Rogers hits double ton in Middlesex draw

Middlesex 166 and 514-8 dec drew with Surrey 338 and 85-1
(Middlesex 4 pts, Surrey 6 pts)

Chris Rogers completed a superb double century as Middlesex’s match with Surrey petered out into a draw at Lord’s.

The skipper’s 214 was his highest score for Middlesex and fired a warning to England of his form at HQ ahead of this summer’s Ashes series.

Neil Dexter’s quickfire 59 took Middlesex to 514-8 before they declared and set Surrey a mammoth 343 to win, at around seven an over.

Tim Murtagh removed first innings centurion Rory Burns but, on a flat wicket, Surrey batted out until the two sides agreed the draw.

For Middlesex, it will feel more like a victory having hauled themselves out of the mire on day three, when they were asked to follow-on.

After Saturday’s batting heroics, they began the final day 111 runs ahead and took advantage of batsman-friendly conditions to press home their advantage.

Nightwatchman Steven Finn didn’t last too long but Rogers continued to rack up the landmarks. He first eased past 150 and then, with the so-called ‘daddy hundred’ in sight, also clocked up 9,000 First Class career runs.

He took just 32 balls to make the leap from 150 to 200 while Dawid Malan (47) provided excellent support.

Rogers’s seven-hour knock eventually came to an end when he was bowled by Gareth Batty, and Chris Tremlett quickly accounted for Malan and Paul Stirling as Middlesex slipped from 417-3 to 420-6.

But just when Surrey thought they may have stemmed the tide, Dexter cut loose – he scored 59 from just 61 balls, including three sixes, and shared a partnership of 90 with John Simpson (30 not out).

The quick wickets of Dexter and Toby Roland-Jones led to Middlesex’s declaration – but Surrey survived the loss of Burns to see the game out.

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