Handscomb gives Leics the edge over Middlesex
Rothesay County Championship Division Two, Lord's (day two)Middlesex 232: Davies 49, Higgins 44; Holland 5-35 & 10-0Leicestershire 274: Handscomb 87, Holland 37, Green 36; Gohar 4-34Middlesex 3 pts trail Leicestershire 4 pts by 32 runsMatch scorecard
Peter Handscomb returned to haunt his old county as Leicestershire kept their noses in front on an absorbing day two against Middlesex at Lord's.Handscomb made only two fifties in 21 innings over two seasons for the Seaxes, but added to his century here last season with a defiant 87. It marked his 100th score of 50 or more in first-class cricket, while Ian Holland (37) and Ben Green (36) lent support in stands of 93 and 59, respectively, to carry the visitors to 274.Former Pakistan international spinner Zafar Gohar kept the hosts in touch with 4-34, but the missed stumping off his bowling which reprieved Handscomb on 54 may yet prove costly.Middlesex openers Sam Robson and Max Holden survived a nervy four overs before the close, reducing their arrears by 10 runs in the process.
Leicestershire were initially bogged down as the new ball regularly whistled past both edges of the bat. Sol Budinger opted to counter-attack, depositing one from Dane Paterson over mid-on for six, but the former South African international reaped rapid vengeance, bowling him with a beauty which clipped off-stump.Toby Roland-Jones came on as the day's first change and struck with his second delivery as a lack of footwork and a tentative poke saw Rehan Ahmed inside-edge the ball onto his stumps.Debutant Naavya Sharma found Lewis Hill's edge in his opening over in first-class cricket, but the usually safe hands of Sam Robson grassed the chance at first slip. Hill though didn't make the most of the reprieve as Roland-Jones bowled him off the inside edge soon after.Handscomb, though, found an ally in Holland as the early afternoon developed into a game of patience, with 13 runs squeezed from 11 overs. A boundary took Handscomb to his landmark half-century, but he should have gone on 54 when wicketkeeper Jack Davies missed a stumping after charging Gohar. A huge lbw shout to the next delivery also went unheeded, after which Handscomb re-entrenched.He put on 93 with Holland before the all-rounder was bamboozled by one from Gohar which beat his defences and dislodged the off-bail.It was part of a lovely spell by the left-arm spinner either side of tea in which he also snared Ben Cox and Logan Van Beek, both leg before.At 197-7, Middlesex were even scenting a narrow first-innings lead, but Green opened his shoulders, clubbing Hollman over the short boundary.The new ball was dispatched with similar distain, a straight drive back past Roland Jones, one of the shots of the day.Handscomb appeared to be inching towards his century, but was undone on Australia's unlucky number 87, lofting the first ball of Gohar's new spell to the hands of mid-on.Green's enterprising innings ended when he was pinned in front by Higgins, before Sharma returned to scatter Tom Scriven's stumps and claim the maiden first-class wicket he should have had earlier in the day.ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay
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