Joe Cracknell cracks career-best as Middlesex overhaul Yorkshire
Middlesex 254 for five (Cracknell 87, Shutt 4-49) beat Yorkshire 253 (Masood 96, Revis 51, Bess 51, Higgins 4-39) by 5 wickets
Joe Cracknell‘s highest white-ball rating allowed Middlesex to complete their Metro Bank One-Day Cup marketing campaign with a snug five-wicket win over Yorkshire at Radlett.
The former Durham University scholar thrashed 87 from 65 balls with the assistance of 17 fours because the hosts chased down a goal of 254 with 93 balls to spare regardless of a career-best 4 for 49 for Yorkshire spinner Jack Shutt. Cracknell shared a stand of 120 in 86 balls with Sam Robson who made 62
Earlier, Tykes skipper Shan Masood batted greater than three hours for 96, sharing stands of 85 and 83 with Matthew Revis and Dominic Bess, who each made 51. However, they mustered solely 26 from the ultimate 5 overs, with Middlesex all-rounder Ryan Higgins taking 4 wickets within the last six balls to complete with 4 for 39.
The guests have been quickly questioning their choice to bat first as Ethan Bamber and Blake Cullen discovered early motion on a barely two-paced pitch. James Wharton miscued one from Cullen which stopped on him a fraction to Josh De Caires at mid-wicket with no run on the board, earlier than Bamber had William Luxton neatly caught by wicketkeeper John Simpson.
Finlay Bean quickly adopted spooning one other from Cullen to skipper Mark Stoneman at cowl and it could have been 31-4 had Cracknell clung on to a troublesome likelihood at slip when Masood had made 18. The miss proved pricey because the Pakistani worldwide dropped anchor to play a protracted innings of few fireworks whereas others added a lot wanted acceleration.
Revis was first to glitter, plundering three boundaries in a single wayward Martin Andersson over. He reached 50 within the grand method with a six over mid-wicket off Luke Hollman, however the leg-spinner extracted virtually instant revenge, operating out Revis with a direct hit from sq. leg.
Bess picked up the place Revis left off, driving powerfully either side of the wicket. He too could be dropped on the sq. leg fence by Cracknell, the ball escaping over the rope for six as he reached 50 in 42 balls.
When he lofted De Caires to Andersson within the deep Harry Duke took up the baton with some lusty blows, however he fell to Bamber and the innings stalled, Masood changing into certainly one of Higgins’s 4 victims in that dramatic last over.
Chasing 254, Cracknell unfurled a collection of drives sq. of the wicket whereas Stoneman twice hit Benjamin Cliff again over his head as 50 was raised inside 5 overs. Stoneman feathered one by means of to Duke, however Robson joined Cracknell to proceed the onslaught, the previous England opener lofting a six over deep sq. scary a spectacular crowd catch.
Such was the ferocity of the batting, successive fours from Cracknell, together with a wonderful strike over bowler Shutt’s head raised the 100 partnership in solely 73 balls.
A sixth 4 took Robson to 50 from 40 balls and Middlesex have been in cruise management earlier than Cracknell missed a full toss from Shutt to finish his hopes of a primary white-ball century.
There appeared little hazard at 171 for two however the wicket sparked an impressed spell from the 26-year-old off-spinner who had Higgins caught within the deep, earlier than snaffling Robson and Jack Davies from the primary two balls after the drinks break, each caught by Luxton at cowl.
Andersson may need been stumped of Bess as nerves jangled briefly, however he and beneficiary Simpson noticed the hosts dwelling within the thirty fifth over.