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Alex Barrow answered an emergency call earlier this season by keeping wicket for Somerset in several Championship matches. But his rush to the rescue today could prove even more valuable

David Lloyd at Lord's28-Aug-2013
ScorecardAlex Barrow played a vital hand in the middle order•Getty Images

Alex Barrow answered an emergency call earlier this season by keeping wicket for Somerset in several Championship matches. But his rush to the rescue today could prove even more valuable as the county wage an increasingly desperate battle against relegation.Barrow, a batsman first and foremost, took up the gloves in mid-summer while Jos Buttler was on England duty and Craig Kieswetter recovered from a broken thumb. He did the job with such quiet efficiency that most casual observers thought him a natural, rather than a hasty recruit to stumping duties.But it is in front of the wicket that Barrow really needs to make his mark in order to guarantee a long professional career – and this innings, only his second half-century of the season, could hardly have been compiled at a more important time.When Barrow, batting at No. 6, arrived in the middle, Somerset were heading for one of their all-too-familiar slumps. They had been a promising 116 for 1 and a not unreasonable 178 for 3. But with four wickets falling for 33 – three of them, including Kieswetter’s tumbling while Barrow watched helplessly from the non-striker’s end – an inadequate total of around 250 looked top of the range.Not a bit of it, though. Barrow stood firm and then joined forces with the aggressive Piyush Chawla as 107 precious runs were added for the ninth wicket, thereby dealing another blow to Middlesex’s now admittedly slim title chances.The 21-year-old Barrow eventually fell for 65, lbw to Gareth Berg’s nip-backer with the second new ball, but Chawla – the legspinner from India whom Somerset hope will bowl them to safety during the last few weeks of the season – reached the close unbeaten on 58.Chawla’s innings was certainly the most explosive of the day. He straight drove Ollie Rayner and Ravi Patel for sixes at a time when Middlesex’s two slow bowlers were threatening to run through the visitors. His half-century also included seven fours and even when he offered the glimmer of a chance, edging a drive against Neil Dexter, the ball flew so high and fast that Rayner, at slip, did well to get finger-tips to it.By the end of proceedings, Somerset – who started this round of matches just one place off the bottom – could feel satisfied with their day’s work. But, really, it should not have needed those late runs to put a smile on West Country faces.Having won the toss and taken first use of a pitch well towards the Mound Stand, the visitors started sketchily against Tim Murtagh and were fortunate to reach 79 before Nick Compton edged a back-foot force while looking to attack Dexter’s medium-pace.But thereafter, Marcus Trescothick grew in confidence and was middling the ball nicely by the time he completed only his fifth half-century of the season. Surely he would finally crack three figures in what has been a horribly frustrating season?Afraid not. The deserving Murtagh cut him down, lbw, on 64 and then a combination of Dexter, Rayner and Patel reduced Somerset to something close to rubble. At 211 for 7, Middlesex may have thought their job was done – but Barrow and Chawla had other ideas. And big ideas, at that.

Somerset defeated Scotland by 53 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis system after rain affected their Clydesdale Bank 40 fixture

19-Aug-2012
ScorecardSomerset defeated Scotland by 53 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis system after rain affected their Clydesdale Bank 40 fixture.Scotland won the toss and decided to bat first but were bowled out for 163 and were indebted to Preston Mommsen’s 67 to even take them that far. Rain ended the match after 22.4 overs of the Somerset reply, with their total of 133 for 3 – built around Arul Suppiah’s half-century – far in excess of the revised target of 81.It was Somerset’s sixth CB40 victory in a row and maintains their hopes of a semi-final berth which seemed unlikely after they opened their campaign with four straight defeats followed by a no result.Scotland were dealt an early blow when opening batsman Ryan Flannigan was dismissed for just eight after offering a return catch to Peter Trego, leaving the hosts at 22 for 1. Calum MacLeod was bowled for 14 by Steve Kirby with no addition to the score and debutant Robert Mutch then took the wickets of Richie Berrington and Jean Symes to put Somerset in a commanding position.Mommsen added some resistance to the innings with a gutsy score of 67 but was fast running out of partners as the middle order began to crumble, with Ewan Chalmers falling for four and Craig Wallace trapped lbw for a duck off the bowling of Abdur Rehman.Somerset quickly worked their way through the tail, although Safyaan Sherif added a score of 20 and Mommsen was the last wicket to fall. Kirby finished with two for 22 and Mutch began his Somerset career with 2 for 46.Despite losing opener Trego for 15 Somerset made a solid start to their run chase. Chris Jones was next to fall for 24 as Mommsen took the catch from Majid Haq’s bowling, but by that stage Somerset were 90 for two after a stand of 71 between Jones and Suppiah.The latter made 56 from just 45 balls, with seven fours and a six, to steer his side towards the victory target before his was the last Somerset wicket to fall when he was bowled by Haq.Jos Buttler hit five fours and a six to score a rapid 29 not out while James Hildreth was also still at the crease on nine not out when the heavens opened and Somerset were declared the victors.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe is working on his fitness as he strives to retain his place in the national team

