Former England Test opener Sam Robson led Middlesex to a record-breaking run-chase in their One-Day Cup match against Durham on Wednesday (August 13).
David Bedingham stars with 65-ball hundred
Middlesex put Durham in after winning the toss and struck in the first over of the match, with Toby Roland-Jones cleaning up opener Emilio Gayfirst ball. That remained the only positive in their bowling innings as Durham batters plundered runs for the rest of the innings.
Former England opener Alex Lees, leading Durham, added 141 for the second wicket with Will Rhodes (63 off 74) before joining for a 147-run third-wicket partnership with South Africa Test batter David Bedingham which came off only 109 balls.
The right-handed Bedingham was particularly destructive. He came to the crease when Lees was batting on 71 but almost beat the English opener to the hundred, reaching there off just 65 balls. This was Bedingham's seventh List A century, taking his average in the format up to 44 and strike rate to 110.
Following the Bedingham's wicket, Durham added another 98 runs in 51 balls to finish on 387-4, their third-highest List A total ever.
Sam Robson spoils Durham's party
The mammoth target didn't deter Middlesex. Like Durham, they too lost an opener in the first over (Joe Cracknell), but Joshua de Caires (63 off 48) and Robson added 120 for the second wicket in 15.3 overs. Ben Geddes supported Robson for a 44-run third-wicket stand before Jack Davies (61 off 42) stitched another 114 runs for the fourth wicket to place Middlesex well on their way at 280-4 in 36.2 overs, requiring another 108 runs in 13.4 overs.
Luke Hollman's 30-ball cameo of 47 and Robson's calm presence at the other end as he went past 150 ensured Middlesex galloped towards the target and overhauled it with two overs remaining.
Match 24, Durham vs Middlesex
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Robson finished unbeaten on 169 off 139 balls, having hit 19 fours and two sixes. The 36-year-old right-hander has played seven Test matches for England, all in 2014, finishing with an average of 30.54. Not a regular white-ball player, this was only his 49th List A match and just his fourth hundred in the format, where his career strike rate reads 85.75, not immediately giving an impression that he would be the one to lead his team to a 388-run chase.
With this victory, Middlesex broke the List A record in England for the highest successful chase, which was previously held Worcestershire when they chased down 377 against Leicestershire in the One-Day Cup in 2018. Overall, this has now become the fourth-highest successful run-chase in List A cricket history worldwide.
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