At Lord’s tonight Surrey could not stop Middlesex maintaining their unbeaten record in this year’s Twenty20 Cup. Nevertheless, the Crusaders were made to work hard for the first time this term. Had it not been for a fifth wicket partnership of 57 in eight overs between Ed Joyce (47) and Dawid Malan (41*), the home side would certainly not have won with the comfort of an over to spare.

After being put in, the Brown Caps lost Scott Newman to a rearing delivery from Dirk Nannes in the opening over. The 32-year-old was the pick of the Middlesex attack. With Joyce using the left-arm seamer from Victoria in one-over spells, Surrey were never allowed to shift up through the gears.

On a well-grassed surface, James Benning had to work hard for his seventh Twenty20 half-century, which he reached off the penultimate ball of the innings. However, Chris Jordan, promoted to number three in the order, made an eye-catching 31 in 26 deliveries that included four of the Brown Caps’ eight boundaries.

Benning and Jordan’s alliance, which was worth 60 in eight overs, gave the visitors a base from which their recognised big-hitters had licence to play their shots. But with Shaun Udal having Usman Afzaal caught at extra cover and Tim Murtagh getting Abdul Razzaq to hole out at long-off, Surrey were only 103-4 with just over five overs remaining.

Alistair Brown, who, unbelievably survived a run out at the bowler's end, when Murali Kartik chose to thrown down the stumps rather than whip off the bails, launched Murtagh into the middle tier of the Grandstand for six in the 17th over. But the former Brown Caps seamer had the last laugh when Eoin Morgan picked up his third catch.

With Mark Ramprakash and Jonathan Batty being caught at deep mid-wicket and extra cover respectively the anticipated climax to the visitors’ innings never materialised. Nevertheless, when Pedro Collins and Jade Dernbach claimed the scalps of the Crusaders’ openers it was Surrey appeared to be in the driving seat.

But from being 7-2, sixes came in each of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh overs as Middlesex raced to sixty; though not before losing Morgan to a superb catch by Brown in Razzaq’s first over.

At the halfway stage the home side were 71-4 in comparison to Surrey’s 72-2 at the same point. With Jordan seemingly enjoying a switch to the Pavilion End and Matthew Spriegel fielding brilliantly off his own bowling, the home side needed 64 runs off the last eight overs.

But with Joyce and Malan making room and working the ball to the boundary behind square on the off-side, the target was down to 18 off three shortly after the acting Middlesex captain gave his opposite number a catch at extra cover off the bowling of Razzaq, who claimed 3-30.

It was therefore left to the 20-year-old Malan to steer his side home to leave the Crusaders in the pink in more ways than one.

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