Settled: Middlesex are going up
(Picture: Getty Images)Middlesex have been promoted to Division One of the County Championship after the final day of their game against Worcestershire was washed out at New Road.
The visitors had been in a commanding position already after a century from Stevie Ezkinazi and scores in the nineties from Pieter Malan and John Simpson established a 284-run first-innings lead.
Crucially, Middlesex had secured five batting bonus points en route to their total of 509, meaning a draw would be enough to clinch promotion with a second-placed finish behind Nottinghamshire.
Given the state of the game, that looked assured even prior to the scheduled start of play on Thursday’s day four and so it proved, with a draw declared at lunch following heavy overnight and morning rain.
Less than half-an-hour earlier, Notts had been crowned champions after a resounding 462-run victory over Durham. England seamer Stuart Broad, in county action for the first time since May, led the way with three second innings wickets as Durham were skittled for 114 inside 39 overs as they looked to bat out the draw.
A place in the top tier of county cricket next season could prove particularly important with a view to the future of the domestic game, with teams potentially playing for their position in what may well be a reformed structure by the start of the following campaign.
Last week, former England captain Andrew Strauss unveiled the proposals of his High Performance Review, which included the formation of a six-team first division and reduction in the number of County Championship matches played by each team to just ten. The plan, which will need the approval of at least 12 of the 18 counties when it goes to a vote later this year, would come into effect from the summer of 2024.