Firdose Moonda19-Jul-2011Lonwabo Tsotsobe, South Africa left-arm seamer, is a man of few words. His interviews are over in a few minutes, his answers are succinct, he doesn’t mind awkward silences. It’s impossible to tell anything about his personality from the way he speaks. The only way to find out about Tsotsobe is by watching his actions.When CSA decided to participate in Nelson Mandela Day for the second time, Tsotsobe contacted his employers and volunteered his time to join them. It was a task he took very seriously. He painted the clubhouse at the Alexandra Cricket Club, together with Ashwell Prince, as though it was his own home. The pair covered more than half of the structure with accurate broad brush strokes and were careful and delicate around corners. Tsotsobe was particularly precise, concentrating on the areas around the windows with great accuracy.Exactness is something Tsotsobe has been praised for, with many saying it is the chief reason that he takes wickets. While not an express paceman and not known for a great deal of swing, it’s controlled variation that has made Tsotsobe’s first full season in international cricket a success. He played in 12 ODIs and took 24 wickets and emerged as potential third seamer in Tests, where he took seven wickets in three matches against India. Among Tsotsobe’s wickets were the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni and VVS Laxman.”Just because I got some big names out doesn’t mean that I should get big headed about it,” Tsotsobe told ESPNcricinfo. And he hasn’t. Very little affects Tsotsobe, and success certainly hasn’t. Although he has ticked the season off as an achievement, he acknowledges that there’s a lot of work to be done before next summer.”I was fit last season but I was not where I wanted to be,” Tsotosbe said. “I want to push myself even harder.” It’s something he will have to do to continue being a certainty in the national team. With Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel established as the strike pair and Imran Tahir a near certainty, its unclear what role Tsotsobe will fill going forward. As a third seamer, he operated as a hybrid between a wicket-taker and a holding bowler, but with Tahir’s inclusion he may have to do more of the latter, which will require exemplary fitness. “It doesn’t really matter what I do, as long as I commit to it 100%,” he said.Tsotsobe, like many of his team-mates, will begin pre-season training soon. He said he will put extra focus on “gymwork”, to make sure he is in peak condition by the time the season starts. He has spent the almost four-month long break taking time out from the game, except for a brief stint with English county Essex. It wasn’t something he wanted to talk about and when asked about his time there he simply shook his head, gave a wry smile, emphatically crossed his arms and then carried on painting the wall. The actions did the talking again.In the month he was there, he showed nothing more than glimpses of the form he displayed during the season. He was expensive and largely unprofitable, and was even dropped to the second XI. It may have been a combination of unhappiness, fatigue and temporary loss of form. “I always practise like I play because then I’ll know how to execute what the captain wants in match situations,” he said. “When you work on death bowling, for example, you have to practice your yorkers, slower ball and cutters.”It’s those types of deliveries that Tsotsobe excels at, because they require subtle variations and manipulations. The ability to adapt is going to prove crucial in his game in the coming season because he could be required to perform different roles in the team, depending on the situation. He also knows his spot is precarious, with the talent that’s existing in the squad and those who are bubbling under. “There are youngsters coming through and pushing hard, guys like Rusty [Theron],” he said.Even though that pressure is building and will no doubt continue as the clock to the summer winds down, it’s not enough to have Tsotsobe too stressed. He spoke about his competition with the usual few words, a casual one shoulder shrug and a glint of confidence in his eye. Then, he returned to finishing his task at the clubhouse. Gerald Majola, CSA chief executive, looked on proudly. “Lopsy actually called us and asked if he could be part of Nelson Mandela Day and help out,” Majola said. Had he not, no one would have known about Tsotsobe’s charitable heart.

