Middlesex registered their first win in their 11th attempt in the 2023 T20 Blast, getting off the mark with a historic, record-breaking win over Surrey as they chased down 253 with four balls and seven wickets to spare.

Middlesex had lost their first ten games of the ongoing competition, with their losing streak extending to 14, going back to last season. They turned around their fortunes in remarkable fashion on Thursday (June 22) as they chased down Surrey’s mammoth 253, a tournament record, and the biggest in any non-international T20 game.

Surrey started off in fine fashion, reaching 177 in just 12.3 overs, with Laurie Evans and Will Jacks laying the foundation. Jacks was close to smashing six sixes in the 11th over but mistimed the sixth delivery, a full-toss. The dismissal of both batters in the space of nine balls slowed down the momentum as Middlesex clawed back after it seemed that their rivals might post something closer to 275. However, the total still seemed plenty, and was Surrey’s second 250-plus score in the competition, having earlier made 258-6 against Sussex.

In reply, the Middlesex openers gave the team a rollicking start, taking them to 90 in 6.2 overs before Joe Cracknell fell for a 16-ball 36. Skipper Stevie Eskinazi, who opened the innings, carried on, blasting his way to 73 in 39. A 105-run stand between Holden and Ryan Higgins brought Middlesex close and a three-ball 11 from Jack Davies sealed the deal for the team against a bowling attack comprising Sam Curran, Sean Abbott, Sunil Narine and Chris Jordan.

A total of 24 sixes were hit in the game with 52 boundaries – the second-most fours hit by two teams combined in a T20 Blast game. Middlesex’s tally of 33 fours was the most by any side in a T20 game. Sam Curran, England’s star in the T20 World Cup triumph last year, ended with his third-most expensive T20 spell.

With the chase, Middlesex broke their previous record of chasing down 227-4 against Somerset in 2019, which had also been the tournament’s highest run-chase before the clash on Thursday. Overall, it was the second-highest run-chase in a T20 game ever, with South Africa on top, after they hunted down West Indies’ 258 earlier this year.