Image: Middlesex defeated Kent thanks to Ben Geddes / © ESPNCricinfo
On a crisp morning at Radlett, Middlesex won the toss and didn’t hesitate to bowl first, eager to test Kent’s batsmen in their One-Day Cup Group B clash on August 19, 2025, and the two sides gave an amazing contest.
Kent’s openers, BJ Dawkins and Jaydn Denly, strode out under clear skies, tasked with building a platform for a big score. Dawkins wasted no time, latching onto anything loose with a flurry of boundaries. He cracked eight fours in a lively 48 off 54 balls, his strike rate a healthy 88.88. His drives pierced the covers, and his cuts were razor-sharp, making Middlesex’s bowlers rethink their lines. But just as he looked set to dominate, Sebastian Morgan found his edge in the 16.4th over. Joe Cracknell, behind the stumps, pouched the catch, and Dawkins trudged off with Kent at 74 for 2. It was a blow, but he had given Kent a solid start in the match.
Jaydn Denly, meanwhile, couldn’t find his groove. He scratched around for 10 runs off 34 balls, managing just one four, his strike rate a sluggish 29.41. He looked stuck, unable to rotate the strike, and the pressure told. Henry Brookes, steaming in, got one to jag back, and Denly’s tentative prod ended in Jack Davies’ hands in the 11.3rd over. At 52 for 1, Kent’s middle order had work to do. Joey Evison walked in at three and played with calm assurance, nudging 27 off 37 balls with three well-placed fours. His strike rate of 72.97 showed a focus on building rather than blasting. He and Dawkins had added 22 for the second wicket, but Morgan struck again, bowling him in the 24.2nd over with a ball that snuck through. Kent, now 121 for 3, were wobbling.
Chris Benjamin stepped up to steady the ship, crafting a composed 50 off 56 balls. His seven fours, mostly elegant cover drives, kept the scoreboard ticking at a strike rate of 89.28. He looked in control, but Brookes wasn’t done. In the 35.4th over, he lured Benjamin into a false shot, and Cracknell took another catch. Kent were 179 for 4, and Brookes was on fire, finishing with 3 for 47 off 10 overs, his economy a tight 4.70. Ekansh Singh’s stay was over before it began as two balls, no runs, and another Brookes victim, caught by Sam Robson in the 35.6th over. At 179 for 5, Kent were in danger of unraveling.
Harry Finch, Kent’s skipper and keeper, dug in for 33 off 49 balls, hitting three fours at a strike rate of 67.34. He played the anchor role, rotating the strike to keep things moving, but Luke Hollman got him in the 41.1th over, caught, with Kent at 198 for 6. The innings could’ve fizzled out, but Jack Leaning and Corey Flintoff had other ideas. Their unbeaten 81-run stand for the seventh wicket turned the game. Leaning was the spark, smashing an unbeaten 63 off 48 balls, with four fours and two sixes, his strike rate a blazing 131.25. He took the attack to Middlesex in the death overs, finding gaps and clearing the ropes. Flintoff chipped in with an unbeaten 29 off 20 balls, including a four and two sixes, racing along at 145.00. Together, they pushed Kent to a fighting 279 for 6 in 50 overs. Extras helped with 19 runs, including 11 leg byes and eight wides.
Middlesex’s bowlers, led by Brookes and Morgan, kept things tight. Brookes’ three wickets came for 47 runs, while Morgan’s three scalps cost 62 runs at 6.20 an over. Toby Roland-Jones was the pick for economy, conceding just 26 runs in 7.5 overs, though he went wicketless. Noah Cornwell had a tough day, leaking 55 runs in seven overs at 7.85. Hollman bowled six overs for 33 runs, and Zafar Gohar’s 9.1 overs went for 45, both without reward but holding their own. Kent’s total, thanks to Leaning and Flintoff’s late heroics, gave them a shot at defending 280.
