Crane lifts Glamorgan as Middlesex implode on tricky surface

Mason Crane sparked a spectacular Middlesex collapse as Glamorgan opened their 2025 Vitality Blast campaign with a five-wicket win at Merchant Taylors' School.

The 28-year-old leg-spinner struck with his first ball on the way to figures of 4 for 28 as the hosts capitulated from 45 for 0 to 124 for 9 in their 20 overs.

Kane Williamson top-scored with 25 and Ryan Higgins hit a quick-fire 21 amid the clatter of wickets.

Glamorgan had troubles of their own in reply, slipping to 64 for 5, before superb ball-striking from Asa Tribe and Dan Douthwaite in a stand of 64 in 38 balls saw Glamorgan home with four and a half overs to spare.

On a two-paced pitch of variable bounce, Williamson and skipper Stephen Eskinazi managed one boundary in the first six overs before the former swept Hayden Kerr over the ropes for six to suggest a change of momentum.

Those hopes were dashed when Eskinazi swept Crane's first offering to a catcher in the deep, before hesitation in running proved fatal later in the over as Williamson was run out by Kerr's direct hit. The first ball of Crane's next over accounted for Ben Geddes, whose decision to reverse sweep saw his stumps scattered.

The Glamorgan fielders were excellent throughout with Tribe holding onto a good catch at deep mid-on to dismiss Leus Du Plooy and give Crane his third wicket and the four-fer was sealed when Luke Hollman, who sparkled briefly, lobbed one tamely to Timm Van der Gugten.

Ryan Higgins followed up his 44 in Thursday's defeat to Sussex with a six and two fours in another hard-hitting cameo, but he holed out off Douthwaite (2 for 18) as the hosts' innings fell away.

Kiran Carlson looked in a hurry to head back to Wales, hoisting an early six before Zafar Gohar got him to loft one in the hands of Du Plooy and fellow opener Will Smale was bowled by a beauty from Noah Cornwell which broke a bail in the process.

Ben Kellaway perished caught behind from an attempted ramp off Tom Helm and when the same pair accounted for the dangerous Colin Ingram in the same over, Glamorgan were 40 for 4 at the end of the powerplay.

All eyes were now on Cooke, who got an unbeaten hundred the last time Glamorgan visited the school in 2023 and he soon pummelled a short one from Hollman over the ropes.

Helm returned to have him caught at point with the first ball of a new spell, a slower delivery slashed low to De Caires at point, but Tribe, who'd patrolled the boundary expertly when Glamorgan fielded wrestled back the initiative for the visitors with some brutal hitting.

Four times in four overs he cleared the, ropes treating spin and seam with equal disdain, and with Douthwaite belatedly joining in the fun Glamorgan scampered home.