The 50 over tour match between Middlesex and the West Indies would be a one-sided affair, with the home side being comfortably crushed. Dexter won the toss and batted, with Lendl Simmons and Chris Gayle (his first game back for the West Indies) blasting the ball about, Gayle hitting Robbie Williams for two fours in one over, before hoisting Tim Murtagh for two sixes in the next. He then swiped Anthony Ireland's first ball to Josh Davey in the deep to go for 34. Simmons then wandered down the track to Paul Striling and was easily stumped by Adam Rossington (on debut) for 23, 67-2 after 15 and not looking too comfortable. But they needn't have worried as Dwayne Smith and Darren Bravo began to hit out against the weak Middlesex attack, they weren't without chances as Smith inside edged Ireland for four and was dropped by Malan off Tom Smith, a tough chance diving to his right at long-off. He was also missed by Smith at cover, a half chance from a lasered drive.
Smith reached 50 off 48 balls, and Bravo off 69 balls before they decimated the bowling. Smith thumped an on drive off Ireland which carried into the back of the top tier of the pavilion, only a couple of metres lower the Keiron Pollard's hit into the right side tower couple of years ago. Smith looked set for his first list-A hundred, but toe ended Murtagh to Stirling at mid off to fall for 96 from 89 balls, a partnership of 156.
Big hitting Pollard was next in, but he only scored 18 when he top edged a hoick off Davey for Stirling to take an excellent diving catch at deep point in front of the Grand Stand crowd. 262-4 with 6 overs left and Middlesex may have thought they were getting away with it as a variety of full tosses weren't always punished as they should be. Williams had dropped Darren Bravo at long-off a couple of overs before, and had broken his collarbone in landing, so it meant Ireland, Davey and Dexter (Middlesex used 8 bowlers in all) to finish off, and it went badly. Sub Tom Scollay provided more poor fielding, letting Dwayne Bravo (Darren's half brother) get four through long on with a weak flap at a bouncing ball before Dwayne twice hit Ireland to the shorter Grand Stand boundary as 22 came off the 39th over to bring up the 300. Darren Bravo then went to his hundred off 110 balls in the last over, before Dwayne hit another six off Davey over point. Dwayne couldn't get two from the 4th ball of the over, but Darren finished the innings well, rattling a straight six off the middle deck of the pavilion then hitting the last ball high into the Warner Stand to finish 112 not out from 112 balls, Dwayne with 40 from 21 (2 fours 3 sixes) as West Indies finished 335-4, a massive total and probably well beyond Middlesex. Stirling finished with 1-28 from seven (why didn't he bowl all 10?) and Davey 1-71 from 10.
Any hopes of a solid start were dashed when Robson (3) was LBW to Andre Russell, though it maybe was a touch too high. Paul Stirling (1) mis-timed a flick off his pads to Darren B at square leg, 11-2. Neil Dexter hit three fours, and actually looked like making a decent score, before toeing one from Russell to square leg for 12, 31-3. Adam London (3) then fell to the obvious hook trap, hitting the ball down the throat of Simmons on the boundary to give Dwayne B a wicket, 38-4. 19 year old Rossington looked capable against the West Indies bowlers, playing Dwayne B and mystery spinner Sunil Narine very well, unlike his team mates. But all too soon, Malan went for a pull and top edged to keeper Denesh Ramdin running round to go fro 21 from 43 as Middlesex then had another collapse. Next over, Davey played the ball from Narine to square leg and charged through for the single, with Rossington shouting back to no avail, so sacrificing his wicket for 17, run out by Pollard and Ramdin by the length of the pitch. Murtagh then had a massive slog at Narine 2nd ball and edged to Ramdin, 67-7, 3 wickets in 9 balls and reaching 100 looking a big ask.
Davey and Tom Smith then fashioned a defensive partnership, mainly blocking and occasionally hitting through the gaps, Davey with a particularly good slog-sweep off Narine for four. Smith even bowled to Smith to complete a further commentators nightmare, but the end was nigh as Gayle's off spin soon cleaned up in his only over. Smith tried a reverse sweep and got in a complete tangle, with the West Indies claiming the catch at slip, the umpires ruled it incomclusive, so Gayle fired the next ball down to send the leg stump flying, 107-8, adding 40 in 12 overs. Ireland came and was LBW 2nd ball for a duck (both wickets accompanied by Gayle's unique celebrations) and with Williams unable to bat, Middlesex were all out for 107, a double wicket maiden from Gayle meaning a win by 228 runs for the West Indies, Rampaul 2-15 from six and Russell 2-19 from five being the other stand out bowlers. This was Middlesex's biggest List A defeat and an uninspiring warm up for the T20 which they now begin.
