Red-hot Harmer strikes again to punish Middlesex

At Chelmsford Essex (106-0) trail Middlesex (246) by 140 runs

Simon Harmer became this season’s leading Division One wickettaker with a third successive five-wicket haul as Essex skittled Middlesex for 246 on the first day of their day-night match.

The South African off-spinner had just 19 wickets to his name a week ago but has doubled that in three innings after following up his career-best match figures of 14 for 128 against Warwickshire with five Middlesex wickets for 77.

It had looked unlikely Harmer would have much impact when Mohammad Amir and Jamie Porter were swinging the pink ball prodigiously in the first 20 minutes and Middlesex were two for two. But the ball suddenly softened and for a time it looked as if the batsmen were going to get on top.

Despite being thumped for sixes when Paul Stirling was well set, Harmer reeled in the reigning champions’ middle order with three wickets in 12 balls at a cost of one run to reduce Middlesex from 225 for six to 231 for nine.

Stirling, however, reached his third fifty, to go with one hundred, in his last five Championship innings. It was during his 50-ball 77, which included eight fours and five sixes, that it looked as though Middlesex might post something of note.

Instead Harmer hit back and by the close of play, at 9.17pm, Essex had taken a sizeable chunk out of Middlesex’s score with Alastair Cook and Nick Browne putting on an unbroken stand of 106 for the first wicket from 36 overs. Cook was on 64, Browne 40.

The day-night experiment attracted a Chelmsford crowd that peaked around 2,200, slightly higher than usual, with the office staff replacing those who had trains to catch as the evening wore on.

Amir had taken his first Essex wicket with the sixth ball of his opening spell, Nick Gubbins trapped lbw, and five balls later Nick Compton snicked Porter behind. Dawid Malan led the Middlesex recovery with Stevie Eskinazi, both reaching fifty in a 33-over partnership that ended when Harmer got one to straighten and take the outside of Malan’s bat. Eskinazi followed soon after, edging Porter to Cook at first slip.

Stirling hit three sixes in six balls, but the one-man assault ended when he turned Harmer into Ryan ten Doeschate’s hands at cover. Harmer had a fifth wicket when Tim Murtagh fell lbw.