Ball’s burst revives Notts’ hopes

Middlesex 247 and 48 for 3 (Ball 3-20) require a further 187 runs to beat Nottinghamshire 241 and 240 (Mullaney 64, Rayner 4-83) Scorecard

There was a time, not so long ago, when these late season Championship encounters held little significance. Sure, one team might be challenging for a title but, as recently as 20 years ago, such matches very often lacked relevance or competitive edge. The season drifted off to sleep with the same gentle familiarity as “Sailing By” and the Shipping Forecast.

Not any more. Here we are in the second week of September and Nottinghamshire and Middlesex go into the final day of this match with everything at stake. The side that loses will be relegated or see their hopes of a Championship title severely dented. Both have to win. Both can win. We are all set for a classic at Trent Bridge.

So, as county cricket tears itself apart in the quest for a few dollars more – or a few million dollars more – it is worth reflecting on one of the great success stories of recent years: promotion and relegation works. It has improved county cricket markedly. It has made it tougher, more interesting. And, partially as a result of the increased edge to the competition, England’s players go into the fierce environment of Test cricket better prepared for the rigours they will face.

It is no coincidence that England have won five of the last seven Ashes series; no coincidence that the side that reached No. 1 in 2011 contained four men in the top seven (Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior) who made centuries on Test debut – two others, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell, made half-centuries – and a bowler (James Anderson) who started with a five-wicket haul. We risk diluting the success of the Test team when we meddle with its foundations.

That Nottinghamshire’s hopes of survival remain just about alive is largely due to some decent batting from Steven Mullaney and Brett Hutton and another incisive new-ball spell from Jake Ball. Ball’s fitness levels might need to improve if he is to enjoy a long Test career – unlike Chris Woakes, for example, it is noticeable that his fourth spell is significantly less hostile than his first, irrespective of the softening of the ball – but with the new ball he is, already, a terrific bowler.

After taking a hat-trick in the first over of …

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