Middlesex captain Stephen Eskinazi paid tribute to his players’ hard work after they ended a 14-match losing run in the T20 Blast with a scarcely believable victory over Surrey at the Kia Oval.
In front of a 20,000 crowd, Middlesex chased down 253 — the highest successful chase in the competition’s history — with seven wickets in hand and four balls remaining.
“An absolutely incredible game of cricket,” said Eskinazi. “It’s been a phenomenally difficult time for us as a group of players and staff. Everyone loves the club and puts in hours and hours of time.
“While the celebrations may look over the top, it’s a vindication of the process and that we’re finally seeing some of the fruits of our labour. You need results like tonight to make people believe.”
After a first-innings total from Surrey that in itself was the highest score of all time on the ground, Middlesex exploded out the blocks as Eskinazi (73) and Joe Cracknell put on 90 for the first wicket in the opening six-and-a-half overs.
It felt sure to be a matter of when, not if, Middlesex’s chase tailed off, but instead their batters kept going as Max Holden hit 65 not out off 35 balls, ably assisted by Cracknell (36) and Ryan Higgins (48), before Jack Davies made 11 from just three deliveries at the end.
Only South Africa, who made 259 against the West Indies, have ever chased more to win a T20 match.
What made the result all the more remarkable was that it was Middlesex’s very first victory of the season, having lost all 10 of their Blast matches this year.
Surrey’s innings included a remarkable 177 opening stand between Will Jacks (96) and Laurie Evans (85). At one stage Jacks, who could be in contention for the Test squad next week, hit five consecutive sixes off Luke Hollman, but shanked the final-delivery full toss for just one run.
