Match Reports

Middlesex v Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire's interest in reaching the quarter finals of the Nat West T20 Blast was  ended by Middlesex at a sunny Uxbridge as the home side won a T20 fixture between the two teams for the first time by 61 runs.

Set 162 to win after a solid bowling performance, Gloucestershire never recovered from being 25-5 in the fifth over, and although a stand of 64 between Benny Howell and Jack Taylor briefly threatened an unlikely comeback, Steve Finn returned to remove both in the same over and ease Middlesex to a comfortable victory.

Skipper Michael Klinger reflects on the @NatWestT20Blast defeat by 61 runs to @Middlesex_CCC at Uxbridge pic.twitter.com/QEpSq44AWT

— Gloucestershire CCC (@Gloscricket) August 15, 2017

Both teams knew the match had a lot riding on it, with the losers almost certainly out of contention for a place in the last eight. Gloucestershire made two changes, bringing in Graeme van Buuren and Craig Miles for their first matches of the season in this format in place of Matt Taylor and Chris Liddle, and when captain Michael Klinger won the toss he chose to field first in order to see how the Uxbridge pitch would play.

The answer throughout both innings was slowly, and with the ball - as on many out grounds - not coming onto the bat the Middlesex bowlers in particular gave a master class in the use of the slower ball, but more of that anon.

The home side's powerplay was chiefly about Paul Stirling, as the chunky Irishman struck four boundaries in an over off David Payne after the Gloucestershire swing bowler had sent back wicket keeper John Simpson in his second over.

Stirling's share of Middlesex's 43-1 after six overs was 30, and his willingness to run hard with Stephen Eskinazi - there were 19 two's in the Middlesex innings - meant the pair had added 62 when Tom Smith appeared to make a significant breakthrough in the 11th over.

First Stirling (44) was caught on the square leg boundary by Benny Howell and then Eoin Morgan reverse swept his second ball straight to Kieran Noema-Barnett at short fine leg.

At this point Eskinazi had been content to collect his runs through careful placement, but  the arrival of Adam Voges saw him raise the bar as the pair added 66 with Eskinazi finally striking the first six of the innings in the 17th over, a costly one from Graeme van Buuren that brought 17 runs.

Benny Howell ended another economical spell by yorking Eskinazi with his final delivery for 44, and David Payne's dismissal of Voges for 38 meant there was no late acceleration to a Middlesex innings that closed on 161-5.  The feeling around the ground was that a target of 162 gave both teams a chance, although that theory didn't last long.

Middlesex have invested heavily in their T20 squad this year, with a specialist coach in Daniel Vettori as well as Tim Southee as their second overseas player, and the quality of their bowling attack was to prove far too much for Gloucestershire's top order.

The match was all but decided in five overs. Michael Klinger edged Southee's second delivery to Voges at slip, and after Ian Cockbain has passed 2000 career runs in T20 cricket with a fine square cut off Finn, the England bowler produced a high class yorker to bowl him for 13. When Bancroft played on to the last ball of the same over Gloucestershire were tottering at 23-3 and worse was to follow.

Tom Helm - who is being tipped to follow Finn into England colours - bowled Phil Mustard for six with a delightful slower ball and then also deceived Noema-Barnett, who lobbed a gentle catch to Southee at mid on. Four wickets had gone down in 11 deliveries and it looked a long way back.

Undeterred, Benny Howell and Jack Taylor took on the challenge of pulling the innings around with ten runs an over required. They were still together at half way and sixes in three successive overs off Sowter and Higgins took their stand to 64 before Finn returned for his second decisive burst.

Taylor (31) feathered a leg side catch to 'keeper Simpson and Howell was caught behind off a top edge two balls later for 38. Both had made their highest scores of the season in the competition, but Finn's figures of 4-24 were a career best and the end wasn't long in coming.

The last three wickets - with Payne surviving a hat trick after Southee bowled van Buuren and trapped Miles lbw - added only ten runs and Gloucestershire were dismissed for exactly 100 with a full four overs of their allotted 20 unused. In this shortest white ball format, it was a crushing result.