Middlesex 294 for 8 (Fernandes 112, Critchley 4-55) beat Essex 253 by 41 runs

Hollman finished with three for 51, while Toby Roland-Jones, Naavya Sharma and Noah Cornwell picked up two wickets apiece as Middlesex sealed victory with 22 balls to spare.

Critchley – who led Essex in the absence of Tom Westley, on paternity leave – opted to field in overcast conditions after winning the toss and his decision was vindicated by a stingy opening spell from Jamie Porter (one for 28).

The experienced seamer reeled off eight consecutive overs for 17, including the wicket of Josh de Caires and Middlesex endured almost 10 overs without a boundary as well as losing Sam Robson, who miscued Zaman Akhter to mid-off.

Ben Geddes (36 from 39) brought his side some momentum, pulling Akhter and Mackenzie Jones for sixes – but the stroke proved his undoing when he was caught by Bennett running in from mid-on.

However, Fernandes hung in there and, having steered Critchley to the cover fence to bring up his 50, he began accelerating alongside Hollman (40 from 51) as the pair added 110 from 116.

Despite getting held up in the 90s, Fernandes eventually smeared a single to pass three figures before he became the second of Critchley’s four victims and Zafar Gohar’s unbeaten 22 from 13, which included three sixes, lifted Middlesex to just short of 300.

Thain and Robin Das quickly made inroads on the target, with the latter going after Sharma as he racked up a series of off-side boundaries and the seamer’s third over disappeared for 22.

Cornwell’s first ball broke the opening stand of 57 from 43, with Sharma taking a low catch around the corner to dismiss Das before Roland-Jones struck twice in four deliveries, including the key wicket of Critchley.

That left Essex wobbling at 92 for four, but Simon Fernandes produced some eye-catching shots against the spinners, reverse-sweeping Gohar with precision to the rope and reaching 50 with back-to-back boundaries off Hollman.

The leg-spinner ended the fifth-wicket partnership of 86, bowling Thain before clasping a return catch from Fernandes in his next over – yet Essex debutant Ali Zeb refused to give up the battle.

The 19-year-old was left unbeaten on 34 from 32, running out of partners as Sharma ended Essex’s hopes by taking the final two wickets in as many balls.