Comfort Zone:

Owais Shah’s second century of the season dominated proceedings in the penultimate day of his career as a Middlesex career. After sixteen years in the first team Shah will leave for pastures new next season. His partnership with Middlesex skipper Neil Dexter should have been the platform to ensure victory. Dexter came to the crease at 198 for 5. Their partnership was worth 158, comfortably the best of the match.

However, Dexter dominated the partnership. 21 runs after Shah departed to a loud reception from a familiarly sparse crowd, which he acknowledged, Dexter threw away the century that he deserved. His 153-ball 97 contained sixteen fours. He was caught and bowled by Moeen Ali – who else? Ali appreciated the efforts of the Middlesex skipper. “First time I’ve seen him,” Ali said. “He obviously played well. I just hope to keep getting wickets.”

And he did. 356 for 6 turned into 392 all out as Middlesex’s tail failed to wag. Gareth Berg was run out for 10 by David Wheeldon and Ali rapidly dismissed Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones for 8 and 2 respectively. Ali left the field with an impressive 5-for. From just 10.3 overs he had figures of 5 for 36, surprisingly without a maiden – his first 5-for and at Lord’s too.

“I bowled just before lunch,” says Ali. “I just kept bowling.” So was this his best ever bowling? “Yes definitely,” he says. “I had a 4-for last year against Hampshire, so definitely. When I had 4 for 36, he [Vikram Solanki] said make sure I don’t give a run away or he’d give me a bit of stick, but what a place to be honest to get my first 5-for. That’s very special. I don’t have many all-round performances in four-day cricket, but I’m happy obviously to get a 5-for at Lord’s for the first time.”

It was already a very impressive all-round performance. He had made 66 from just 88 balls in Worcestershire’s first innings total of 313 all out. No other batsman recorded a half-century in their innings. Ali had hit ten fours and a six, but he wasn’t satisfied. “ I should have got a hundred really,” says Ali. “I played a bit of a loose shot, but I’m still happy.” Nevertheless, he was still far from finished.

Response:

Trailing by 79 on the first innings, Worcestershire responded by reducing the arrears to 32 for the first wicket. A fiery spell by Steven Finn yielded no reward. It was left to the departing icon Shah, who had been given the honour of leading out Middlesex – the last time he would field for the county – to prove that his arm was golden too.

Wheeldon was run out for 22 by a fine throw by Roland-Jones. Two runs later Vikram Solanki was dismissed by Shah leg-before wicket for 2. Shah succeeded where England bowler Steven Finn had failed with the ball as did Pedro Collins and Tim Murtagh before the break, but that was about to change in the final session of the day.

Daryl Mitchell was finally beaten all ends up by Pedro Collins for 19 and he quickly trapped Dutch batsman Alexei Kervezee, lbw, for a duck as well. The first and so far only Bangladeshi international to play first class cricket, Shakib al-Hasan, participated in a forty-run partnership with Ali to bring up Worcestershire’s hundred. “He’s been excellent,” Ali said of al-Hasan. “We all see that he’s a top, top player. He’s a good guy. He’s loved it here, so you know he’s a very good player.” But this wasn’t the Bangladeshi all-rounder’s day. He was neatly caught in the slips by Dawid Malan for 10 to give Roland-Jones his first wicket.

Roland-Jones took over bowling honours, reducing the visitors to 148 for 7. James Cameron fell the same way for 17. Wicket-keeper Ben Cox went for a golden  duck in the same over. Dexter took the catch. Gareth Andrew faced Roland-Jones’ hat-trick ball, but got off the mark with an edge that didn’t carry. He got an undeserved boundary for it. 3 for 64 from 13 overs does not tell the story of how well  he bowled.

Meanwhile, Ali watched from the non-striker’s end, still stubbornly refusing to read the script, finally getting lower-order support from Andrew. “I think Gareth Andrew is playing really well with me,” Ali said before turning to the plan for the final day of Middlesex’s season. “Obviously to get as many as we can, especially with this partnership and then once we probably lose one with two bowlers coming in, it’s going to be tough, but we’ve still got a good partnership going.”

Special:

Ali simply refused to follow the script for Shah’s curtain call. Despite being caught by the departing former England international for 66 in the first innings off Dexter’s bowling, he shone with bat and ball.

Andrew joined Ali at the crease after Roland-Jones had helped reduce his team to 148 for 7. Their partnership was unbroken on 47. Andrew is unbeaten on 34 with five boundaries to his name while Ali has sights set on another personal landmark. “Hopefully I can get a ton tomorrow,” he told us. He needs another 29, but he wants more than just another personal landmark. He wants to spoil Shah’s farewell with a win, but will there be enough time?

“Of course there will be,” he says. “I mean we’re seven down already, so I think there will be plenty of time. It’s a good batting wicket, but also it spun a lot. Obviously me and Shakib and the seamers can chip in with some wickets.