Abbas hat-trick as Middlesex are skittled

MOHAMMAD ABBAS took the first six wickets to fall, including a hat-trick, as MIDDLESEX crashed to 79 all out against HAMPSHIRE yesterday. The Pakistan fast bowler, in his first season at the Ageas Bowl, claimed Max Holden and Nick Gubbins with the last two balls of his first over of the day, then added Steven Eskinazi as his hat-trick victim with the first delivery of his second. And when Abbas (right) took the next three wickets, Middlesex were in disarray at 31 for six and the Pakistani was on course to take all 10. That was not to be once Kyle Abbott had chipped in with the wicket of Toby Roland-Jones but Abbas ended with the remarkable figures of six for 11 from 11 overs as Middlesex were sent hurtling towards their second successive defeat. Earlier, former England paceman Steven Finn had completed a four-wicket haul in his first red-ball game for Middlesex since September 2019 as Hampshire were dismissed for 319, the South African Abbott providing ballast to their innings on day two with 58. Hampshire, who comprehensively defeated Leicestershire in their first

Group 2 game, moved on to a lead of 444 by the close after reaching 204 for two. Dan Lawrence almost single-handedly kept defending champions ESSEX in the hunt against DURHAM as they strove to avoid their first home red-ball defeat in three years. Lawrence enhanced his claims to step in for the injured Ben Stokes in the England middle order against New Zealand in June with 76 as Essex reached 208 for six in their second innings. That gave them a lead of just 45 after Durham had extended their first-innings advantage to 163 by adding 115 for the last two wickets, former Essex seamer Matt Salisbury making 41. The remarkable Darren Stevens, one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the year at the age of 44, was in the runs again as KENT struggled in reply to YORKSHIRE’S 379. Stevens, who made an unbeaten century in last week’s draw with Northants, added 52 yesterday as Kent were bowled out for 265. They trailed by 120 at the close. LANCASHIRE’S Matt Parkinson earned comparisons with the greatest of all leg-spinners by bowling NORTHANTS’ Adam Rossington with an absolute beauty reminiscent of Shane Warne’s ‘ball of the century’ to Mike Gatting at the same Old Trafford ground in 1993.