Middlesex finish tough Blast campaign with third win

Ryan Higgins hit 71 off 36 balls to steer his side to a total of 200, then took 3 for 20 with his seam bowling, including two wickets in two balls to change the momentum of the match

Cardiff: Middlesex 200-9, Glamorgan 151 - Middlesex win by 49 runs

A superb all-round performance from Ryan Higgins saw Middlesex to victory over Glamorgan, despite a fastest-ever T20 half century for the Welsh county by captain Kiran Carlson.

Higgins hit 71 off 36 balls to steer his side to a total of 200, then took 3 for 20 with his seam bowling, including two wickets in two balls to change the momentum of the match.

For Glamorgan had looked to be romping to victory when they were 95 for one off 6.4 overs when Carlson was out for 77, scored off just 29 balls.

It was a consolation victory for bottom of the table Middlesex, Glamorgan just one place above them, with Ethan Bamber and Luke Hollman also taking three wickets each as Glamorgan slipped to 151 all out.

Middlesex openers Stephen Eskinazi and Joe Cracknell treated the early deliveries from left arm spinner Prem Sisidoya with respect, but a reverse-sweep-slog for six off the final ball of the opening over lit the blue touch paper.

With plenty of ramp and reverse hit shots, they accelerated to 69 without loss at the end of the powerplay, with both openers 33 not out.

Spin was proving harder to get away and the first wicket fell with Cracknell out trying to ramp Sisodiya. Eskinazi followed soon after, bowled giving himself room against Peter Hatzoglou.

^{Glamorgan's campaign fell away and ended with a defeat by Middlesex (Getty Images)}

Max Holden was caught off a ramp shot to Hatzoglou, while the medium pace of Andy Gorvin trapped John Simpson trying a reverse sweep.

Luke Hollman hit a six first ball and was out second, bowled by Sisodiya, but as the wickets kept falling at the other end Higgins kept going whenever he was on strike.

He went to his 50 with a six off Tom Bevan over midwicket and two runs off the last ball took his team to 200. Glamorgan were looking for an even faster start, Carlson scoring 19 out of 20 taken from the first over by Joshua De Caires.

The opening partnership reached 39 before the end of the third over, when Sam Northeast went for just two – showing how dominant Carlson had been in the early stages.

The 50 came up in the fourth over. Carlson brought up his 50 two balls later off just 15 deliveries. Glamorgan reached 87 at the end of the powerplay with Northeast and William Smale having contributed two runs each compared to 70 from Carlson.

Carlson was finally out for 77, caught and bowled by Hollman clutching onto a fiercely hit flat batted shot. Carlson's runs came off just 29 balls.

^{Middlesex won their third game of the competition (Getty Images)}

However, the atmosphere changed as Glamorgan lost two wickets in two balls, with Smale lbw to Higgins and Chris Cooke caught behind first ball.

Another burst of two wickets in two balls changed the momentum back to Middlesex, Colin Ingram was trapped by a ball which appeared to pitch comfortably outside leg stump, then next ball van der Gugten was caught and bowled by Ethan Bamber to give him his third wicket.

Another caught and bowled, this time to Higgins, saw the end of Bevan, Sisodiya also skying the ball to depart after a brief cameo as Glamorgan subsided to 151 all out.

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