T20 Blast: Tim Phillips the hero as Essex beat Middlesex in thriller
Last updated on .From the section Counties
| NatWest T20 Blast, Chelmsford |
| Essex Eagles 157-8 (19.4 ovs) beat Middlesex Panthers 153-5 (20 ovs) by two wickets |
| Match scorecard |
Spinner Tim Phillips smashed two sixes in the final over as South Group leaders Essex won a thrilling game against Middlesex with two balls to go.
Chasing 154 to win, Essex needed 13 off the last over bowled by Gurjit Sandhu.
Phillips hit the first ball into the stands and although Tymal Mills was then run out, Phillips cleared the ropes again to seal a dramatic victory.
The Panthers' 153-5 was built around skipper Eoin Morgan's 46-ball 69 which almost proved enough for the visitors.
Opener Mark Pettini (42) helped Essex get off to a solid start in pursuit of their target but wickets fell regularly to check their progress.
Ryan ten Doeschate injected the momentum back into their chase with 34 off 28 balls before he was the seventh man out, caught by Morgan off debutant Harry Podmore (2-20), with 14 still needed off eight balls.
But Phillips, who finished unbeaten on 33 from only 13 deliveries, got the Eagles over the line.
