Malan fires Middlesex to win in four-run thriller
Middlesex 92-3 (9 ov): Malan 53*, Simpson 26*; van der Merwe 1-4
Somerset 88-6 (9 ov): Van der Merwe 17*; Fuller 2-18, Sowter 1-12
Middlesex (2 pts) beat Somerset (0 pts) by four runs
Dawid Malan hit 53 not out from 28 balls as Middlesex won a thrilling T20 Blast match reduced to nine overs per side by bad weather.
Malan was joined by John Simpson in a blazing unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 52 in 22 balls to haul Middlesex up to 92-3.
Earlier, Brendan McCullum – in his first and only appearance at Lord’s in his short stint at Middlesex – scored only seven, while Paul Stirling (1) and James Franklin (0) also fell cheaply.
In reply, Somerset captain Jim Allenby made 17, Johann Myburgh was superbly held by a diving Steven Finn at wide long-on for 12 and Mahela Jayawardene fell for a first-ball duck when he was spectacularly caught by Paul Stirling.
Peter Trego hit three fours in his 14 before being bowled by leg-spinner Nathan Sowter, while Roelof van der Merwe finished unbeaten on 17, as the visitors failed to get the 13 they needed off the last over.
