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MIDDLESEX V LEICESTERSHIRE | MATCH REPORT

Match report provided by the ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay.

DAY TWO

Not for the first time, Peter Handscomb returned to haunt his old county as Leicestershire kept their noses in front on an absorbing day two against Middlesex at Lord’s.

Handscomb made only two 50s in 21 innings over two seasons for the Seaxes, but added to his century here last season with a defiant 87. It marked his 100^th score of 50 or more in first-class cricket. Ian Holland (37) and Ben Green (36) lent support in stands of 93 and 59 respectively to carry the visitors to 274.

Former Pakistan international spinner Zafar Gohar kept the hosts in touch with figures of 4-34, but the missed stumping off his bowling which reprieved Handscomb on 54 may yet prove costly.

Middlesex openers Sam Robson and Max Holden survived a nervy four over before the close, reducing their arrears by 10 runs in the process.

Leicestershire were initially bogged down as the new ball regularly whistled past both edges of the bat. Sol Budinger opted to counter-attack, depositing one from Dane Paterson over mid-on for six, but the South African international reaped rapid vengeance, bowling him with a beauty which clipped off-stump.

Toby Roland-Jones came on as the day’s first change and struck with his second delivery, a lack of footwork from Rehan Ahmed, coupled by a tentative poke at the ball resulting in an inside edge onto the stumps.

With the hosts now on top, debutant Naavya Sharma should have enjoyed a dream start, finding the edge of Lewis Hill’s bat in his opening over in first-class cricket, only for the usually safe hands of Sam Robson to grass the chance at first slip. Hill though didn’t make the most of the reprieve, Roland-Jones bowling him off the inside edge soon afterwards.

Handscomb though found an ally in Holland as the early afternoon developed into a game of patience, stoic defence resisting frugal bowling by the hosts. Thirteen runs were squeezed out in 11 overs before a lovely cover drive by Handscomb raised the 50-stand and Holland mimicked his captain’s shot as the scoreboard began to tick over.

Another boundary took Handscomb to his landmark half-century, but he should have gone on 54, wicketkeeper Jack Davies missing a stumping chance after he gave Gohar the charge. A huge lbw shout to the next delivery also went unheeded, after which Handscomb re-entrenched.

His stand with the obdurate Holland reached 93 before the all-rounder was bamboozled by one from Gohar which beat his defences and dislodged the off-bail.

It was part of a lovely spell by the left-arm spinner either side of tea in which he also snared Ben Cox and Logan Van Beek, both leg before.

At 197-7, Middlesex were even scenting a narrow first-innings lead, but new batter Green opened his shoulders, clubbing Hollman over the short boundary.

The new ball was dispatched with similar distain, a straight drive back past Roland-Jones, one of the shots of the day.

Handscomb appeared to be inching towards his century, but was undone on Australia’s unlucky number 87, lofting the first ball of Gohar’s new spell to the hands of mid-on.

Green’s enterprising innings ended when he was pinned in front by Higgins, before Sharma returned to scatter Tom Scriven’s stumps and claim the maiden first-class wicket he should have had earlier in the day.

DAY ONE

Ian Holland underlined his status as Division Two’s leading wicket-taker with figures of five for 35 to give Leicestershire the upper hand on the opening day of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Middlesex.

The 34-year-old medium-pacer took his wicket tally to 26 for the season, returning three for nine during a relentlessly accurate opening eight-over salvo to reduce the home side to 19 for three at Lord’s.

Middlesex gradually rallied, with Jack Davies top-scoring on 49, before Holland completed only the second five-wicket haul of his first-class career to dismiss them for 232.

Although Leicestershire reduced the arrears by 22 before the close, they lost Rishi Patel to the final ball of the day, leg before to Ryan Higgins.

Having won the toss, Foxes captain Peter Handscomb sent his former team in to bat – a move that was immediately vindicated as Holland set about wrecking Middlesex’s top order during the first half-hour.

His fourth delivery from the Nursery End nipped in and stayed low to remove Sam Robson – and the one that zoomed back in the reverse direction to hit Max Holden’s off stump was virtually unplayable.

Two balls later, Leus du Plooy speared Holland to midwicket to leave Middlesex reeling, but Luke Hollman – promoted to three following his maiden hundred against Kent last time out – launched a repair job.

Two drives to the short cover fence off Logan van Beek got Hollman up and running, but it was a measure of Leicestershire’s accuracy that those remained the only boundaries of the innings until the 18th over.

Higgins also began to accumulate runs as the pair hauled Middlesex’s total beyond 50 and, although Hollman perished swishing outside off stump at Tom Scriven, Ben Geddes started brightly with a couple of well-timed clips to the leg side.

It looked as if Middlesex had weathered the storm, with Higgins advancing rapidly to 44 after lunch, only to become Holland’s fourth victim as he played on attempting to leave the ball.

Josh Hull picked up the next wicket, tempting Geddes with a short ball that he flicked high into the hands of long leg, but Davies cut and drove to good effect as he and Zafar Gohar rebuilt with a buoyant stand of 74.

Gohar capitalised on Hull’s tendency to pitch short, punishing the left-armer on both sides of the wicket and thumping him to the point boundary to raise the 50 partnership prior to tea.

Despite a close call when he edged Scriven between wicketkeeper and slip on 31, Davies batted doggedly after the interval and was inching towards a third half-century in as many matches when he was castled by Ben Green.

Rehan Ahmed’s tidy eight-over spell brought him the wicket of Gohar, miscuing to backward point for 36 and, while teenage debutant Naavya Sharma kept Toby Roland-Jones company during a lively knock of 29, Middlesex were unable to scrape a batting bonus point.

Holland wrapped up the innings by having last man Dane Paterson caught in the deep and that left Leicestershire’s openers seven overs to negotiate – a task they almost completed, only for Higgins to strike right before stumps.