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Mark Stoneman, Middlesex’s captain, stole the spotlight with his remarkable gesture during the ongoing England Domestic One-Day Cup match against Somerset. After his dismissal, Stoneman demonstrated great sportsmanship by carefully repositioning the dislodged stumps. Somerset, having won the toss, chose to bowl first at Lord’s on August 11.
They struck early with a run-out in the second over and Riley Meredith dismissed Nathan Fernandes in the third over. Stoneman then stepped in to stabilize the innings following these early wickets.
Watch: Middlesex captain Mark Stoneman exemplifies the spirit of cricket.
Mark Stoneman was dismissed by Riley Meredith in the eighth over of Middlesex’s innings. Meredith, coming around the wicket, delivered an inswinger that beat Stoneman’s inside edge and shattered the off stump. As Somerset celebrated, Stoneman calmly reinserted the dislodged stump into the ground before departing the field. While umpires typically handle this, Stoneman’s gesture earned praise from fans on social media.
“Incredible from Mark Stoneman. He’s clean bowled by Riley Meredith – but before he walks off, he pops his off-stump back in the ground for the umpires,” wrote the caption.
Middlesex were all out for just 135 runs in 39.3 overs. Riley Meredith was the standout performer with four wickets for 27 runs from his eight overs. Luke Hollman top-scored with an unbeaten 38 off 71 balls, while Martin Anderson (34 off 49) and Mark Stoneman (23 off 19) were unable to build on their starts to boost the total.
In response, George Thomas was dismissed for 11 runs off 21 balls, and Andrew Umeed contributed 22 runs from 37 balls, including two boundaries. However, Lewis Goldsworthy and James Rew combined for an unbroken 81-run partnership for the third wicket to guide Somerset to victory. Rew scored a match-winning 53 not out off 43 balls, featuring seven boundaries and two sixes, while Goldsworthy added a solid 41 with five boundaries. Somerset completed the chase with more than 23 overs to spare.
Middlesex is set to play Hampshire in their final league match.
Somerset leads Group A in the One Day Cup 2024, sitting at the top with 12 points and a net run rate (NRR) of +1.228 from six wins in eight games. Middlesex, in contrast, have secured four victories out of seven matches, placing them sixth with seven points and an NRR of -0.835.
Middlesex will play their final league match against Hampshire at Northwood on August 14, while Somerset has finished their group stage and is now gearing up for the quarterfinals.
