Derbyshire v Middlesex day 3

Richard Johnson played an useful knock with the bat

If ever a game is set up for a thrilling finale, this is it. Middlesex need what appears a daunting 272 more runs to win, while Derbyshire need eight wickets on what seems set fair from a weather perspective.

For a third successive day, this was a marvellous effort by Derbyshire. They didn’t prevent Middlesex from passing the follow-on target, but they weren’t likely to enforce it anyway, with the wicket starting to offer variations in bounce that will be welcome on the last day. That all three seamers had three wickets each speaks volumes for the team approach and ethic that has been evident in the last two matches. The return of the positive, fearless cricket of 2012 is welcome and might just have come at the right time.

Batting wasn’t easy and wickets went at regular intervals. The two stands were between Shiv Chanderpaul and Richard Johnson, then Johnson and Alex Hughes. All three contributions in the context of the game were priceless and I am more than happy to confirm that Johnson thoroughly vindicated his selection in the middle order with a an innings of grit and skill. It was a top effort and may just be the innings that wins the match.

There’s some work to do before then, though. Robson and Voges are players of the highest class and Morgan, Dexter, Berg and Simpson will fight all the way. The game could go either way, but for Middlesex to win, one of those players has to play brilliantly and Derbyshire bowl much worse than they did in the first innings. Disciplined bowling – control of line and length with no freebies from extras – will be key to Derbyshire achieving a second successive win.

We could have lived without a late injury scare for Tim Groenewald, but evening tweets suggest he will be fine tomorrow.

We’re off the bottom of the table tonight. Tomorrow we could even – if only fleetingly – be out of the bottom two.

There were long odds on that, two games ago.