Morgan ton blasts Middlesex to victory

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Surrey 286-6 (50 ov) lost to Middlesex 292-4 (44.5 ov) by six wickets
(Middlesex 2 pts, Surrey 0 pts)

Eoin Morgan’s sensational unbeaten 128 powered Middlesex to a convincing six-wicket win over Surrey and kickstarted their stalling Royal London Cup campaign.

After winning the toss, Surrey had amassed 286-6 in their 50 overs thanks largely to veterans Tillakaratne Dilshan (115 off 128 balls) and Azhar Mahmood (52 from 34) upping the ante late on.

Chris Rogers (42) got Middlesex off to a good start but wickets threatened to derail their challenge.

However, Morgan hit 13 fours and five sixes in a trademark 86-ball knock and cleared the rope to seal an incredible victory with five overs remaining.

The crowd at Lord’s was treated to 578 runs, 10 wickets and some stellar performances from international stars.

The innovative Dilshan, now 37, was the first to wow the fans as he and 38-year-old Vikram Solanki (59) put on 119 for the second wicket.

The Sri Lankan hit 11 boundaries but Middlesex kept the run rate down to well below five throughout much of the innings, with Steven Finn (2-47 from 10 overs) the pick of the attack.

However, the momentum swung thanks to 39-year-old Mahmood, who helped Surrey score 99 runs in the final 10 overs.

Middlesex were indebted to their own experienced campaigner, Rogers, for leading the charge from the front as the hosts kept pace early on.

But the loss of the Australian, to Dilshan’s off-spin, and the subsequent cheap dismissals of Nick Gubbins and Ryan Higgins, saw the required rate rise to 6.8 with 20 overs left.

Morgan reached 50 off a relatively sedate 47 balls before launching an attack in the 39th over, hitting Stuart Meaker for four boundaries.

Neil Dexter (47 not out from 58 balls) provided great support to help Middlesex reduce the target to 56 runs from the last 10 overs.

They needed just 30 deliveries as Morgan produced a remarkable onslaught, smacking Dilshan for 21 in the 44th over and then finishing the job with two more maximums in a breathtaking finale.

It’s Middlesex’s first win in the competition, which is initially split into two groups of nine with the top four in each qualifying for the quarter-finals.

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