Clydesdale Bank 40: Essex scrapes 7-wicket win over Middlesex
Half centuries from Ravi Bopara and Grant Flower took Essex to a comfortable 7-wicket victory over Middlesex in a floodlit Clydesdale Bank 40 match played at the County Ground, Chelmsford on Thursday, September 2. Middlesex’s gettable 40 overs total of 189 for 7 was easily chased by Essex at the loss of just three wickets with 39 balls to spare. 114-run stand between Ravi Bopara and Grant flower for the third wicket partnership was the pick of Essex’s bowling at Chelmsford.
Middlesex indebted to skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dawid-Malan-c1344’s 38 runs that he compiled from 61 balls without hitting even a single boundary during his an hour stay at the crease.
Chris Wright led the bowling armoury of Essex by picking up two wickets, while Ryan ten Doeschate and Danish Kaneria took one wicket each. David Master though failed to claim a single wicket but was the most economical bowler conceding only 29 runs from quota of 8 overs.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Essex-c783 in its run chase, after losing openers for a combined contribution of only 24 runs, was led by Ravi Bopara and Grant Flower towards seven-wicket victory. Both Bopara and Flower shred a three-digit partnership from 19 overs that put the Eagles on the way to an early win. Grant Flower played a fine knock of unbeaten 81 runs from 76 balls hitting the ball eight times through the boundary lines, while Ravi Bopara’s 68 from 77 contained five muscular boundaries and two lofty sixes.
Steven Finn finished with 2 for 31 from 8 overs, while http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Tim-Murtagh-c2673 turned out to be most expensive bowler from Middlesex side with an economy reaching seven per over. The winning boundary of Essex also came off Murtagh’s lose delivery.
Neil Dexter, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/John-Simpson-c1722 seemed to be following the quote “slow and steady wins the race” but followed only slow and forgot steady as the opening 10 overs earned the side only 36 runs. The downhill started from there, as the side still had three wickets in hand at the end of allotted 40-overs but the run rate (4.72) was below par.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gareth-Berg-c1457.
A flurry of boundary from David Malan and Neil Dexter eased the nerves of Middlesex but the excitement turned out to be short-lived as the 43-run stand between Malan and Dexter was followed by three quick wickets dragging the run rate once again. With the wickets clattering continuously, it was Neil Dexter’s unbeaten 48 off 38 that took the side to a respectable total of 189.
Essex run-chase went off with two wickets within first 10 overs with only 39 on the board but third-wicket stand between Ravi Bopara and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Grant-c60671 Flower compensated those early wickets and took the side home in the 34th over with seven wickets intact.
Tags: