Mustard the Durham hero

DURHAM hope to hear today that Shivnarine Chanderpaul has obtained his work permit and can play in Sunday's NatWest Pro40 League match against Surrey at Guildford.

Their other overseas man, Michael Di Venuto, was out first ball on his comeback against Middlesex last night, but fellow opener Phil Mustard then launched a thrilling onslaught to set up a five-wicket win.

In a match reduced to 19 overs a side under the Riverside floodlights, Mustard rewarded the 1,500 fans who had stayed on by smashing 49 off 21 balls after Middlesex made 145 for eight.

Although the crowd was about 2,000 down on what would normally be expected for the one floodlit match of the season, proceedings were further illuminated for the die-hards by outstanding fielding from Garry Park.

After running in from long-off to hold an excellent low catch, he pulled off an even better one by sprinting 15 yards at long-on and diving to hold the ball in mid-flight. He also ran out Chad Keegan as Middlesex, last season's other relegated team, subsided from 126 for three.

Mustard received impressive assistance from Kyle Coetzer, who picked up Sri Lankan Test bowler Chaminda Vaas for two leg-side sixes in a second wicket stand of 73 in six overs.

Mustard took 22 off the fourth over, bowled by Keegan, hitting the first three balls for four in the long-on area, followed by a six over extra cover, a four wide of mid-off and a straight-driven two.

When off-spinner Jamie Dalrymple replaced Keegan he was greeted by a mixture of superbly-struck sweeps and reverse sweeps as 18 came off the over.

Mustard fell in the seventh over, lifting Indian left-arm spinner Murali Kartik to long-on, but he had done enough to ensure that the biggest threat to Durham was the return of rain.

The umpires consulted after nine overs, with one more having to be fitted in for a result to be declared under the Duckworth/Lewis method.

Durham were comfortably ahead of the required rate, but with rain still falling Coetzer was caught at extra cover for 28 in the 12th over.

Gordon Muchall then contributed 25 to a stand of 37 with Dale Benkenstein before the third umpire had to be called upon in the Sky-televised match for him to be given out stumped.

Durham needed 16 off 18 balls at that point, which came down to 11 off two overs before Benkenstein hit Tim Murtagh to mid-wicket for four then clipped the next ball into mid-on's hands to depart for 30.

Park scored three off the remaining three balls of the overs, leaving him to face Keegan with three needed and after taking two to mid-wicket off the first ball he drove the third wide of mid-on for four.

Just when Durham had shaken off their Twenty20 hangover they discovered a taste for the abbreviated format after their opening match in the 40-over competition was delayed for three hours by rain.

The visitors chose to bat when play began at 7.40, and although the lights were on the sun at that time was shining brightly following the heavy rain.

Middlesex took ten off Neil Killeen's first four balls, with the help of an edged four by Ed Smith and the Middlesex captain then pulled Liam Plunkett high to the square leg boundary.

With 33 on the board after four overs man of the moment Ottis Gibson replaced Killeen and after a cut for four Smith bottom-edged an attempted pull to Phil Mustard to fall for 30 with the total on 37.

The other opener, Irishman Eoin Morgan advanced down the pitch to Gibson and missed, but when he tried it again he middled the ball over extra cover for four.

Gibson switched ends and Shah played across a straight ball to fall lbw for 19, bringing in Dalrymple at 69 for two.

Although there were two wides in Breese's second over, only one run came off the bat, prompting Durham to bring on their other off-spinner Paul Wiseman.

Morgan just cleared Dale Benkenstein at extra cover then lofted the last ball over long-off for six, and when Dalrymple drove the first two balls of Breese's next over for four and six things were turning very much in Middlesex's favour.

But Dalrymple then holed out at deep mid-wicket, where Gordon Muchall back-pedalled to hold the catch just inside the boundary.

Morgan flipped Killeen over Mustard for four and in the same over Nick Compton played an equally audacious lap/sweep to long leg.

But both batsmen fell to successive balls from Wiseman in the 17th over. First Morgan drove the off-spinner over long-on to reach 50 off 45 balls, but was then caught at deep extra cover by Muchall before Compton fell to Park's long-off catch.

Wiseman was left with three for 30 from three overs when Muchall held his third catch to see off Ed Joyce for 13, off eight balls.

Park's efforts helped to keep Middlesex's total within bounds, and although Di Venuto shuffled across and was lbw to the first ball of Durham's innings the second-wicket stand allowed them to ease home

SCORECARD

Durham Dynamos v Middlesex Crusaders at Riverside.

Middlesex Innings
E J Morgan c Muchall b Wiseman 52
E T Smith c Mustard b Gibson 30
O A Shah lbw b Gibson 19
J W Dalrymple c Muchall b Breese 10
N R Compton c Park b Wiseman 8
E C Joyce c Muchall b Wiseman 13
C B Keegan run out 0
T J Murtagh c Park b Killeen 2
B J Scott not out 2
W P Vaas not out 1
Extras (lb5 w3 pens 0) 8
Total 8 wkts Innings Complete
(19 overs) 145
Fall: 1-37 2-69 3-94 4-126 5-126 6-130 7-
134 8-143
Did Not Bat: M Kartik.
Bowling: Killeen 4-0-34-1. Plunkett 4-0-22-0.
Gibson 4-0-31-2. Breese 4-0-23-1. Wiseman 3-
0-30-3.
Durham Innings
M J Di Venuto lbw b Vaas 0
P Mustard c Vaas b Kartik 49
K J Coetzer c Morgan b T J Murtagh 28
D M Benkenstein c Joyce b T J Murtagh 30
G J Muchall st Scott b T J Murtagh 25
O D Gibson not out 2
G T Park not out 6
Extras (lb4 w2 pens 0) 6
Total 5 wkts (18.3 overs) 146
Fall: 1-0 2-73 3-93 4-130 5-140
Did Not Bat: G R Breese, P J Wiseman, L E Plunkett,
N Killeen.
Bowling: Vaas 4-1-24-1. Keegan 3.3-0-45-0.
Dalrymple 3-0-32-0. Kartik 4-0-15-1. T J Murtagh
4-0-26-3.