THE Middlesex v Surrey T20 clash at Lord’s is normally a barometer of how these two teams are faring.

It also acts as an insight into London life as well as a health check on how this particular version of the short game is doing. And this clash offered a sobering reality check for administrators. 

The London derby in St John’s Wood between two of the biggest cricketing names in the land — if not always in achievement — in this format would previously allow a glimpse into the once ruddy health of T20 cricket. 

The clash invariably comes a few days after the Lord’s Test. It used to be because they could utilise the temporary stands, erected to allow an extra few thousand through the door. For many years this clash was a sell-out, or near as dammit to it.

Some 28,000 spectators would cram into this hallowed patch of NW6. With the revamped Compton and Edrich Stands, the ground capacity would now be north of 31,000. 

However, this year, in a post-Covid world, in a post-Hundred landscape, where the ECB have put all their energies into selling their brainchild in a bid to raise much-needed funds, the attendance on Thursday evening in high summer was nowhere near. 

The strategy has led to an even more tightly packed schedule. Something has to give. The centre cannot hold, things fall apart. 

The lack of prominence given to the format has led to a drop in ticket sales — as wallets and purses are being opened fewer times by hard-pressed punters now studiously picking and choosing their matches as customers rather than aficionados.

Never more so than in a week when even the England Test team struggled to sell out this historic venue.

It used to be that you could see the City at play here at Lord’s for this fixture. You still can, but the understated colours, stiff collars and pale shirts now mingle with white.

White seats. Empty white seats. Once where the crowd packed the ground, now, especially in the Grandstand and Mound upper tiers, there were expanses of unsold seats.

A consequence, no doubt, of the powers-that-be prioritising their new 16.4 overs toy, leading punters to conclude that the new game is the one they should focus on.

And they have. Ticket sales for the Hundred are hot, as they say, while T20 remain stodgy across the land, including at Lord’s.

There are other reasons. At times T20 has earned a reputation for boozy behaviour that has spilled into bad language, an air of drunken menace, and recently, even violence.

While families and women are encouraged at The Hundred — helped no doubt by double headers of men’s and women’s games, even if it was circumstance rather than forward-thinking that first forced bosses to schedule two games in one ground, one after the other — T20 encourages excessive drinking and bawdy behaviour.

No wonder, many counties make more profit in T20 beer sales than ticket revenues from their county championship fixtures. 

As for the match itself, Middlesex won the toss and decided to bowl. England’s victorious 2019 World Cup winning Irish captain Eoin Morgan returned, while Tom Helm made his first start in the T20 this summer. 

After a spot of rain, in which we lost 10 minutes but no overs, a powerful-looking Surrey side eased to 55-0 off the opening 4.5 overs.

That was until Will Jacks picked out Stephen Eskinazi on the edge of the circle off Jason Behrendorff for 9.

One became two when Toby Roland Jones angled the ball across Sam Curran for a thin edge, leaving the 24-year-old who has appeared for England across three formats, to depart for a three ball duck, with the score 56-2. 

The belligerent Jason Roy continued to slap the ball around as Surrey reached 99-2 off the first 10 overs. His fruitful partnership with Laurie Evans was to end the very next ball, when the latter clubbed Martin Andersson back off the first ball of the eleventh over — and was smartly caught and bowled for an engaging knock of 22 of 14. 

Surrey haven’t won the Blast since the inaugural season back in 2003 and failed to qualify for the knockout stages last summer. But they are heavily back this summer. And for a reason. 

Sunil Narine came in and continued in the same vein, including an enormous six to cow corner off the redoubtable Roland-Jones whose final figures (1-40 off four) certainly didn’t reflect his efforts. 

The West Indian eventually holed out to Eskinazi at wide mid-off, from the bowling of Green for a lively 25 off 15 as the score moved to 138-4 off 13.4 overs. 

There was to be no respite for Middlesex, when the powerful Kieron Pollard came out to bat. 

