Captain Dawid Malan's 93 led Middlesex to a 69-run victory over Hampshire in their opening Twenty20 Blast fixture.
The opening batsman hit his first five balls for four, with Tino Best coming in for punishment as the first four balls he bowled were struck to the boundary.
The captain motoring along to reach 93 off 48 balls before he was caught by the West Indian bowler off Gareth Andrew.
The majority of Malan's innings featured textbook cricket shots as he flayed the Hampshire attack all around the park and he put his fine innings down to knowing his game..
He said: “I have found a way that suits me. Before, I tried to be the guy that hits every ball for six.
“If it's in my arc I'll back myself to hit it for six; if it's not I back myself to get a single. I feel comfortable doing what I'm doing.”
On the early burst, Malan added: “I think Tino just got his lengths wrong there. It happens. We did that in our first six. I was lucky to get those in the gaps – on other days you find the fielders.”
Adam Voges (23) and John Simpson (15) provided excellent support, playing their part in 50 partnerships with the captain.
Malan added: “At the time I was going and they got me the strike and when I wasn't going, he seemed to find the boundary. Fortunately today, it was my day.”
Toby Roland-Jones and James Franklin helped Middlesex post 195/6 and in James Fuller's first over, the second of Hampshire's reply, they had their first inroad.
Jimmy Adams tried to pull the paceman but could only top edge it and substitute fielder Nathan Sowter, on for Adam Voges who was off with a bad back, ran 20 yards before taking a blinding catch.
Malan explained: “Adam's back went and Sowts was on the field. He tells us he doesn't drop them and he still hasn't dropped one. It was a great catch and set us on our way.”
Toby Roland-Jones took two wickets in two balls to peg the home side back before Shahid Afridi was run out to leave the visitors in trouble.
Ravi Patel then came in to tighten the screw and took two wickets in two balls to put Middlesex on the brink of victory.
The spinner said: “Toby’s two wickets gave me the confidence to bowl with a bit more air than I might have done. It is always nice bowling to new batsmen. I think any spinner will tell you that.
“The wicket was turning in the second innings and it was amazing how it changed from first innings to second innings.
“So a turning wicket and you’ve got two new batsmen, that’s what you want. I tried to just do my thing and it came off today.
“Afridi is so hard to bowl to as a spinner, so when he got run out I thought it was going to be our day.
“It was a game changer because he is the overseas player, a big hitter and he can change the games, people have known that about him for years.
“So to get him out in such a cheap way run out trying to get a second run was just unbelievable.”
It was a rare victory for Middlesex in the competition, having been poor in the shortest form of the game for the past few years and Patel senses a different mentality in the camp.
He explained: “There is a different mentality in the dressing room this year. We have only had one game and it has just gone perfectly.
“We are still pretty much the same side at the moment, but the mindset has changed, the freedom is there, the confidence is there and having almost a nothing to lose attitude because we have been so poor previously anyway, so anything we are going to do is better than that.”
Middlesex and Hampshire will renew hostilities when they meet in the County Championship on Sunday.
