Malan knock rescues floundering Middlesex

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Close, day one: Sussex 33-1 trail Middlesex 234 by 201 runs

Dawid Malan hit 93 but Middlesex’s batsmen otherwise struggled on the first day against Sussex at Lord’s.

After losing openers Sam Robson and Nick Gubbins cheaply, Malan and Nick Compton (39) shared in a stand of 90.

But a middle-order collapse saw the hosts slip from 114-2 to 123-6, and only Malan’s knock and help from the tail got them to 234.

Toby Roland-Jones removed visiting skipper Ed Joyce late in the day as relegation-threatened Sussex closed on 33-1.

Having elected to bat, Middlesex found themselves 24-2 after Robson (6) and Gubbins (17) edged to gully and slip respectively.

Malan and Compton steadied the early stutter to guide Middlesex to 83-2 at lunch.

But the loss of Compton midway through the afternoon sparked a middle-order collapse, as the hosts lost four wickets for nine runs.

Skipper James Franklin, who was going through a net session a few minutes before play, faced 13 balls and scored just one, John Simpson was caught behind for one and James Harris, batting at seven, cut straight to point without scoring.

Malan looked in no such peril and having reached 50 he paired up with Ollie Rayner (28) for another rebuild, with Middlesex 178-6 at tea.

Rayner popped a catch up to long leg from the second ball after the interval but Malan continued to look in good touch as he neared a century.

But having taken his side beyond the 200 mark, he was frustratingly strangled down the leg side seven short of the ton and brief resistance from the tailenders saw Middlesex dismissed for 234.

In reply, Sussex faced 16 tricky overs before the close and survived some scares as well as occasionally finding the rope.

Roland-Jones made a crucial breakthrough, trapping Joyce lbw for 12, but the bowlers will need to make up for the failure to cash in with the bat.

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