Corey Collymore bagged six wickets as top-of-the-table Sussex sent Leicestershire crashing to defeat by an innings and 19 runs with a day and a half to spare in their County Championship Division Two clash at Grace Road

31-Jul-2010

ScorecardCorey Collymore bagged six wickets as top-of-the-table Sussex sent Leicestershire crashing to defeat by an innings and 19 runs with a day and a half to spare in their County Championship Division Two clash at Grace Road.After a delayed start because of rain Leicestershire lost their last six wickets for 97 runs in 32 overs with West Indian paceman Collymore claiming four of them for 27 runs in 9.1 overs after the lunch break.It gave him figures of 6 for 48, his best return since he joined Sussex in 2008. The only Leicestershire batsman to show any defiance was Jacques du Toit who struck 81 off 83 balls with 13 boundaries. Sussex wasted no time picking up their first wicket once play got underway with Leicestershire resuming on 59 for 4, trailing by 116 runs.Lewis Hatchett had two balls left of an unfinished over to bowl and with the first of them he produced a magnificent inswinger that shattered Tom New’s stumps. But that proved to be the only success of the morning for Sussex. Hatchett lost his line and length and Du Toit and Wayne White cashed in with a succession of boundaries. Du Toit reached 50 off 52 balls and at lunch the sixth wicket pair had put on 56 to take Leicestershire to 115 for 5.But the introduction of Collymore into the attack immediately after the interval slammed the door shut on the home side’s revival. Gaining movement through the air and off the pitch Collymore produced a superb spell of bowling and Leicestershire had no answer. He snapped up the wickets of Du Toit and Claude Henderson in the same over, both batsmen edging away swinging deliveries into the hands of Michael Yardy at first slip.Collymore then had Nadeem Malik dropped twice at slip in the same over before finally trapping him lbw. In between left-arm spinner Monty Panesar nipped in with a wicket as he beat White in the flight to give Ben Brown an easy stumping.The final wicket went to Collymore with Matthew Hoggard caught by Yardy to seal a comfortable victory. The victory earned them 23 points to consolidate their position at the top of the table.

Both teams endured collapses but Stallions’ 8 for 26 was too big a slump in the end

Danyal Rasool15-Sep-2024Zahid Mahmood’s five-for led Markhors to a crushing 126-run win over Stallions. Chasing 232 – the lowest target of the tournament by some distance – Stallions collapsed from the relative security to 79 for 2, losing their remaining eight wickets for 26. Iftikhar Ahmed and Salman Agha’s middle order half-centuries got Markhors past the 200-mark in the first innings, with a clinical bowling performance preserving their perfect record.The tournament looked set to get its first chasing winners when Shan Masood and Babar Azam were coasting through the opening powerplay. Babar dismantled Shahnawaz Dahani with five boundaries in his only over to underscore Stallions’ dominance at that stage, bringing up the team fifty inside nine overs. But when Masood tried to cut away a Naseem Shah delivery that kept a shade low and ended up dragging it into his stumps, the game swiftly turned.A charged Naseem gave his Test captain a send-off that Masood did not appreciate, but the momentum had swung on a dime. Tayyab Tahir and Babar fell either side of the 15th over, and suddenly the spin of Mahmood and Salman began to stifle the Stallions’ gallop. Captain Mohammad Haris was dispatched shortly after, and Stallions were in a free fall. The last eight wickets fell in just 53 balls, as what looked like a straightforward chase an hour earlier turned into a comprehensive defeat.With every side batting first winning so far, it was little surprise Markhors’ captain Mohammad Rizwan opted to bat first at the toss. But Markhors were beset by regular early wickets as Jahandad Khan, who took 4 for 49, removed Fakhar Zaman for 20. Rizwan got a start but never really got going, and Markhors were teetering at 38 for 3 before three successive half-century partnerships got Markhors out of that tight spot. However, the blistering finish that has characterised first innings across this competition would never materialise as Mehran Mumtaz and Jahandad ran through the lower-middle order, with the last five wickets falling for just 10 runs.Markhors did look short at the time, but their bowlers would ensure they didn’t have much to worry about.

At the SSC in Colombo, the trials by spin could be lesser due to the flat nature of the pitch

