County Championship 2022 | Middlesex maintain pole position with a clinical victory over Durham

Day 4 of the County Championship 2022 fixture between Middlesex and Durham ended with the former securing a victory by six wickets at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. 

The day began on Durham stuttering at 25/3, and captain Scott Borthwick and Matt Salisbury at the crease. 

The duo were impressive with their shot selections on a batting friendly surface in the morning session. They started with a well-built composure against the pacers but gradually attained a positive intent against them and the spinners as well. 

However, the introduction of Toby Roland Jones brought curtains to this partnership of 93 runs. Although the ball seemed quite ordinary, Borthwick tried to flash a thick willow, but the inside edge uprooted the stumps and was dismissed for 60, comprising 11 fours. 

Two balls later, the England red-ball captain Ben Stokes was sent packing for a duck after he played a loose shot, which was caught at second-slip by Sam Robson. 

After a couple of overs, another brilliant grab from Robson off Bamber dismissed Ned Eckersley and helped the home team maintain a firm grip over the match proceedings. After that, the tail-ender Ben Raine played finely to remain unbeaten 39 off 46, and the team was dismissed for a score of 188. 

In a chase of 117, Robson was dismissed early by Ben Raine. However, Mark Stoneman kept churning out runs consistently, and the odd boundaries helped the team set up a successful chase. 

After the dismissal of Stoneman (29), captain Peter Handscomb (39*) and John Simpson (21*) took the team home in the 27th over. 

Simpson equalled the record for most dismissals (9) as a wicket-keeper in a fixture at Lord’s. 

This win helped Middlesex maintain their top position in the table and have four wins in six league matches with 116 points. From June 12, they will face Derbyshire at Chesterfield. 

On the other hand, Durham have one win in seven appearances and mark their presence in the fifth position, with 84 points. Their next league match against Worcestershire at Chester le Street. 

Brief Scores: 

Middlesex 2nd innings: 119/4 

Peter Handscomb 39*, Mark Stoneman 29

Liam Trevaskis 2/28

Durham 2nd Innings: 188/10 

Scott Borthwick 60, Matt Salisbury 45

Toby Roland-Jones 6/35

Middlesex 1st Innings: 422/10

Sam Robson 84, Max Holden 71;

Ben Stokes 4/72, Chris Rushworth 3/60

Durham 1st Innings: 350/10

Liam Trevaskis (80*), Ned Eckersley (58);

Toby Roland-Jones 4/72, Tim Murtagh 3/43

Middlesex won by six wickets.