LORD'S

(day two of four: Middlesex won toss)

Worcestershire, 350-9, lead Middlesex by 50 runs.

Lunch

Middlesex finally made a breakthrough in the 14th over of the innings, the ninth of the day, when Danny Evans had Stephen Moore caught at third slip for 21 after the opening pair put on exactly 50.

A hostile Evans had already had Vikram Solanki dropped on 10 at long leg by Steve Finn when he removed the Worcestershire captain with a snorter. Getting one to lift steeply just outside off stump, he found Solanki’s edge, giving Ben Scott, the wicket-keeper, a routine catch.

In the very next over, Daryll Mitchell was lbw on the front foot to Tim Murtagh, beaten by a ball that the Middlesex away swing bowler brought back up the hill. That brought Graeme Hick to the wicket and, after he was given a warm welcome by the crowd of around 2,000, he opened his account with a blistering square cut for four off Murtagh. By lunch, he had reached eight with Ben Smith unbeaten at the other end on 28.

Tea

Middlesex made an important breakthrough shortly after lunch when Tim Murtagh removed Graeme Hick, caught at backward point off a leading edge. Steven Davies stayed briefly before being caught at short leg by Ed Joyce off Shaun Udal.

No further wickets fell in the session with Gareth Batty lending solid support to Smith, who reached his fifty from 83 balls. Encouragingly for Middlesex, both their spinners managed to extract some turn from an otherwise bland surface, raising hopes for the Londoners that batting on the final day will not be easy against the turning ball.

Close

The final session went Worcestershire’s way thanks largely to a ninth-wicket partnership of 50 in 11 overs between Gareth Andrew and Matt Mason. Mason was leg-before to Murali Kartik just before the close, while Imran Arif came in to help Andrew score the single needed for an unlikely fourth batting point.

Ben Smith was finally out for 93 from 179 balls, his fifth fifty of the season, none of which he has managed to convert into a hundred. His partnership with Gareth Batty of 71 in 23 overs was ended with a run-out mix-up, Steve Finn throwing from backward square leg to catch Batty short. Smith was caught at silly point off Kartik before Kabir Ali was taken at midwicket to give Danny Evans a third victim.