Stephen Harmer with another 5 wicket haul for Essex today. Don't SA need him for the tests? Anyhow they have Amir and if a county has a world class bowler to back up their reliable batting, this will go a long way to securing the title. September could prove pivotal but Chelmsford is generally one of the driest places on the circuit so if the rains come early and Essex have the points in the bag, it is theirs.
Thanks Tom!! He is getting wickets now and as the season progresses will continue to do so. He is likely to do well in all forms of cricket in which case, Essex could do very well in the T20 besides looking very good in the Championship. If they defeat Middlesex, by scoring 500+ in their first innings, they are nailed on to bowl out Middlesex again with Harmer and Amir in their attack and will be a very hard to peg back having got that momentum, in the second half of the season.
Someone said that there had been no catering available at the Rose Bowl from 17:30! Did someone cock up the organisation? Not realizing it was a late start?
At the start of that final over, I did actually call for us to declare at the end of it (subject to scoring that 200th run, as a minimum). But I wasn't necessarily expecting us to!
Essex really putting Middlesex to the sword today. I expect Essex to get around 450, and then declare an hour or so before close of play and to have captured four Middlesex wickets by close of play, with Harmer to finish the match by 5 pm tomorrow. Last season's champions, one of this season's chumps.
