Middlesex 460 for five (Higgins 127*, Stoneman 97, Carlson 2-89) path Glamorgan 620 for 3 dec by 160 runs
The all-rounder, in his second spell with the Seaxes, made probably the most of a benign Lord’s pitch to plunder an unbeaten 127 and allow the hosts, confronted with the scoreboard strain of Glamorgan’s steepling first innings rating of 620 for 3, to transfer to the verge of avoiding the follow-on with their spectacular reply of 460 for five.
He was ably assisted by wicketkeeper Jack Davies who made 60, the pair sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 153 having come along with their aspect nonetheless nearly 350 runs in arrears. Their efforts got here after Mark Stoneman fell three shy of a century.
The house aspect’s whole marked the first time they’d registered 400-plus in a first-class match at Lord’s since mustering 485 in opposition to Sussex in July 2022.
Glamorgan’s bowlers caught manfully to the duty all through the day, on a observe providing them nothing and with a Kookaburra ball which rapidly went mushy, Kiran Carlson turning into the first bowler within the match to take a couple of wicket, returning 2 for 89.
Docile floor or not, Middlesex started the day 138 for 1, a frightening 482 runs in arrears they usually may need misplaced Stoneman within the first over had a shy on the stumps from an unnecessarily dangerous single resulted in a direct hit.
Thereafter, he and the opposite in a single day batter Max Holden had been unperturbed, the latter transferring easily to 50. Nevertheless, along with his hundred beckoning Stoneman mistimed a drive and located solely the fingers of canopy, ending a stand of 120.
As so usually with massive partnerships when one participant falls the opposite rapidly follows and whereas Stoneman’s departure might be put down to batter error, Holden fell to a well-executed plan, turning a ball off his hip into the fingers of a judiciously positioned Colin Ingram at leg-slip.
At 202 for 3, there would nonetheless have been jitters for a Middlesex aspect who managed solely 5 batting factors in the entire of their 2023 marketing campaign which led to relegation.
Nevertheless, as so usually in that marketing campaign it was a case of Higgins being the person to step up, he and debutant Leus De Plooy seeing them by means of to lunch with out additional loss.
Glamorgan took the brand new ball on the resumption and their hopes rose once more when De Plooy’s innings was minimize quick on 37 by one from Mir Hamza which did simply sufficient to beat the bat and entice him in entrance.
If the Welsh county sensed a door opening, Higgins and Davies joined forces to slam it shut. Higgins drove and minimize with authority, mixing aggression with managed defence to move 50 for the twenty seventh time in his profession and he was close by of three figures by tea.
Davies, given the nod to fill the sneakers of wicketkeeping legend John Simpson – now at Sussex – over teammates Robbie White and Joe Cracknell, offered staunch help and reached his second first-class 50 early within the night session.
Higgins had an even bigger milestone in thoughts racing by means of the nineties with an beautiful straight drive earlier than punching one to the quick boundary at mid-wicket to rating his second hundred in Middlesex colors and his first on the Dwelling of Cricket.
Davies would fall six wanting a brand new career-best when Carlson picked him up lbw however by then the hosts had been inside 45 of the follow-on mark.
Higgins although stays and with solely 11 wanted to keep away from being requested to bat once more the honours appear destined to be shared forward of day 4.
