Jon Batham of ECB Reporters’ Network reports from Lord’s

Lord’s Cricket Ground – Photo by the blowup on Unsplash

Middlesex 111-2

Nottinghamshire 364

Mark Stoneman struck a classy unbeaten half-century as Middlesex’s under pressure top order produced defiant resistance on a truncated second day of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Nottinghamshire.

The former England opener had endured a tough start back in Division One with only 27 runs in four innings, but played confidently from the get-go, his 60 not out containing 10 fours.

Pieter Malan though fell lbw to Stuart Broad from what proved to be the last ball of the day as Middlesex closed on 111-2, still 253 behind.

Earlier, England’s current opener Ben Duckett stretched his overnight 119 to 177 in a Nottinghamshire total of 364. Ethan Bamber was the pick of the home attack with 4-89, while Ryan Higgins returned 2-50.

Overnight and morning rain meant no play until 2pm meaning Duckett and Mullaney were keen to move the game forward against the old ball.

Higgins frustrated those plans with a frugal spell, but Martin Andersson was hit out of the attack by Duckett in three expensive overs from the Nursery End and when he gave way to Luke Hollmann, Steven Mullaney struck the leg-spinner into the Grandstand for a towering six.

Duckett twice drove the new ball back past Toby Roland-Jones for four, but the Middlesex skipper gained recompense, trapping Mullaney plumb in front four short of a half century to end a stand of 90.

Thereafter only Duckett held up the home bowlers for long, reaching 150 with his 15^th four, a cover-drive off Roland-Jones.

Bamber bowled impressively to underline he is the heir apparent to Tim Murtagh’s mantle from the Nursery End and Higgins was rewarded for persistence with wickets in successive balls as first Duckett’s seven-hour vigil came to an end caught at fine leg, before Dane Paterson had his stumps spreadeagled to end the innings.

Nottinghamshire’s total looked daunting given Middlesex’s batting woes, but Stoneman began confidently, hitting Stuart Broad through mid-off and mid-on for four. Sam Robson though endured a nervier start, taking 22 balls to get off the mark.

Robson survived a confident lbw shout to Lyndon James’ first ball as the two openers with 18 Test appearances between them raised a 50 stand for the first time this season. The Nottinghamshire all-rounder though struck back to snare Robson lbw with the very next ball, though the way the right-hander tossed his head back in disappointment suggested he thought he’d got an inside edge.

South African Pieter Malan began in a fashion befitting a man with just six runs in four previous innings this season, twice edging between slip and gully and inside edging another past his leg stump.

Stoneman though forged on, cutting and driving powerfully, before pulling a short ball from James to the mid-wicket rope, to raise his half-century.

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