeep’s spin down to long-off, where Hill took a head-high catch – 215-6 in the 42nd.
Hill then struck twice himself, trapping Toby Roland-Jones lbw with one which jagged back before getting Nelson caught at short third trying to reverse scoop a full toss.
Cliff then returned to bowl Noah Cornwell, who stepped across to off looking to hit to leg – 235-9 in the 47th over.
Hill wrapped things up with two overs remaining when he yorked last man Naavya Sharma.
Picture by YCCC. The scene at Lord’s before play this morning. A crowd of just over 5,000 would watch the game between Middlesex and Yorkshire.
But Sharma’s day would get better quickly because he struck early, alongside the more experienced Roland-Jones, as Yorkshire’s chase fell to 15-2 inside three overs.
Sharma squared Adam Lyth up and had him caught behind in the second before Roland-Jones jagged one back down the hill at Will Luxton and bowled him.
Wharton settled things down with back-to-back boundaries off Roland-Jones not long after, one driven and the other worked to leg. By time Bennison pulled Tom Helm behind square for his fourth boundary to move to 20, Yorkshire were 60-2 after 12 overs.
Wharton was just ahead of him runs wise at this stage.
An important and well-made 36 from Bennison against Durham at York on Friday, an innings in which he navigated the threat of Ben Stokes, looked to have done wonders for his confidence.
But the size of his task became greater when Gohar struck twice in two balls in the 22nd over, reducing Yorkshire to 100-4.
He bowled Wharton for 40, ending an 85-run stand for the third wicket with Bennison, and then Sam Whiteman next ball.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. George Hill claimed three wickets for Yorkshire today.
Moments later, Noah Cornwell’s left-arm seam trapped Hill lbw with a nip-backer before Gohar struck again when he had Fin Bean caught behind playing back – 106-6 in the 26th.
Bennison then reached his fifty, off 70 balls, with a pulled six over mid-wicket against Cornwell.
Bennison and Bess settled things down with a 43-run stand. But the White Rose needed more.
When Bennison was bowled cutting a Gohar ball pushed through, the score was 149-7 in the 36th over and the game was slipping away.
Bess, who played nicely, and Kuldeep kept Yorkshire alive by chipping away at the runs. With 10 overs remaining, the score at 169-7. But Kuldeep miscued Cornwell to mid-on a couple of overs later.
Cliff was then bowled by the same man – 195-9 in the 45th over – before Bess reached his fifty off 66 balls but was last man out, caught at deep mid-wicket pulling at Helm.
Yorkshire are next in action against Derbyshire at Scarborough on Friday.
