Strauss calls the tune
Andrew Strauss goes aerial in his sensational 163 off just 130 balls © Getty Images
Andrew Strauss hit a one-day best of 163 as Middlesex beat Surrey by 58 runs in their opening Friends Provident Trophy encounter at the Brit Oval.
Strauss, who failed twice in the LV County Championship match at Leicester, struck 23 fours and four sixes in his 130-ball innings.
It was the highest by any Middlesex batsman in limited-overs cricket, eclipsing Graham Barlow’s 158, set in 1984.
Strauss’ innings helped his side to 315 for six from 50 overs and, although Scott Newman (65), Mark Butcher (46) and James Benning (47) all contributed, Surrey were struggling on 204 for seven from 37.4 overs when four overs were lost to rain.
They were eventually bowled out for 248 after being set a revised target of 307.
The match also saw a return to county action for former England all-rounder Chris Lewis, who has been out of the game since 2000.
Lewis, 40, has signed to play Twenty20 for Surrey this season but was drafted in because Matt Nicholson, James Ormond and Saqlain Mushtaq were ill.
Strauss made use of a short leg-side boundary to clip four sixes – he hit Usman Afzaal over the fence three times in one over - and Surrey were guilty of feeding his favoured cut and pull.
Chris Lewis endured a difficult return to county cricket in Surrey colours © Getty Images
He also took a liking to the bowling of Lewis, who conceded 51 runs in six overs. Strauss hit 45 of his first 100 runs off the veteran.
Strauss reached his hundred from 90 balls and passed his previous one-day best of 152 - made for England in 2005 against Bangladesh.
He was eventually bowled by Chris Jordan trying to whip the ball through the leg side.
Ed Joyce, who made 42, supported him in a stand of 143 for the second wicket and Owais Shah was 51 not out as Middlesex posted their highest score in this competition.
West Indian paceman Pedro Collins was the pick of the bowlers, taking 1-32 from 10 overs, and, though Jade Dernbach and Jordan each took two wickets, they both leaked runs in the face of Strauss’ onslaught.
Newman and James Benning kept Surrey up with the rate at the start of the innings before the latter was bowled by Danny Evans, who impressed in taking 3-36.
The 20-year-old also struck a crucial blow two balls later when Mark Ramprakash holed out to Shaun Udal at deep backward square-leg.
Udal looked to have given Surrey a lifeline when he dropped the in-form Newman off his own bowling, but he had him leg before with the next delivery.
Afzaal did not last long before he was stumped by Ben Scott off Tim Murtagh, and Middlesex debutant Gareth Berg then took two wickets in two balls – including Butcher, caught in the deep – to end any remaining Surrey hopes.
