Middlesex wobble after Helm checks Warwickshire

A compelling finale looks in prospect at Edgbaston where Middlesex will need 198 more runs to win with eight wickets in hand.

Tom Helm’s 5-59, which included the wicket of Jonathan Trott for 99, appeared to have put his side firmly on top.

But Sam Robson and first-innings centurion Stevie Eskinazi both fell without scoring to give bottom of the table Warwickshire a sniff at victory.

Eskinazi was out twice on day three, adding just one run to his overnight career-best 178 before he was bowled by Keith Barker’s first ball of the morning.

The visitors had hoped to secure a first-innings lead – beginning the morning trailing by 32 runs with four wickets in hand – but they needed James Harris’s unbeaten 18 to get them level pegging.

Trott, captaining Warwickshire with Ian Bell sidelined by a sore elbow, propped up his side’s second innings, on a pitch offering some variable bounce and against a Middlesex attack which performed admirably to compensate for the absence of Steve Finn and Toby Roland-Jones.

Helm led the way, his excellent new-ball spell accounting for William Porterfield, caught at second slip, and Andy Umeed, lbw.

After Trott and Sam Hain (37) added 63, Middlesex struck twice again when Hain edged Ryan Higgins to second slip and Matt Lamb nicked Harris behind.

At 85-4, Trott and Tim Ambrose (44) knuckled down to put on 94 before the latter fell lbw to Dawid Malan in the last over before tea.

Tim Murtagh removed Rikki Clarke, Barker clipped Malan to mid-wicket and then Helm returned to wrap up the tail in eight balls.

In pursuit of 234, Middlesex lurched to 1-2 but Malan and Nick Compton saw it calmly through to the close.