Andrew Strauss batting for Middlesex

Middlesex coach Richard Scott concedes that his side may have suffered a Twenty20 ‘hangover’ after stumbling to their lowest total of the season against Nottinghamshire.

Six Middlesex players failed to score as the batting line-up disintegrated in their first County Championship fixture for more than a month, posting only 98 in the first innings against the league leaders at Uxbridge.

Although the home side fought back to salvage a draw as the whole of the final day was lost to rain, Scott admits they may have struggled to adapt back to four-day cricket after 10 consecutive Twenty20 matches.

“We found that last year, when we played Kent at Lord’s straight after the Twenty20,” Scott told london24.com. “But we were fortunate that we won the toss on that occasion, put them in and bowled them out for 85.

“This was a good toss for Notts to win – we would have bowled if we’d won it. The ball was nipping about in that first session, but there’s no excuse for getting bowled out at Uxbridge for under 100.

“The lads were very honest in their appraisal of how they got out. From a batsman’s point of view, it is quite hard to get out of that habit of pushing your hands at the ball.

“That constant need to score a run a ball or more in Twenty20 isn’t easy to forget. There could have been a hangover there, but it’s still no excuse – after all, we knew this game was on the calendar months ago.

“Now it’s time for the lads to put hands up and make amends. It was a reminder that you can’t relax at any time in this division and we have to keep competing hard.”

The only Middlesex batsman to impress in both innings at Uxbridge was England skipper Andrew Strauss, who warmed up for the start of the Test series with South Africa by hitting 50 and 127 not out.

The draw left Middlesex third in the Division One table, with their next game away to bottom side Durham, starting on Friday July 27.