Madushka Balasuriya23-Jul-2023

Big Picture: Another test for Pakball

Yup, sorry folks, even this – a preview of a Sri Lanka-Pakistan Test – is no safe haven from utterances of Bazball. Though, in my defence, this is far from a pained reference. Bazball’s slightly less exciting cousin, Pakball (or officially, the Pakistan Way), is very real, and we have to talk about it.To briefly recap, Pakistan had not won a Test match in 12 months, a period in which they were engulfed by a brand of cricket that can only be described as… woah, sorry dozed off for a minute there… played against a Sri Lanka side that, of late, have had only one way of winning Tests at home – playing exclusively in Galle.Quite honestly, the scene could not have been better set for a Galle classic, one that would have called for rain, a staunch rearguard by the visiting side, and a final-day Prabath Jayasuriya-led capitulation. But the OG agents of chaos that are Pakistan didn’t follow the script. To be fair, they hadn’t followed it last year either, but that win in 2022 was more conventional.Sri Lanka had no answer. Sure, Jayasuriya picked up some more wickets, but he himself might confess they were the least enjoyable he has ever grabbed in Galle. Pakistan skipped along at four an over for most of the Test, playing genuinely exciting cricket, while fans of both sides were left more than a little bemused as to what they were witnessing.So here we are looking ahead to the second Test at the SSC, a ground where the trials by spin will presumably be less and one where the batters could conceivably bat even more freely. Pakistan will no doubt be itching to take their new philosophy for another spin, while Sri Lanka will instead focus on the areas they know they need to improve on.After all, whatever Pakistan’s approach might have been, there is little excuse for the lack of application shown by several of Sri Lanka’s batters, while the disparity in fielding between the two sides might have been the single-most important factor in deciding the first Test.1:24

Decoding Abdullah Shafique’s mind-blowing effort at short leg

Form guide

Sri Lanka LWWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WDDLL

In the spotlight: Kusal Mendis and Saud Shakeel

Each team has a player who frustrates and thrills fans in equal measure, and in Kusal Mendis, Sri Lanka have that player and then some. Which is quite a statement when you consider that he has scores of 140 and 245 among his last four Test innings. But then you see figures of 12 and 18 in his last two, and you begin to understand what causes the frustration. Mendis is supremely talented and had been earmarked for greatness from a young age. At 28, he is now hitting his prime. Both he and Sri Lanka need to ensure those are put to good use.Six matches in and Saud Shakeel has an average of 90.88 in Tests – and it would have been more had he managed to stay unbeaten during Pakistan’s successful chase. You, however, wouldn’t put it past him extending that average to triple digits by the end of this tour, as Pakistan seem to have found a player with a rare combination of adaptability and application. At 27, much like Mendis, Shakeel too is heading into his peak. If he proves as obdurate and assertive in Colombo as he did in Galle, Sri Lanka will have their work cut out for them.Asitha Fernando could be back in action after recovering from dengue•AFP/Getty Images

Team news: Asitha Fernando available

Sri Lanka are likely to make one change, with Asitha Fernando back and available having recovered from a bout of dengue fever. Dilshan Madushanka is also an option should Sri Lanka look to add more pace to their line-up.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Nishan Madushka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Vishwa Fernando/Kasun Rajitha/Dilshan MadushankaPakistan could go in with an unchanged side, though Hasan Ali is available should they opt to go in with an extra seamer.Pakistan (probable): 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Shan Masood, 4 Babar Azam (capt), 5 Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), 6 Saud Shakeel, 7 Agha Salman, 8 Noman Ali/Hasan Ali, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Abrar Ahmed, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi

Pitch and conditions

The SSC pitch has been known to take some turn on days four and five, but early on will be better for batting. In terms of the weather, unfortunately there’s rain predicted for all five days of the Test, though probably not enough to prevent a result.

Stats and trivia

• This is the first Test being played at the SSC since 2018. Sri Lanka have won three and lost three of their last six Tests at the ground.
• No active bowler from either side has picked up a wicket yet at the SSC.
• Saud Shakeel is 182 runs off reaching 1000 Test runs. If he reaches the milestone in this Test, it will make him the fastest Pakistani player to achieve the feat (by innings), and put him in the five fastest ever to achieve it.

Comeback earmarked for ‘early May’ after heavy bowling workload in Caribbean

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2022Ben Stokes’ return to the County Championship has been put on hold for at least the rest of the month, after England’s allrounder underwent a scan on his left knee in the wake of last month’s Test tour of the Caribbean.Stokes was visibly troubled by the long-standing injury during England’s 1-0 series loss, but nevertheless was England’s most-used seamer in the course of the three Tests. Despite suggestions that he would be eased back into action after struggling with a side strain in Australia, he sent down 99 overs for his seven wickets, including 41 in the series opener in Antigua, his heaviest workload since 2016.Having opted out of the IPL auction in a bid to redouble his focus on England’s waning Test fortunes, Stokes’ intention had been to play several early-season fixtures for Durham, before the Test series against New Zealand gets underway on June 2.However, he admitted on the Round the Wicket podcast last week that his return to county action was likely to be delayed.Related