Incidentally, there wasn’t much respite for those in the crowd not enamoured by the “Kiss Challenge” — where you could have your 1.5 seconds of fame by snogging your partner on camera. What the good Doctor WG Grace would have made of it all is anyone’s guess.

Luckily his statue is safely ensconced near the Harris Garden, where, if not far from the madding crowd, at least out of sight of this dreadful invention — intended, no doubt, for the Love Island crowd if not the love cricket ones. 

No matter, T20, like junk food, is made to be consumed, then instantly forgotten. 

Even an explosive innings such as Roy’s was not to last long in the memory, eventually out for 81 off 45, playing on from Andersson, to leave the score at 154-5.

Jamie Overton entered to smash Helm for a massive six over backward square, as well as Behrendorrf for a maximum over mid-on, as he and Pollard continued to keep the score moving at around 10 an over. Eventually holing out to Behrendorff off Andersson for 27 off 12 with the score 189-6. 

Enter Chris Jordan, another victor from England’s never to be forgotten triumph over the Kiwis in the 50-over show-piece final three years ago. 

He and Pollard moved the score to a hefty 208-7 off the full entitlement, including clubbing a huge six to mid-off from the unfortunate Helm, whose figures were as grim as the forbidding gunmetal grey clouds overhead (56-1 off four overs).

The Middlesex man only slightly raising a smile when Jordan was caught on the legside off his and the final ball of the innings by Behrendorrf for 16 off seven balls, with Pollard ending unbeaten with a strangely responsible 16 off 15 balls. 

Could Middlesex get near to such a formidable total? The answer was an emphatic No. 

The home side would rather have swapped the infernal Dance Cam on the big screens with Rain Cam, such were the forbidding skies overhead, laden with grey — but resolutely refusing to replicate the earlier rainfall.

Despite racing to 50-0 off four overs during the powerplay with field restrictions in place, Eskinazi was eventually bowled by Narine for 47 off a mere 20 balls with the score at 86-2. 

Not that many in the crowd were watching, Kiss Cam taking up most of their attention as a painful tale unfolded, with a recalcitrant Romeo taking his time to reluctantly plant a smacker on his partner’s cheek. The cheers that came when the poor lad eventually puckered up, were far bigger than the reception moments earlier when the regal Morgan had walked to the crease. 

Or for that matter, when Eskinazi’s wicket fell, or in appreciation of his efforts during his walk back to the pavilion. Although, to be fair, the crowd may just have been distracted by watching Love Island on their phones.  

Once Morgan fell for a rusty five off 10 balls, caught Curran bowled Overton, it was over bar the kissing, with Middlesex wobbling at 92-3 off 9.2 overs. While the gap compared to the same stage of Surrey’s innings may only have been five runs for the same number of wickets after 10 overs, the difference in expectation was huge. 

John Simpson then fell, caught by Curran on the boundary after hoiking Narine, as the home side subsided to 108-4, while the run rate snuck up to 12 when no-one was looking. 

It was a familiar tale, as evidenced by the head to head of this fixture. Surrey with by far the upper hand, with 24 wins from the 36 clashes since 2003 and Middlesex on 12. It would stay on that number as Surrey continued to take wickets under dark skies and powerful floodlights. 

And as the strains of Hi Ho Silver Lining rang out, the home side continued to find none. 

Apart from a spirited knock of 21 off 11 from their promising 21-year-old, Luke Holman.

You could tell the last rites were being applied, not just through the canny bowling of the old warhorse Jordan, but because they played the infernal Sweet Caroline. 

For argument’s sake, if we are to have a national anthem at all, perhaps we should simply dispense with God Save The Queen and replace it with Neil Diamond’s ubiquitous effort.

As it was, Narine ended with 2-28 off four, while Jordan finished with 4-31, as Surrey cruised to a deserved 20-run victory, bolstered by a strong batting line-up and a tight bowling unit. 

The win was far more comfortable than the gap suggests. Surrey are quite clearly going places this season as they extended their unbeaten run at the top of the south group. 

Even if this jaded format is not.