T20 BLAST
Hampshire 198-2
Middlesex 151-9
Hampshire won by 47 runs
MIDDLESEX’S T20 Blast campaign is already all but over following a fourth defeat in four games against Hampshire at Old Merchant Taylors' today.
James Vince proved the scourge of the Panthers with 68 off just 38 balls in an opening stand of 108 in less than 10 overs with Jimmy Adams (38).
Steven Finn in particular suffered in the onslaught conceding 51 in three overs – this after Middlesex had won the toss and chosen to field.
Ravi Patel, back at his former school removed both in an impressive spell of 2-23, but Middlesex old boy Owais Shah clattered an unbeaten 49 in just 26 balls to see the visitors to an imposing 198-2.
In reply, Paul Stirling briefly raised hopes of an improbable win for the Panthers with 40 in 21 balls.
However, once he holed out to Vince at deep mid-off from the bowling of Matt Coles, aside from 33 from Joe Denly, the hosts subsided to an all-too predictable defeat in a competition in which their performance has been largely woeful since they lifted the trophy in 2008.
It leaves Angus Fraser’s men propping up the rest in the South Division table and you would imagine needing a minimum of eight wins from their remaining 10 games to reach the knockout stages.
On this evidence that is at best a very tall order indeed.
