Incredible:

Steven Finn and Eoin Morgan staved off what seemed destined to be certain defeat. With eight wickets down and last man Iain O’Brien injured, Finn had to prove his mettle as a batsman. He did so with a triumphant unbeaten 0. Finn kept out 35 balls from Monty Panesar, who had just achieved his second consecutive five-for and former West Indies fast-bowler Corey Collymore, who just missed out on a five wicket haul in the first innings.

The pair survived 76 balls. Morgan reached his fifty in 122 balls. He finished on 58 not out. Meanwhile, Finn will never work harder or play a more satisfying innings without scoring. The England bowler helped his team earn three points for a draw. As draws go, this was an exciting one. 

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No sooner had the last hour begun with Middlesex at 160 for 4 – meaning a draw could be agreed if no possibility of a result was possible – Sussex captain Michael Yardy finally brought spinner Ollie Rayner on. It was overdue. “You never give up hope,” said Zimbabwean batsman Murray Goodwin. It was a sentiment echoed by former West Indies fast-bowler Corey Collymore.

“I’m from Barbados,” he told us. “My captain Courtney Browne taught me, you never play to draw – always play to win.” Yardy’s decision to turn to Rayner paid off immediately as he bowled Middlesex’s captain Neil Dexter for 46. He was disgusted with the shot he played as he slowly trudged off. His nine boundaries were no consolation.

Gareth Berg replaced him and departed for a second-ball duck, attempting a sweep – uncalled for in the situation – edging it onto his pad. It looped up to silly-point for an easy catch by Chris Nash. At 160 for 6, Sussex were now into the tail, scenting victory. Only Morgan remained of the specialist batsmen, although Shaun Udal is not a complete mug with the bat , but Panesar quickly claimed his wicket.

Udal seemed unimpressed with umpire David Millns’ decision, dropping his bat as he walked off as Nash was credited with a catch at silly-point for 2, convinced that he did not get a touch. He didn’t show dissent. Toby Roland-Jones was caught by Ed Joyce at first slip for a single to give Panesar his five-for. The last four wickets fell in 44 balls for just 15 runs.

Heroic Stand:

At 175 for 8 Finn strode to the wicket with at least 52 balls remaining. Sussex were favourite to win, but amazingly Finn stayed with Morgan long enough for his England team-mate to score a half century, but runs were not important by then – it was all about keeping a rampant Panesar at bay and Collymore too.

“He can play,” said Middlesex’s wicket-keeper John Simpson about Finn’s batting. “He works hard.” So how high can he progress in Middlesex’s batting order now that he helped keep Sussex at bay? “I think he’ll always bat about the same place in the order – ten or eleven,” said Simpson.

Tactics:

Despite the slow scoring of Michael Thornley before lunch, Sussex batted on after the interval. Ollie Rayner made 18 and Monty Panesar was unbeaten on 9. With the score on 240 Rayner went for quick runs, but was thwarted by brilliant fielding by Owais Shah at deep third-man. Conscious of his proximity to the boundary he knocked it back into play before coming back onto the field to take the catch.

Sussex’s tactics were baffling. The run-rate was slow for Uxbridge on a sunny day and it was achieved if that is the right word against a sorely depleted Middlesex attack. O’Brien retired with a recurrence of his injury after less than three overs yesterday and Middlesex’s player of the season so far, Gareth Berg could not bowl at all in this innings due to a back injury.

Against a Middlesex attack shorn of two front-line bowlers on a pitch with runs in it, Sussex should have done better – much better – even if that attack included the returning Finn. England’s fast-bowler took 3 for 83 from 23 overs to add to 3 for 134 in the first innings from 30 overs. 53 overs in the match represented a good work-out. England’s selectors could not have hoped for more.

Timing the Declaration:

But did Yardy’s declaration come too late. Rayner became the ninth man out shortly after lunch and Yardy declared. Middlesex were set a very improbable 343 at just under six an over to win. The hosts were never in with a chance and the visitors’ opportunity was not great either, so were the tactics wrong? Should Sussex have given themselves more time?

Not according to Goodwin. The plan was to bat long enough to make sure that they would not lose and once that was achieved hope that they could do enough to win, but recognising that it was a long shot. Collymore was not prepared to Yardy’s timing either. “It’s the captain’s decision,” he said.

Both were impressed with Panersar’s efforts – an unbroken spell of 30 overs, which yielded 5 for 89 runs. It could not have hurt his chances of an international recall to not only take a five-for against a strong batting line-up, but include the England captain Andrew Strauss among his victims. Simpson agreed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he forces he way back in the England team,” he said.