Harris shows signs of rediscovered promise

Durham 157 for 4 (Jennings 61*) trail Middlesex 463 (Robson 178) by 306 runs
Scorecard

James Harris and Steven Finn, two seam bowlers who have laboured so long under the burden of "promise", combined to haul Middlesex into the ascendancy on a day of hard graft at Lord's.

After Sam Robson's first-day 178 had hinted at the sort of toil that might be in prospect on a typically unforgiving surface, Middlesex's challenge was compounded after two balls of Durham's reply when Tim Murtagh, their Ireland seamer, limped out of the attack with an injury to his left hamstring.

But in his absence, Harris led the line with aplomb, claiming two of the first three wickets to fall, before Finn, with his penultimate ball of a frustrating 14-over workload, extracted some extra lift outside off stump to bowl Callum McLeod off his arm for 13.

With James Franklin removing Scott Borthwick for 26 to claim his first wicket in Middlesex colours, Durham were indebted to a composed unbeaten 61 from their South Africa-born opener, Keaton Jennings, son of Ray, who was joined at the close by the nightwatchman, Chris Rushworth.

At 157 for 4 overnight, Durham are one good partnership from restoring a measure of parity to the contest, but they failed to capitalise on some of the best batting conditions of the match so far. They regularly shipping wickets when well set, with all four dismissed batsmen making between 13 and 26. Geoffrey Boycott would have a fit, if he wasn't pre-occupied with an even more slipshod effort in Barbados.

To a degree, Durham missed their opportunity with the ball as well. After overnight rain had caused a 50-minute delay, their seamers briefly thrived in the damp morning conditions and capitalised on the void in Middlesex's batting left by the late extraction of Robson on the first evening.

John Hastings, their one-Test Australian allrounder, produced a bullish spell to extract both overnight batsmen for the addition of 12 runs. First to go was Franklin, who was trapped on the crease from round the wicket as Hastings shaped the ball back down the slope to pluck out his middle stump for 18. Then Harris had a loose waft outside off, and snicked a simple chance through to Phil Mustard behind the stumps for 9.

But from the relative nadir of 341 for 6, Middlesex consolidated through the efforts of Simpson and Neil Dexter, who took their partnership to 58 before - with the sun breaking through after lunch and batting looking comparatively effortless - Dexter was late onto a Hastings bouncer and picked out Usman Arshad on the fine leg boundary for 33.

But Simpson ground on, reaching his half-century from 89 balls with nine fours, and adding 41 for the eighth wicket with Rayner, who made 16 before Rushworth rapped him on the pad to claim his second victim of the innings.

In a prelude to his efforts with the ball, Murtagh came and went in a hurry as he got himself into a tangle against the legspin of Scott Borthwick and was bowled on the heave for 11. And then, with only the No.11, Steven Finn, for company, Simpson took one chance too many against the persevering Hastings, and flapped an attempted glide to mid-off.

Durham's reply seemed solid from the outset, with Stoneman making the early running in his opening stand with Jennings, with two fours including a well-timed on-drive against Harris. But the bowler had his revenge when Stoneman pushed too firmly outside off and edged a simple catch at a comfortable height to Ollie Rayner at second slip. It was due reward for Middlesex's perseverance. After their triumph at Taunton, they are enjoying their cricket at the moment.