An Evening at Lord's

Not my usual choice of venue for watching a game of cricket. In fact, Lord's while being the home of cricket is technically also the home of the enemy - Middlesex at least that's the view if you are a Surrey supporter like myself. Then again I've never turned down a free ticket to watch a game of cricket and wasn't about to start now.......

Proof that the sun does sometimes shine in England!

Beyond Lord's being such a beautiful and historic cricket ground, I will give Middlesex props for one thing - they allow spectators to bring their own booze into the venue (within limits), unlike Surrey who will charge you the best part of a fiver per piss poor pint that you wish to consume.

The other big reason that I was inclined to travel over to St. John's Wood was that Middlesex have signed arguably the greatest white-ball cricketer of his generation AB De Villiers. All cricket fans can feel somewhat aggrieved not to have seen the great man in action during this summer's World Cup but as with so many South African cricketers he seems to have decided to take the easier and better-paid option of becoming a sporting nomad rather than deal with the continued politics of playing for his nation.

De Villiers has been in fantastic form for Middlesex who also have England's victorious World Cup captain Eoin Morgan and Dawid Malan amongst their ranks. Unfortunately, though, AB wasn't available for this game and while I did get to watch Pakistan great Mohammed Hafeez (owner of the best beard and moustache combo in world cricket) play in his sted it wasn't quite as exciting an evening as I'd hoped it would be. In fact, De Villiers seems to be doing his utmost to avoid me ever getting to watch him live. I was at the Oval a couple of years ago to watch the South Africans play a Test against England in a series that he decided to sit out due to exhaustion.

AB has played 5 games for Middlesex this season and scored 253 runs at an average of 88 with a Strike Rate of 192! It'd be fair to say he's still got it....

The game itself was a little bit of damp squib with Middlesex batting first and posting a poultry 128 all out. Several of their top order got in but no one was really able to get going as wickets fell at regular intervals. Speaking of South Africans, while I didn't get to see AB play I did get to see 4 of them turn out for Hampshire. Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw are established players for the county with both qualifying under the Kolpak ruling. They were joined by all-rounder Chris Morris who has played in the T20 blast for Surrey in previous years and left-arm Chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi both of who represent their country in the World Cup this year.

Shamsi formed a good partnership with England's Liam Dawson to stifle Middlesex in the middle overs but it was Morris who delivered the real fireworks in the final over. Keen cricket fans will know that the right-armer is developing a reputation as being a very good death bowler in T20 having performed well for the Dehli Capitals this year and he proved once again that he is able to hit his yorkers in pressure situations. The last over saw Morris knock over Sowter with a fast full ball first up before Steve Finn was left able to score just 1 from the next 3 deliveries. A comedy run-out then ensued before Morris finished the job and the Middlesex innings by cleaning up number 11 Tom Barber.

It was never likely to be enough for Middlesex to defend and Hampshire captain James Vince showed why England fans are so frustrated at his inability to convert his God-given talents into an international career of substance. Vince stroked a very pleasing 69 from 42 balls playing an array of lovely cricket shots. Where every other batsmen on either side had struggled to beat fielders and pick up consistent boundaries, Vince seemed to know down to the centimetre exactly where the gaps were. He was eventually out just before the end trying to over hit the ball and finish the game quickly but he rightly received warm appaulse from the by then slightly inebriated crowd.

All in all a lovely evening with pleasant company watching the greatest sport in the world

My 6 month-old Nephew enjoyed his first game of cricket