• Durham bite back before weather takes out another chunk

• Ingram stint as Labuschagne stand-in pays off for Glamorgan

• Stokes' Championship involvement delayed by knee scans

• Stokes opted out of IPL because 'Test cricket is No. 1 priority'

• Root rested for opening rounds of Championship

“I think it was pretty obvious that I was struggling with my knee a bit out in the Caribbean,” Stokes said. “At the moment there is no training. So I will go and get the scans and then we can find out what’s going on, and then hopefully can make a plan from there.”In a short statement on Friday, the ECB confirmed that the scan had taken place, but played down the long-term significance of the findings.”Ben had a scan on his left knee which didn’t reveal anything new,” a spokesperson said. “We had planned for him to return to LV= Insurance County Championship cricket in early May and, while he is feeling tender in the knee, that plan remains the same following the scan. We’ll continue to manage him in conjunction with Durham.”Assuming there are no further complications, Stokes’ return could be earmarked for Durham’s visit to Worcestershire on May 5, or their home fixture against Glamorgan the following week. Durham then take on Middlesex at Lord’s on May 19, before the start of the T20 Blast, and England’s preparation for the New Zealand series.England’s Test captain, Joe Root, is also due to miss the early weeks of the season as he rests up after the stresses of England’s winter campaigns in Australia and West Indies. It is thought that he may return to action for Yorkshire on April 28, when they take on Kent at Headingley.

He rescued Jaffna Stallions from 64 for 5 to set up a 66-run win

Madushka Balasuriya30-Nov-2020How the game played outThisara Perera, seemingly possessed by the spirit of Andre Russell, transformed an ailing Jaffna Stallions innings into a truly imposing one, with an awesome exhibition of power hitting, as his team secured an ultimately comfortable win to remain unbeaten in the LPL.Chasing 219 on most days is a tall ask, but it becomes downright daunting when it follows an innings as demoralising and deflating as the one Perera produced.In what was his best-ever T20 score, and the second-highest by a No.7 batsman in T20 cricket (highest is, unsurprisingly, by Andre Russell), the raw numbers – 97 runs off 44 deliveries, including eight fours and seven sixes, at a strike-rate of 220 – only tell part of the story.After all, the day had started so well for the Viiking. On a flat track, they had won the toss, chosen to field, and then utilised their bowling options to great effect, with five different bowlers keeping the Stallions to 40 for 4 inside the powerplay – the lowest powerplay total of the tournament. During this period, each of Lahiru Kumara, Ramesh Mendis, Anwar Ali and Samit Patel had struck in the first over of their opening spells. Life was good.By the time Perera came to the crease, the Stallions were in an even more precarious position – 64 for 5 midway through the ninth over. But that’s where the good times end; in the final 10 overs, the Stallions would ransack 147 runs, with Perera responsible for 94 of them.Even as late as the 19th over, with the score on 172 for 7, the Viiking might have imagined a target under 200 – more than they would have liked, sure, but still doable – only for Perera to plunder 30 more off Kumara. The 18 runs off the final over was just overkill, as were the two wickets he would pick up later.The Viiking would respond with 152, a total which in another universe – one where Perera had an off-day, or wasn’t born – might have won them the game.Stars of the dayThisara Perera has long frustrated Sri Lankan fans with his inconsistent ways, but when he’s on song there are few batsmen in world cricket more destructive – which is why it’s probably not the best idea to repeatedly pitch the ball straight, full and in the slot.The Viiking, who had done exceptionally well to nullify a strong Stallions top order, undid that work in equally exceptional fashion as they repeatedly tried and failed at executing yorkers. The mere fact that if you took away Perera’s runs from every part of the ground, aside from in front of the wicket, he would still end up with 56, tells its own story.Aside from Perera, Usman Shinwari also deserves a mention for his four overs that produced three wickets for 16 runs – a spell which tweaked the difficulty slider on an already tough task.Turning pointThisara waking up on the right side of the bed.The big missThe inability of the Viiking bowlers to hit their marks at the death proved costly, but Dasun Shanaka might look back ruefully at his decision not to bowl out Aftab Alam, the only one of his seamers that was executing his yorkers with some degree of consistency.Patel, too, could have been an option in the latter overs, when it became clear Perera had got his eye in against pace. Paul Stirling, a more than decent off-break option in his own right, meanwhile did not get a bowl.

