Jones joins 200 club as Durham rattle up the runs
MICHAEL Jones scored a career-best 206 to anchor Durham’s innings of 421-7 declared on day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash against Middlesex at Seat Unique Riverside.
Resuming on an overnight score of 78, the Durham opener played a perfect knock to play himself in before taking the attack to the visitors.
Jones notched 28 boundaries and three sixes to post his maiden double-hundred, ensuring Durham recorded four valuable batting points after losing the majority of day one due to rain.
Scott Borthwick and David Bedingham supported Jones with half-centuries as the hosts opted to declare in an attempt to force a result over the final two days, while Toby Roland-Jones finished with impressive figures of 467 from his 28.3 overs.
Middlesex openers Sam Robson and Mark Stoneman then saw their side through to the close unbeaten, although still trailing Durham’s total by 379 runs.
Play was delayed in the morning session due to overnight rain and when it began Durham added only nine runs to their overnight total before Roland-Jones nipped one back to bowl Alex Lees for 46, ending the opening stand for 141 as the left-hander failed to add to his total.
The Middlesex bowlers attempted to make further inroads in a miserly first hour and bowled a tight line and length to keep Jones penned down on 99 for 19 deliveries.
The opener endured a nervy wai, but finally got over the line by piercing a gap between mid-wicket and mid-on to notch his second first-class century.
Borthwick and Jones built the foundations of another solid partnership, passing fifty before the lunch break, the hosts adding a patient 71 runs in the session for the loss of only Lees.
Borthwick found his rhythm after lunch and worked his way to his sixth 50 of the season - but for the sixth time of the campaign the Durham skipper failed to convert his platform into a hundred.
The left-hander played a loose waft against Umesh Yadav to present the seamer with a simple return catch for 55, ending a stand worth 107 for the second wicket.
Nic Maddinson had a brief stay in the middle as a stumble going for a second run cost the Aussie as he was run out by Yadav and Bamber for 17.
Jones continued his fine knock and opted for an aggressive approach after being struck on the head by a Yadav bouncer.
He dispatched a four and two sixes in three-straight deliveries off Yadav to power his way to his first score of over 150 in firstclass cricket.
The 24-year-old pressed on in the evening session and recorded his maiden doublecentury with a drive into the off-side, reaching the milestone from 373 balls.
Jones’ mammoth innings was ended by Roland-Jones lbw for 206, but only after putting Durham into a dominant position.
Bedingham added a quick-fire 62 from 87 balls as the hosts accelerated the run rate before declaring to leave themselves an hour to bowl at Middlesex.
However, the visitors came through to stumps unscathed, leaving the match in the balance heading into day three.
Of his double century, Jones said: “I really enjoyed the knock, it was great to spend time out there in the middle and nice to be playing and contributing to the team.
“It was nice to get those partnerships going and build throughout the day.
“It was frustrating with the rain on day one because we were playing nicely and scoring at a good rate and we had to get back going again today which slowed down the game a little bit.
“At the end we were trying to be aggressive to get the game moving forward.”
He added: “We are going to have to try to find a way to get wickets but it won’t be easy because it looks like the wicket is pretty flat.
“It is definitely a wicket where you are going to have to put in the hard yards.”
■ ENGLAND will host the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup, with the International Cricket Council announcing four women’s tournaments between 2024 and 2027.
Bangladesh will host their first women’s tournament when they put on the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup.
The 50-over World Cup will then take place in India in 2025, with Australia looking to defend their title.