Panthers beaten by Glamorgan in last over

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Middlesex 184-3 (20 ov) lost to Glamorgan 187-4 (19.3 ov) by six wickets
(Middlesex 0 pts, Glamorgan 2 pts)

Middlesex Panthers made their second-highest total of a miserable T20 campaign but were overhauled in the final over by Glamorgan at Richmond.

Dawid Malan’s unbeaten 68 from 48 balls and useful contributions from Eoin Morgan (41) and Dan Christian (48) helped the hosts to 184-3 in their 20 overs.

But Glamorgan’s Jim Allenby smashed 105 off just 63 deliveries and shared in an opening stand of 136 with Jacques Rudolph (42) in the first 14 overs.

Allenby fell with eight balls remaining, with Glamorgan still needing another 10 runs, Chris Cooke sealed it with a couple of late boundaries.

Panthers have now lost nine of their 11 NatWest T20 Blast matches, with one win and one abandoned.

Their score of 184 is their best in the competition this season batting first and the highest since being bowled out for 192 in a run chase against Kent last month.

After losing Joe Denly to a fine catch in the second over, Malan and Morgan both set about the Glamorgan bowling, as Middlesex reached 83-0 near to the halfway mark.

When they lost Morgan at that point, it briefly stemmed the flow of boundaries.

However, with five overs left, Panthers went on the attack. Christian launched three sixes off Dean Cosker and two off Michael Hogan to get the run-rate back above 8.5 an over, before being undone by Cooke’s well-taken catch.

Malan and Ryan Higgins both hit maximums in the penultimate over to set Glamorgan a testing total.

However, Allenby set the tone with 40 from his first 20 balls, taking a particularly liking to James Harris and Harry Podmore.

They were 93-0 at halfway, up with the required rate, and Allenby crucially stepped on the gas in the middle overs where Middlesex’s boundaries had dried up.

It wasn’t until the 15th over they made the breakthrough, Dexter removing Rudolph, and Harry Podmore accounted for Mark Wallace after he’d hit 14 off one Harris over.

Allenby remained the scourge of the Panthers, however, striking the poor Harris for two more fours to reach his century before succumbing to his former Glamorgan team-mate.

They needed six off the last Podmore over and Cooke clinched it with three balls remaining.

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