Hales and Gidman consolidate for Notts

Nottinghamshire 298 and 187-4. Middlesex 181

England one-day batsman Alex Hales and night watchman Will Gidman shared a painstaking third wicket partnership of 51 to consolidate Nottinghamshire’s position of strength against Middlesex at Lord’s.

It was slow going after Nottinghamshire resumed 218 ahead at 101 for two with only one run coming from the bat in the first five overs against some tight bowling from Steve Finn and James Harris.

Hales got the scoreboard moving by driving Harris through the covers for four and clipping two legside boundaries in Harris’s next over but it took Gidman nine overs to add to his overnight five with a boundary off Finn.

Gidman had moved to 18 when Adam Voges, the Middlesex captain, put himself on to bowl his left arm spin and had him smartly caught by Sam Robson at slip.

Three overs later, Hales, who had curbed his attacking instincts to make 37 off 80 balls, was surprised by a lifter from Tim Murtagh which he could only glove to wicketkeeper John Simpson.

Murtagh should have had another wicket when Samit Patel edged him to second slip but Robson dropped the catch and Nottinghamshire went to lunch at 187 for four – 304 ahead.