Late Lancashire wickets fall to set up fascinating final day against Middlesex

Middlesex claimed five wickets in a dramatic evening session at Emirates Old Trafford as they sought to inflict a first defeat of the season on division two champions Lancashire.

Having recovered from 34-6 to reach 337 for a first-innings lead of 78, Dawid Malan’s bowlers then restricted the home side to 289-8 when bad light ended play 11 overs early.

Miguel Cummins ended the day with 4-50 but Ethan Bamber took two vital wickets with the new ball, while Lancashire’s best contribution was made by Keaton Jennings (above). The opener was dismissed for 97 for the second time this season when he chopped a ball from Nathan Sowter on to his leg stump.

Jennings’ dismissal ended his 127-run stand with Liam Livingstone and was the first of five Lancashire wickets to fall in 13 overs in a decline from 253-3 to 282-8.

In the morning session, a career-best 34 by Saqib Mahmood had enabled Lancashire to wipe out their first-innings deficit. Mahmood hit five fours before he was caught behind off Cummins, but his was the only wicket to fall in the first session.

Lancashire’s domination continued in the afternoon, when the only batsman dismissed was Josh Bohannon, lbw to Toby Roland-Jones for 28, having helped Jennings put on 51 for the third wicket.

Livingstone joined Jennings and they put on 127 either side of tea, Livingstone twice hitting Sowter for sixes during his 116-ball 68. But as Jennings closed in on a his first championship century of the season, he fell to Sowter and changed the course of a fascinating contest.

Bamber had Livingstone caught behind by Simpson two overs after taking the new ball and then trapped skipper Dane Vilas leg before for only two in his next over.

Rob Jones fell to Cummins for 16, caught in the gully by Sowter, and when Tom Bailey was pouched by Malan at second slip for only four Lancashire were faced with the prospect of defending a fairly modest target on the final day of cricket at Old Trafford this year.