Middlesex 274 (Stoneman 76, Higgins 53, Broad 4-58) and 249 for 6 (Malan 61, Holden 53, Broad 3-83) beat Nottinghamshire 364 and 158 for 6 declared (Clarke 52, Bamber 2-26) by four wickets
Even the darkness paused to take in the final throes of a thrilling day four at Lord's. It was vital it stopped when it did, with night encroaching, threatening an anticlimax. Middlesex required eight runs from three overs for their first win of the season. Nottinghamshire a less likely four wickets and a likelier running down of the clock to emerge with a draw. After three days of control, it was the least they deserved.
Sam Robson, bumped down to No.8 in a chase of 249 off a possible 40 overs, hit the winning run, though not before Lyndon James had missed an underarm into the nonstriker's stumps from about a yard out. The pursuit of victory from the get-go was why he was there so low, and yet even for someone so measured, the Australian almost missed the moment.
He froze after hitting a Stuart Broad delivery straight to the fielder, and almost had to be jump-started by Ryan Higgins who had charged to the other end with the scores tied. Robson went, James flunked and then had his misery compounded by the impact of a desperate Robson going right through the back of him.
The final scene, indeed the final result, was far more than anyone could have expected. Middlesex have been chasing this match since Thursday, and as they went to bed on Saturday would have dreamed of a washout to save them from the possibility of losing their first three matches of the season. By the end, they were the ones imploring play to go on, as an under-performing batting line-up banded together to accomplish a 6.38 runs-per-over chase with relative ease. In turn, they have moved off bottom of Division One, into eighth.
Pieter Malan's 61, Max Holden's 53, Mark Stoneman's 43 and, finally, not outs from Ryan Higgins (22) and Robson (12) deserve credit. Notts and skipper Steven Mullaney deserve just as much for making a game of this. Persistent rain meant play only began at 3:30pm and the visitors held a commanding 248-run lead coming into the final day. This would have followed other matches down the drain without a generous declaration.
It was immediately apparent Middlesex would not draw this for the sake of preservation. Stoneman walked out to open the batting as usual, only this time he had Stevie Eskinazi by his side rather than Robson. Eskinazi's expansive white-ball game made this a smart play without unsettling the batting order too much. Over the last few years, his white-ball skills have hit a different level - notably four Royal London Cup centuries last year - which saw him rewarded with an England Lions call-up last summer and a £40,000 deal in this year's Hundred at Welsh Fire.
Though he would only last 12 deliveries before being dismissed lbw by Stuart Broad, 34 was already on the board within 4.2 overs thanks to Stoneman's initiative. The left-hander has yet to play T20 cricket for the club, yet showed all the necessary kitchen-sink-throwing wares the format requires. It meant that by the time he became the second to fall, trapped in front by Dane Paterson, Middlesex had raced to 82 midway through the 12th over, Malan had settled himself on 25 off 26, a six among those runs heaved over wide mid on. His new partner Holden closed out that 12th over with back-to-back fours.
The right-left, old-young duo ticked things along with occasional boundaries without taking undue risk. During the second half of their 15.2 overs together, Mullaney opted to take pace off the ball, bringing himself on alongside Liam Patterson-White to elicit an error.
The first came after Malan had made it to a 54-ball half-century when, on 59, he advanced to Patterson-White and missed the ball, only for wicketkeeper Joe Clarke to miss the stumping. Unfortunately for Malan, his second error was not far behind, heaving across the line to Mullaney and skying one to the long side where Ben Slater took a smart catch.
With 73 needed from 13, Broad's return from the Nursery End felt about as ominous as the looming clouds giving the umpires reason to twitch and get their light meters out. Holden - fifty up from 54 - felt like an adequate anchor for new batter John Simpson, who put Notts on alert when he dropped to one knee and slogged Mullaney into the top tier of the Grandstand.
It was at this point Middlesex lost their way. With the benefit of no restrictions on fielders outside the circle, Broad stuck to a short-pitch plan to both lefties with fielders stationed right out on the longer leg side boundary. Holden was snared trying to put extra behind a pull shot in a bid to find a cap, feathering through to Clarke. Perhaps he should have taken a different tact. The same could have been levelled at Simpson, who bunted Brett Hutton straight to James at long on to make it 204 for 5 after 31 overs.
Hollman, however, did what Simpson couldn't, lashing a fuller ball from Hutton into the seats the keeper-batter was aiming for. After a game of cat and mouse with Broad, the 22-year-old chipped a full delivery to Mullany at midwicket bringing usual red ball opener Robson in at eight.
After a third check of the light, Broad resumed from the Pavilion End with 19 needed from a theoretical four overs. A top-edged hook from Higgins raced beyond the keeper for four, with Slater unreactive at a backstop position, bringing out the meters again.
A further check prior to the start of the 38th over only served to ramp up the tension, as did a frugal set of six from Paterson that conceded just three. Just as Notts turned their thoughts to running down the clock, the umpires stepped in to hurry them up.
At that point, a break in the clouds allowed some natural light through. And after a couple of dot balls into a leg side field now in on the single with one needed for victory, Robson eventually went on the call, making his ground, then taking out James after the botched run out.
Aesthetically, it was an unedifying finale to what had been a remarkable 39 overs. But for Middlesex, such a nourishing win has no face but heart and soul of a group who proved how much of both they have.