Durham’s Australian skipper reaches 109, Alex Lees unbeaten on 70 as visitors lead by 96 runs

ECB Reporters Network08-Jul-2019Cameron Bancroft led the way with a century as Durham turned their County Championship match against Leicestershire on its head at the Fischer County Ground.Bancroft’s ton, his second of the season in the Championship, came as part of an impressive opening partnership of 187 with Alex Lees, and came after the visitors had bowled Leicestershire out for 212, conceding a first-innings deficit of 95.Bancroft hit 13 fours in going to his hundred off 134 deliveries before being eventually dismissed by Will Davis, losing his middle stump to a delivery which seamed back and stayed a touch low. Even so, Durham finished the day leading by 96, with nine second-innings wickets in hand.Resuming on their overnight score of 124 for 4, and looking to extend their first-innings lead into three figures, Leicestershire quickly lost Harry Dearden, who had added just four to his overnight score when he edged Chris Rushworth to Bancroft at second slip.Lewis Hill had made only eight when he was leg before to a delivery from Ben Raine which both seamed back in and kept a little low, and there was a first first-class wicket for debutant left-arm seamer Jack Campbell when Gavin Griffiths edged a delivery pushed across him low to Bancroft, again at second slip.Colin Ackermann, playing with unaccustomed deliberation, pulled Campbell to the midwicket boundary to reach his 50, but Rushworth quickly cleaned up the long Foxes’ tail, pinning Chris Wright leg before, getting Davis caught behind and then bowling Mohammad Abbas to leave Ackermann unbeaten on 62. Rushworth finished with 5-55 and Raine 4-49.

Seven wickets for Ollie Robinson fired Sussex ambitions but Max Holden resisted and Middlesex struck back by the close

ECB Reporters Network04-May-2018
ScorecardSussex seamer Ollie Robinson produced championship best figures of seven for 58 as Middlesex were bowled out for 230 at Hove.It was the second time this season that Robinson had taken seven wickets in an innings – last month he enjoyed a career-best return of seven for 23 against Loughborough MCC University on the same ground.But Middlesex hit back when Tim Murtagh took two wickets in successive overs to leave Sussex five for two in the fifth over. And then James Harris also struck twice to leave the match in the balance with Sussex 60 for 4 at the close.”I trained hard in the winter, playing grade cricket in Sydney, and I feel I have come back fitter and stronger,” Robinson said “And the lads say I’m hitting the gloves harder as well, so there might be a bit of extra pace there too. I was injured a lot last season. Now it feels good to have a proper bowling stint and not to have sore legs afterwards.”Middlesex had won the toss before this Specsavers County Championship Division Two match but their batsmen were made to work hard against a spirited attack on a lively pitch. At lunch they were 81 for five before a damage-limiting unbeaten 84 from former England Under-19 captain Max Holden gave their bowlers something to work with in a compelling day’s cricket.Robinson broke through in the fifth over when he removed Nick Gubbins’ middle stump as the batsman played all round a straight one. Gubbins was playing his first match of the season after recovering from a hamstring injury.Robinson dismissed the other opener, Sam Robson, in his next over, as the batsman nibbled at a fine delivery that moved away from him.Sussex missed their first chance when Stevie Eskinazi, on 28, was dropped by Phil Salt at backward point off George Garton. Eskinazi had added ten runs before he was dropped again, this time in the slips off Robinson.Ollie Robinson wheels away in triumph•Getty Images

Sussex put down their third catch when Hilton Cartwright, on two, was dropped behind, a difficult diving attempt to the wicketkeeper’s left off David Wiese.But Eskinazi failed to make the most of his second escape. He had not added to his score when he was lbw to Robinson and the same bowler had Cartwright caught in the slips for four. Then, just before lunch, Robinson had Dawid Malan lbw for 13.After the interval Holden and John Simpson added 56 in 18 overs for the sixth wicket before Simpson was caught on the deep midwicket boundary off Danny Briggs. It was soon 135 for seven when Harris was caught at point off the same bowler for a single. Ollie Rayner was then lbw, half-forward, to give Robinson his sixth wicket.That left Middlesex in a very ordinary position at 169 for eight. But Holden, dropped on 28, found late order support from Murtagh and the pair put on 51 for the ninth wicket. Murtagh finally played a poor stroke and was caught by Luke Wright at mid-off. Robison completed his demolition work when he plucked out Tom Barber’s off stump to leave Holden stranded.But Middlesex fought back valiantly. Murtagh had Luke Wells and Salt well caught in the slips before Harris struck. First, he had Stiaan van Zyl caught by Eskinazi at third slip and then he bowled Luke Wright, shouldering arms, for nine.