Lord's

(Day two of four, Middlesex won toss)

Middlesex 367 all out (Joyce 101, Henderson 4-85, Kruger 4-95).

Leicestershire 184-3 (Ackerman 33*, Allenby 4*)

Lunch

Middlesex were all out at quarter to one after scoring 82 runs in 21.5 overs for the loss of their last four wickets. Ben Scott’s eighth fifty of the season, off 125 balls, held the tail together. The top order has not performed for Middlesex this season and Scott, 27, has come of age with 733 runs at an average of 52.35.

But he needs to get even better if he is to force his way into the England team. He pulls brilliantly, but struggled to manipulate the strike against Claude Henderson’s left-arm spin yesterday. Scott’s keeping is outstanding and he is the group of wicket-keeper batsmen, including James Foster and Chris Read, waiting in the wings.

The left-handed Tim Murtagh, one of six in the Middlesex batting line-up, flashed well for 25 off 24 balls. But then gave it away, driving on the up at a ball that shaped back into him from Nadeem Malik and scooping the ball to square leg.

In the next over, Garnett Kruger, from the Pavilion End, made one swing and move back up the slope into the left-handed Murali Kartik, who was pinned leg-before on the back foot.

Dillon du Preez replaced Malik for an over from the Nursery End and Scott pulled him for six to the short Grandstand boundary. Henderson replaced du Preez and in his fourth over got Scott, who swept and was caught in Paul Nixon’s armpit. Alan Richardson swung merrily, driving Henderson over his head for four, then six. But two balls later chased a wider one and was well caught by Greg Smith in the covers.

Tea

Leicestershire’s two youngsters stood firm against a Middlesex attack chiselling away with surprisingly blunt instruments. Much has been made of Leicestershire being New South Africa and rightly so, it is ridiculous, but four of the top six here are young Englishmen.

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