Malan and Rogers take Middlesex top

Middlesex 221 for 4 beat Worcestershire 217 for 6 by six wickets
Scorecard

Middlesex moved to the top of the Clydesdale Bank 40 Group A table by cantering to a six-wicket victory against a youthful Worcestershire side at Lord's.

Dawid Malan, Paul Stirling and Chris Rogers were the stars of a successful floodlit run chase as Worcestershire's 40-over total of 217 for 6 proved inadequate. Malan led the way with a classy, controlled 75 made off 77 balls and included with 12 fours.

Malan was joined in stands of 62 with Paul Stirling, who hit a punchy 41 from only 33 balls, and 85 with the experienced Rogers was on 51 not out at the end after finishing matters off in the company of Gareth Berg.

Scott Newman, after hitting the second ball of the reply through the covers for four, went in the seventh over to a very well-judged catch at deep square leg by Matt Pardoe, off Chris Whelan, but Middlesex never looked in any bother as they swept to victory with a comfortable 26 balls to spare.

Middlesex have now won four of their six group games, while Worcestershire remain at the bottom of the table with three defeats from the four matches they have so far played.

The Worcestershire innings was stuttering badly at 125 for 5 in the 28th over, when Pardoe missed a pull at Tom Smith's left-arm spin and was lbw for 11. But Andrew joined Cameron in a rollicking sixth-wicket stand of 87 in just 11 overs, and Worcestershire's eventual total was at least a competitive one.

Andrew, wielding his cut-off Mongoose bat like a cudgel, hit sixes off Berg and Tim Murtagh before producing perhaps the best blow of the match - a magnificent lofted drive over long on into the MCC members' seats off the lively fast-medium of Anthony Ireland, who was the pick of the Middlesex bowlers.

Cameron remained unbeaten on 60, off 66 balls with a six and three fours, after losing Andrew when the left-hander eventually holed out to deep midwicket for a highly entertaining 35-ball 48, with two fours to go with his three big sixes.

Moeen Ali and Alexei Kervezee had both earlier threatened to play significant innings, as Worcestershire initially reached 64 for following the early loss of Adrian Shankar, who was bowled by Murtagh.

But Moeen, having stroked five fours and a six in 36 from just 31 balls, rashly slashed a swirling but straightforward catch to deep cover off Berg, and Kervezee's 66-ball 47 ended when he gave Corey Collymore a return catch off a leading edge.

Neil Pinner went cheaply, caught at the wicket to give Berg his second success, and the Worcestershire innings was beginning to lose all momentum before Andrew and Cameron revived it.