Cheteshwar Pujara plundered runs against Middlesex’s bowling attack yet again as Sussex posted 295-4 in the battle between the top two sides in the Vitality County Championship Division Two.
The India Test veteran, who scored 231 on Sussex’s last visit to Lord’s in 2022 – along with a century against Middlesex at Hove earlier that year – ended the opening day unbeaten on 91.
Pujara’s patient knock formed part of an unbroken stand of 131 with his captain and ex-Middlesex wicketkeeper John Simpson who struck 71 not out on his return to the county where he spent 15 seasons.
Ethan Bamber claimed two wickets for the home side, with Ryan Higgins and Henry Brookes taking one apiece.
Middlesex’s decision to bowl after winning the toss initially looked questionable as Tom Clark and Tom Haines bustled along at around five an over, with the latter dispatching five consecutive Bamber deliveries to the rope.
Bamber was hastily switched to his preferred Nursery End and, despite Haines immediately drilling him to the cover fence once more, he had the final say by bowling the Sussex man through the gate for 40.
That broke the opening partnership of 66 and slowed the scoring rate significantly as the home side claimed two more wickets before lunch, with Higgins having Clark caught behind off a bottom edge.
Having also seen Tom Alsop put down off his bowling in the cordon, Higgins then pulled off a blinding catch when the left-hander edged Brookes to third slip, twisting to his left to clasp a sharp chance just above the turf.
Higgins, whose first delivery to Pujara beat the bat, also tested the 36-year-old with the occasional bouncer before he settled down to make steady progress with James Coles in a partnership of 72 after lunch.
Coles was eventually undone by static footwork when Bamber had him caught behind for 33 and the bowler found a consistent line against former team-mate Simpson, back at Lord’s for the first time since his switch to Hove.
Despite some early playing and missing, Simpson settled down with a classy cover-driven boundary off Brookes, keeping Pujara company while he advanced beyond his half-century for the third time this season.
Middlesex rotated their seam quartet, all of whom bowled from each end at some stage and it took them until three overs before tea to introduce spinners Nathan Fernandes and Luke Hollman into the attack.
It looked as though that move had paid off early in the final session when Simpson, on 25, slapped a full toss from Hollman straight to Max Holden in the deep – only for the umpire to signal a no ball.
The Sussex skipper capitalised on that escape, dancing down the track to slam Hollman to the boundary and chopping him through gully for two to secure the visitors’ first batting bonus point.
There was another let-off for Simpson soon after passing 50, fencing a rising delivery from Tom Helm to gully, where Hollman was unable to cling on – and the visitors continued to build a strong platform until bad light ended play with six overs unbowled.
Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace said: “He (Pujara) is an outstanding professional and he brings so much to the team on a daily basis.
“Everything he does is about being spot on with his preparation. That’s what gives him the best chance to score runs every time he walks to the crease, whether that’s for India or Sussex or anyone else he’s played for.
“He shows everyone how simple the game can be at times and he’s still trying to improve his game all the time.
“When you’ve got a player who’s achieved as much as he has, with that ambition, it sets a good trend across the rest of your team.
“When you finish nearly 300-4, you think that’s been a very good day but I don’t think there are too many of our four batters that got out who’d say they were genuinely got out by a bit of top-class bowling. There was some excellent catching but I think they’d be disappointed with the shots.
“You have to play shots to score runs and, as a batter, the game is about scoring runs. That’s the nature of the game and I thought all four of them looked like they were playing nicely.
“The way the two Toms started for us was top-class – Hainesy just looks in fantastic nick and, for Tom Clark, there’s a score coming soon.
“What we’ve got to do is make sure we start well tomorrow morning because, if we lose three or four quick wickets, then it becomes an even game again. We’ve got to make sure we’re pretty greedy and ruthless with the way we bat.”
Middlesex bowler Ethan Bamber, who took two for 80, said: “We weren’t expecting it to be a blast-through wicket – we didn’t win the toss and bowl thinking we were going to roll them for 200.
“The way we’ve set up recently has been to bowl first and chase, especially with the short boundary, and we hoped to maybe have them bowled out by the end of the day or be a bit closer than we are.
“So it’s disappointing not to get a couple more towards the end of the day.
“I have to take the responsibility for the way we started. It was an unacceptable opening spell and it’s not easy for the others when someone’s leaking runs from the other end.
“At 164-4, I think we felt there was promise and we got on top of John (Simpson) early. But he’s a fine player, as we know all too well.
“Throughout this season we’ve leaked in ways that are uncharacteristic so that’s frustrating. But all the boys – especially myself – are galvanised to get back out there tomorrow and change it.
“The good thing is we’ve got a batting unit who aren’t afraid of anything so, whatever it ends up being, we’ll give it a red-hot crack.”
