County Championship: Tim Murtagh takes 900th wicket as Middlesex stay in control at Lord's

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Tim Murtagh played three Tests for Ireland - the last against England at Lord's in 2019

LV= County Championship Division Two, Lord's, London (day two):

Middlesex 401: Eskinazi 118, De Caires 80, White 65

Derbyshire 177-4: Masood 91

Middlesex (4 pts) lead Derbyshire (2 pts) by 224 runs

Scorecard.

Tim Murtagh claimed the 900th first-class wicket of his career but Derbyshire made decent progress as they replied to Middlesex's 401 on day two at Lord's.

The acting skipper brought up his landmark 7,961 days after he had taken his first wicket in 2000, thudding a ball into Billy Godleman's off stump via an inside edge.

It was also a landmark day for Josh de Caires as the son of former England captain Michael Atherton took his maiden first-class wicket.

Shan Masood's 91 for Derbyshire allowed the visitors to reach 177-4 after bowling out the hosts on the stroke of lunch, Alex Thomson (4-103) returning his best figures in County Championship cricket.

Middlesex resumed on 307-4 with eyes on a fourth batting point after Stephen Eskinazi's day-one century - but what looked straightforward became a fraught chase as first Jack Davies lost his off stump to Anuj Dal before Thomson struck twice in three balls in the 110th over to see off John Simpson and Toby Roland-Jones.

The precious point was only secured when Robbie White sent the final ball of the over to the mid-wicket fence.

He perished soon afterwards for 65 and it needed a few big blows from Tom Helm in an unbeaten 30 to lift Middlesex beyond 400 in the first innings at Lord's for the first time since September 2018.

In reply, former Middlesex batter Godleman posted a landmark of 1,000 runs at Lord's when he reached eight.

A sumptuous square drive took Masood past 50 and at 58 he surpassed the previous highest score made by a Derbyshire debutant at Lord's - Chesney Hughes' 57 in 2010.

He survived a testing spell from Helm after tea and looked poised for a century when Murtagh, in search of a breakthrough, threw the ball to De Caires.

The spinner lured him down the track with one he held back and Simpson whipped off the bails to give the 19-year-old his first Championship wicket.

Wayne Madsen survived one huge shout for lbw, only to be pinned in front by Ethan Bamber late on to leave the hosts just ahead in the game.