Middlesex blown away by Notts batsmen

Nottinghamshire 392 & 387-4 beat Middlesex 505 & 271-9 dec by six wickets

Middlesex were sunk by a barrage of runs on the final day at Trent Bridge as Nottinghamshire cruised to a stunning six-wicket win.

When skipper Chris Rogers declared early in the day, Notts required 385 in the remaining 86 overs – a required run rate of almost four-and-a-half an over.

But openers Alex Hales (94) and Phil Jacques (76) set a blistering pace with a stand of 156 in 30 overs and Michael Lumb (68) followed suit.

Ravi Patel took three wickets but James Taylor (56 not out) and Riki Wessels (74 not out) hit 103 runs from 94 balls to seal victory.

Middlesex, who led by 333 runs overnight, opted not to declare and instead batted on for seven and a half action-packed overs, in which time they added 51 runs and lost four wickets.

John Simpson fell on 49 while Paul Stirling hit out to finish unbeaten on 66 as Middlesex declared on 271-9.

That left them virtually the whole day to bowl the hosts out – but Notts were in no mood to defend the position.

Hales and Jacques put on 65 in the first 10 overs and reached 100-0 in the 17th, with both openers moving past 50 just before lunch.

The run-rate slowed slightly in the afternoon as Middlesex bowled tightly, but Notts kept the scoreboard ticking over to reach 156-0.

Jaques was the first to go, holing out on the boundary off the spin of Patel, his knock of 76 coming from just 79 balls.

Hales and Lumb added a further 72, taking advantage of a drop at slip, to keep Nottinghamshire ahead of the required rate.

Hales, who made 96 in the first innings, was again unable to reach his century, as Patel had him trapped lbw for 94 shortly before tea.

Going into the final session, Notts required 151 from the final 37 overs, at a little more than four an over.

Lumb and Taylor matched that scoring rate early in the evening session, but Middlesex hit back with two wickets in four balls to give themselves a glimmer of hope.

First Steve Finn had Lumb caught behind and then Samit Patel offered up a catch to Rogers off Patel’s bowling as Notts went from 279-2 to 284-4.

However, some big hitting by Taylor and Wessels took Notts ever-closer to their target and with Middlesex sliding to defeat, Eoin Morgan was brought on for his first spell of Championship bowling in almost seven years.

And he lasted just five balls as Wessels clobbered the Irishman for six to seal a remarkable win.

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