On a day when the Welsh rugby team lost for the second time in a week in New Zealand, it was somewhat appropriate that two Kiwi’s should take centre-stage as Brendon McCullum struck a feisty 110 from 85 balls whilst James Franklin took 3/34 as Middlesex ended Glamorgan’s winning sequence as they won by 28 runs in their Royal London One-Day Cup match at The SSE SWALEC.
Glamorgan’s stunning victory over the Kent Spitfires by three wickets under the DLS Method, kept the Welsh county on top of the group table, and after their success at Canterbury, Glamorgan made one change to their line-up with Andrew Salter replacing Timm van der Gugten in a match which was delayed by fifteen minutes because of a few damp patches on the outfield
Michael Hogan duly shared the new ball with Graham Wagg, with Brendon McCullum dispatching the first ball by Hogan through the covers for four. Dawid Malan off-drove Hogan for four, as well as cover driving Graham Wagg after the left-armer had also bowled a couple of wides. McCullum twice advanced down the wicket to swat Hogan to the mid-wicket boundary for four.
Malan also punched Wagg through the covers as the floodlights came on with McCullum after chipping a no-ball back to Hogan then depositing the free hit over extra-cover for four as the fifty came up in the ninth over.
McCullum then unfurled a ramp shot to Wagg as the ball sped away to fine-leg before Craig Meschede and Dean Cosker entered the attack. Malan greeted the former by cover-driving him for four before McCullum clubbed Cosker over mid-wicket for six en route to a 47-ball half-century, although on 49 he nearly miscued Meschede into Wagg’s hands at short extra-cover.
He celebrated by pulling the seamer for six to bring up the 100, followed by a lofted on-drive for another six against Cosker plus a sweep to backward square-leg for four and a harpooned six to mid-wicket. Malan then reached his fifty from 75 balls before McCullum cover drove David Lloyd for four, followed by a pair of pulls to mid-wicket.
Malan swept Salter for four, before McCullum straight drove the off-spinner for four as the 150 came up in the 24th over. Malan also pulled a full toss from Salter for four before McCullum lofted Salter over mid-off four as he completed his hundred from 78 balls. But by this time he had lost Malan who drove outside off-stump when Hogan returned and edged a ball to Cooke. His departure saw Paul Stirling join the Kiwi and the Irishman began by harpooning Colin Ingram for six into the Grandstand.
McCullum then hoisted Ingram over square-leg for six but his blitzkrieg ended on 110 as he drilled Hogan to Rudolph at long-off. His departure saw the visitors collapse gs a flurry of wickets fell as the home side surged back into the game. 201/2 became 214/3 as Stirling departed as he pulled a ball from Ingram to short mid-wicket where David Lloyd plucked the ball out of the air with his left hand.
Hogan then took a smart catch at mid-off as Nick Gubbins drilled Meschede into his hands, and 217/4 duly became 223/5 as Eoin Morgan swept Ingram to fine-leg where Salter completed the catch with Glamorgan completing sixteen over sequence after McCullum’s departure where no boundaries were scored.
Middlesex had entered the final ten overs on 231/5 but five runs later John Simpson chipped a ball tamely back to Wagg who gleefully pouched the ball in his follow through. James Franklin and Toby Roland-Jones each showed positive intent but were restricted to just a series of singles as Ingram completed a frugal spell of 3/38 with his third wicket coming in his final over as he bowled Franklin with the total on 248.
Hogan then joined Wagg for the last four overs as Roland-Jones ended the boundary drought by pulling the latter for four. Next ball, Donald dropped a skier from Roland-Jones on the extra cover boundary with the batsmen then drilling Wagg straight for four. Ollie Rayner pulled Wagg for four before lofting him straight for six. Roland-Jones then clubbed Hogan over mid-wicket for six in the final over as Middlesex ended on 294/7.
Roland-Jones was soon back in action with the ball as Rudolph and Lloyd began Glamorgan’s response with the former cover-driving and off-driving successive balls for four whilst the latter also struck successive balls from Tim Murtagh to the leg-side ropes before scything him through point for four. Rudolph also savagely pulled Murtagh for four whilst Lloyd found the ropes again as he cover drove three balls in an over from Roland-Jones as Glamorgan raced to fifty in the eighth over as the opening pair, once again, gave their side a decent launch-pad.
Lloyd continued to voraciously tuck into the bowling as he clubbed Murtagh to wide long-on before swatting him to fine-leg for another four as Glamorgan reached 63/0 at the end of the first powerplays. But two runs later, Glamorgan lost their first wicket as Lloyd pulled James Fuller straight to Stirling at deep square-leg. Will Bragg duly joined his captain and unfurled a straight drive for four against Fuller, before Rudolph played a booming cover drive against Fuller for four.
Middlesex introduced spin in the 18th over as Ollie Rayner had a spell at the Cathedral Road End with Rudolph greeting him by striking him inside-out over extra-cover for four as Glamorgan reached the 100-mark in the 19th over. The two batsmen continued to quietly work the ball around until Franklin entered the attack and in his first over had Rudolph caught behind as he tried to run the ball down to third man. Then in his second over, the Simpson-Franklin combination accounted for Bragg who was caught down the leg-side.
Ingram and Donald duly joined forces with 174 needed from 25 overs with the former calmly on-driving Franklin for four before opening his shoulders to deposit Rayner over the mid-wicket ropes for six. But with the total on 139, the visiting captain and his wicket-keeper joined forces yet again as Donald edged a drive and was replaced by Chris Cooke who began by guiding the Kiwi through the slips for four.
Ingram then hoisted Stirling’s off-spin into the stratosphere as he struck a huge six over long-on before Cooke cover drove Franklin. A series of one’s and two’s then followed as the fifth wicket pair continued to stabilise the innings with Ingram greeting the return of Fuller by pulling him for six before Cooke straight drove him for four to bring up the fifty stand. Ingram then completed a 47-ball fifty by edging Fuller to third man.
The equation became 87 from the final ten overs as Murtagh returned to the attack for his final two overs with Ingram cutting the seamer through point’s hands for four. Malan also had a spell with the leg-spinner being harpooned for six by Cooke into the Grandstand but the batsman with the score on 227, then perished trying to repeat the stroke with Roland-Jones running in from long-on to complete the catch.
227/5 immediately became 227/6 as Murtagh bowled Wagg but three runs later Malan struck again as Meschede also holed out to Roland-Jones. 65 runs were needed from 40 balls as Salter joined Ingram with the pair scampering a series of singles before Ingram flicked Fuller to fine-leg for four. After four byes, he reverse-swept Malan for four as Glamorgan entered the last four overs still needing forty to win. But Ingram then drilled Fuller to long-on where Morgan held a good catch running in from the boundary with the Springbok departing for 85.
35 were needed as Salter and Cosker joined forces with 18 balls remaining and Roland-Jones returning for the last two overs at the Cathedral Road End. With his fifth delivery he bowled Cosker before Fuller did the same to Salter next over as Glamorgan were dismissed for 266.