He served Hampshire with distinction for 21 years but Shaun Udal dealt his former county's Twenty20 Cup hopes a painful blow at the Rose Bowl last night.

Udal's days with his home county had been numbered when he was left out of Hampshire's Twenty20 Cup team this time last year.

He was preparing for a full-time career in the printing trade at the end of last season when it became clear he would only have a bit-part role to play this year.

But within two months of leaving the Rose Bowl he was tempted out of retirement by Middlesex.

And he was outstanding on his return, as he upstaged his former England and Hampshire teammate Kevin Pietersen with bat and ball to secure the Middlesex Crusaders a 33-run win on the opening night of this season's Twenty20 Cup.

Udal struck Pietersen for three straight sixes, including two in succession, during his unbeaten 32 from just 18 balls as the Middlesex Crusaders ensured the Hawks would need 191 to win.
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The nine-runs-an-over target would have been Hampshire's third-highest Twenty 20 total since the competition began five years ago.

But with Pietersen playing his first Twenty20 match for Hampshire and Ian Harvey making his home debut, the Hawks should have done better on an admittedly spin-frindly wicket than suffer a 33-run defeat, especially as there was a very short boundary on the Nursery side of the ground.

It looked good for Hampshire when Harvey pulled fellow Australian Dirk Nannes for successive fours in the first over of the Hawks' reply.

But after Michael Lumb (15) was caught at mid-on, Harvey was run out following a mix-up with Pietersen and Michael Carberry had his off stump knocked back in Murali Kartik's first over as the Hawks lost three wickets in quick succession.

Slow left-armer Kartik conceded a solitary single from his first over but 20 came off his second as Hampshire rallied.

Pietersen slog-swept the Indian over the Hampshire Suite on the short mid-wicket boundary and pulled and reverse swept him for three fours as he and Sean Ervine (31) put on 74 in seven overs.

Then it was the otherwise economical Udal's turn to be on the receiving end.

Pietersen reverse swept the 39-year-old for four and Ervine lofted the former Hampshire man for six over the short boundary to bring the target down to 111 off the last ten overs, with seven wickets still in hand.

Ervine struck seamer Tim Murtagh for six over wide long-on to bring up the 50-run partnership before reverse sweeping another maximum against Kartik.

Then Udal returned. With the first ball of his second spell from the Northern End the veteran took the vital wicket of Pietersen at the beginning of the 14th over.

Udal could not contain his delight when he had the England star caught at gully for a 29-ball 43 before trapping Ervine lbw with his trademark arm ball two deliveries later.

Dimitri Mascarenhas (9) fired briefly, crashing Kartik for six over mid-wicket, but the Hawks captain was caught at the wicket in Udal's last over, which cost just one run, to put Hampshire firmly behind the eight-ball.

Nic Pothas contributed an unbeaten run-a-ball 14 but when he cut the last ball of the penultimate over for four Hampshire still needed 38 to win.

It was a disappointing chase against one of the few sides with a worse Twenty20 record than the Hawks (Hampshire's three highest Twenty20 scores have all been against Middlesex).

Udal was deservedly named man-of-the-match for finishing with 3 for 21 from his four overs following his exploits with the bat.

Greg Lamb, Udal's successor as Hampshire's off-spinning all-rounder, and Chris Tremlett were the pick of the Hawks attack but Udal, who batted at number six, ensured his former teammates would have a sizeable chase under the Rose Bowl floodlights.

He raised his bat as he arrived at the crease to acknowledge a much-deserved warm reception from the 7,000-strong crowd in the 16th over after Pietersen had Ed Joyce (34) caught at wide long on with his second delivery.

Ed Smith (27) and Andrew Strauss (27) had laid the foundations by putting on 43 in less than four overs for the first wicket after being inserted by Dimitri Mascarenhas.

Owais Shah and Joyce then put on 57 in seven overs for the fourth wicket before they departed within three balls of each other in Pietersen's first over.

England one-day man Shah holed out to deep mid-wicket for a 34-ball 48.

And in the last over of the Middlesex innings, Pietersen held on to a sensational catch off his own bowling, diving full stretch as he ran towards the boundary at the Northern End, to see off Murtagh (2).

But by then Udal had inflicted three match-winning blows against Pietersen's part-time off-spin.

Hampshire bowling: Mascarenhas 4-0-38-1, Hayward 3-0-36-0, Tremlett 4-0-27-0, Ervine 2-0-30-1, Lamb 4-0-24-1, Pietersen 3-0-33-3

Middlesex bowling: Nannes 4-0-35-1, Murtagh 4-0-31-0, Henderson 4-0-20-2, Kartik 4-0 41-1, Udal 4-0-21-3

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