Surrey 21 for 0 (Burns 15*) trail Middlesex 209 (Robson 76, Malan 66, Worrall 5-48) by 188 runs
He was later than expected, though through no fault of his own. A 5km run from Lord’s, the home of Surrey’s opponents, had been timed perfectly, arriving into the ground with his team of runners 15 minutes ahead of the lunch interval on day one. Two overs before the scheduled break, a flash of lightning struck, taking the players off the ground.
Both sets of players waited by the pitch in anticipation of Dunn and his group, only to be ushered back inside as word came through that no one could enter the field for another 30 minutes, as per the lightning protocols. Rain delayed proceedings for another two hours before they eventually returned to stand alongside those thirty-odd runners, both groups joined by the crowd re-emerging from their shelter to applaud Dunn as he walked to the middle wearing a T-shirt bearing a picture of his daughter, Florence, who passed away in March at the age of 2.
It was in 2021 that Dunn walked off the pitch and into the home dressing-room to find 20 missed calls on his phone from his wife, Jessica. Florence had suffered an aggressive seizure in a supermarket, eventually leading to her diagnosis of Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy. The run across the Thames from one ground to the other was part of an initiative to run a 5k every day in May for the charity Dravet Syndrome UK.
Cricket has long been a distraction from what really matters for the 31-year-old Dunn – sometimes good, sometimes bad. But as he walked in front of the Micky Stewart Members Pavilion towards best mate Rory Burns and Middlesex skipper Toby Roland-Jones, embracing both as he received a commemorative pink cap, this felt like the game coming together when it mattered.
Dunn has spoken with remarkable poise so soon after his daughter’s passing, doing so again today on Sky. These chats, the daily runs and days like this are as much about catharsis as they are about awareness and fundraising. As part of Dunn’s life, cricket will be an accessory throughout the grieving process, if and when he needs it. The fast bowler is expected to be back playing later this summer which will be its own challenge. Though one made a little easier by days like today. The sport as a whole will be rooting for him.
In its own way, it offered perspective in this Division One clash. The following session was dire for Middlesex, though by no means a tragedy. Even within the context of this season, as much as Surrey are the stronger opponents, there are lessons to be learned from how they recalibrated for the second half of the day, which Middlesex’s experienced attack should mimic on day two.
Atkinson was the recipient of Robson’s wicket, forcing a misjudgement outside off stump leading to a head-height catch at first slip by Dom Sibley. He should have had Stevie Eskinazi for a duck two balls later, but some late swing off the edge and Ben Foakes diving to his left put off Sibley. Never mind, Atkinson went one better in his next over, trapping Malan in front.
Prising open both ends would have been a feather in the cap for the other four of this impressive attack. For the 25-year-old Atkinson to have done so as third-change in a bowling line-up full of quality tells you all you need to know about his skills and his unfortunate lack of game-time over the last couple of years. There’s a reason the ECB have him on a list of quicks to keep tabs on.
From that point on, it was pretty much all about Worrall, who set about a remarkable spell of five for seven inside six overs. Sibley made amends to snare Eskinazi for the first of his haul. Then came a quick working-over of John Simpson – a fierce bumper worn by the keeper-batter, who edged the next delivery with uncertain footwork as a result – followed by a smart low catch by Will Jacks at second slip to see off southpaw Max Holden.
The crucial nabbing of Ryan Higgins went to Roach. The allrounder has been Middlesex’s only form batter with four fifties so far, but was undone for four as Roach married an inswinger with one that held its line through to Foakes via a snick.
When Roland-Jones slapped to point and Ethan Bamber was bowled, both in Worrall’s 13th over, it looked like Middlesex might inexplicably fall short of 200, having been 166 for one. Out came Tim Murtagh, heaving for the fences to help them over that line. Surprisingly, he remained unbeaten at the end. After seeing three wickets fall for just two runs by the time Murtagh walked out, Luke Hollman became Atkinson’s third, to complete impressive figures of three for 18 from 10.5 overs.
Within five overs, Burns had 15 of the 21 runs struck off with Sibley before bad light intervened to stop play. With that, a day full of emotion came to a subdued close.
Friday allows Surrey to emphasise their dominance and Middlesex to rally against it. For the Dunn family, it brings another 5k to tackle for the cause, and another day to deal with their loss. At the very least, Thursday showed English cricket as a whole is there to help them through it.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
Recent Match Report – Middlesex vs Surrey 2023
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