Chasing 280, Middlesex’s openers, Joe Cracknell and Joshua De Caires, faced a fired-up Kent attack. Cracknell’s day ended almost before it began, nicking Michael Cohen to Harry Finch for a duck off six balls in the first over. Cohen’s early breakthrough set the tone, though his 9-0-67-1 spell came at 7.44 runs per over. De Caires showed some fight, cracking two fours in a quick 10 off 10 balls, his strike rate a perfect 100.00. But Fred Klaassen cut his stay short in the 3.4th over, with Corey Flintoff taking the catch. At 15 for 2, Middlesex were in deep trouble. Klaassen’s 9-0-68-1 wasn’t cheap, leaking runs at 7.55.
Sam Robson arrived at three and brought some calm, stroking 35 off 30 balls with seven crisp fours. His strike rate of 116.66 kept the chase alive, and he added 60 for the third wicket with Ben Geddes. But Joey Evison broke through in the 11.3rd over, getting Robson caught by Finch, leaving Middlesex at 75 for 3. Evison’s 8-0-41-1 spell was tidy, with an economy of 5.12. Jack Davies tried to rebuild, hitting a six in his 8 off 10 balls, but Ekansh Singh had him caught by Flintoff in the 14.4th over. Singh’s one wicket cost 23 runs in four overs at 5.75. At 88 for 4, Middlesex needed a hero.
Step forward Ben Geddes, the Middlesex captain, who played an innings for the ages. His unbeaten 141 off 119 balls was a masterclass, blending grit and flair. With 14 fours and six sixes, he kept the scoreboard moving at a strike rate of 118.48. Geddes found gaps with ease and launched big shots when needed, anchoring the chase. He found a perfect partner in Luke Hollman, who played a composed, unbeaten 77 off 95 balls, with nine fours and a six, at a strike rate of 81.05. Their unbeaten 195-run stand for the fifth wicket was the game’s defining moment, guiding Middlesex to 283 for 4 in 45 overs, sealing a six-wicket win with 30 balls to spare. Extras added 12 runs, one leg bye, 11 wides.
Kent’s bowlers couldn’t break the Geddes-Hollman partnership. Cohen and Klaassen struck early but bled runs, with economies of 7.44 and 7.55. Evison was the tightest, conceding 41 runs in eight overs. Singh’s four overs cost 23 runs for one wicket, while Flintoff’s five overs went for 27 without success. Matt Parkinson’s 10 overs cost 56 runs, wicketless at 5.60. Middlesex’s chase, powered by Geddes’ brilliance and Hollman’s support, was a clinic in chasing under pressure.
Henry Brookes stole the spotlight with a fiery bowling spell that defined Kent’s innings, earning TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Game. His 10 overs yielded 3 wickets for 47 runs, at a stingy 4.70 an over. Brookes was relentless, striking early to remove Jaydn Denly for 10 in the 11.3rd over, breaking a 52-run stand.
He returned to dismantle the middle order, sending back Joey Evison for 27 and Ekansh Singh for a duck in quick succession, leaving Kent at 179 for 5 after 35.6 overs. His 31 dot balls kept the batsmen on a leash. Even as Jack Leaning (63 not out) and Corey Flintoff (29 not out) rallied late, Brookes’ spell ensured Kent’s total stayed within reach, setting up Middlesex’s chase.
Ben Geddes was the heartbeat of Middlesex’s victory, earning TCNI’s Hero of the Day for his unbeaten 141 off 119 balls. The captain’s 184-minute knock, laced with 14 fours and six sixes, was a masterclass in chasing.
With Middlesex reeling at 88 for 4 in the 14.4th over, Geddes took charge, building an unbeaten 195-run stand with Luke Hollman (77 not out off 95 balls). His strike rate of 118.48 and ability to find boundaries kept the pressure off, guiding Middlesex to 283 for 4 in 45 overs at 6.28 runs per over. Geddes’ leadership and batting brilliance turned a tricky chase into a comfortable six-wicket win.