Indian opener Prithvi Shaw on July 29 scored his first half-century of the ongoing One-Day Cup in England. In the Group A clash against Middlesex, Northamptonshire opener seemed unperturbed by the fall of early wickets and scored at a rapid rate to reach his half-century. Shaw scored 76 runs from 58 balls but it went in vain as Middlesex chased down the target of 318 with five wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare.
Northamptonshire skipper Lewis McManus won the toss and opted to bat first at Radlett Cricket Club. Emilio Gay departed for a single-digit score to Noah Cornwell in the second over. Shaw made use of the fielding restrictions and hit a few boundaries. He hit the first six of the innings in the fifth over off Ishaan Kaushal. Cornwell in his second over dismissed Ricardo Vasconcelos.
Shaw uses powerplay overs well
He continued to thread the gaps on the off side and hit the ball over the fielders to find boundaries. In the ninth over, he hit Henry Brookes for three consecutive fours. In the 11th over, he reached his half-century from 33 runs. George Bartlett played second fiddle to Shaw. After the fielding restrictions were lifted, Shaw slowed down. In the 18th over, Brookes broke the partnership with Bartlett's wicket. He scored 27 runs from 37 balls.
Middlesex win by five wickets
Shaw could not carry on either and fell to Luke Hollman in the next over. His 58-ball 76 was laced with 12 fours and a six. After quick wickets, half-centuries from Saif Zaib (77-ball 58) and Gus Miller (68-ball 73) followed by an unbeaten 20-ball 38 cameo from Justin Broad helped Northamptonshire score 317/8.
In the run chase, Joe Cracknell started well but missed his half-century by just one run. 83-run knocks from Nathan Fernandes and captain Mark Stoneman followed by Martin Andersson and Jack Davies' 30s helped Middlesex get over the line in the penultimate over.
Shaw’s run in One-Day Cup
The 24-year-old was not impressive in the two County games and failed to convert starts into big scores. He registered a single-digit score in Northants first game of One-Day Cup season. He followed it up with a 34-ball 40 in successful run chase against Hampshire.
The Mumbai opener is set to return ahead of the home season starting with Duleep Trophy 2024.
Shaw has fallen out of favour with the selectors and hasn't made an appearance on international stage since 2021. The upcoming domestic season will be his chance to get back on the radar.
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