Rogers double ton saves Middlesex

Australia opener Chris Rogers is in good form ahead of next month's series against Pakistan, with the veteran posting an unbeaten double century for his English county side Middlesex.

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Rogers, 37, batted through the final day against Somerset as Middlesex finished on 4-328 to secure a draw that could help them stave off relegation.

The skipper shared a stand of 144 with Joe Denly (60) and hit 29 fours in his 203 not out.

The result means Middlesex only need to draw next week's relegation decider against Lancashire at Old Trafford to stay in the top division, while they can also lose the match and survive provided they earn at least six bonus points.

It was a remarkable turnaround from Rogers's side, who posted 223 in its first innings having at one stage been 7-61 in response to Somerset's 9-523 declared.

"That was probably rock bottom," said Rogers.

"There was a lot of criticism flying around and as a captain you have to throw some of that criticism to the players.

"But to be able to do that you also have to stand up yourself. That is something I can be proud of.

"It was great to be the guy who once again stands up for Middlesex.

"I'm very proud to play for this club. I love playing for Middlesex and it would be nice to play at least one more season for them."

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Having scored just one in the first innings, Rogers reached three figures off 156 balls and struck Jack Leach for four to bring up his double hundred in the last over of the day.

It was the left-hander's 70th first-class hundred, drawing him level with West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul as the most prolific century-maker still playing the game.

"It's something I never expected when I was younger," said Rogers of the milestone.

"I guess I’m not as fluent or talented as other players in many respects, so I’ve got to rely upon other things like decision making, intelligence, and the willingness to fight.

"I play my best innings when I’m up against it – and I was starting to feel the heat here.

"This was an important result for us.

"The thing we have always prided ourselves on is being hard to beat, but we've almost lost that a little bit.

"If we hadn't got anything out of this game, we would have gone to Manchester with everything wide open.

"We couldn't afford a loss. This changes things a bit."

It was Rogers's fourth hundred and second double-century of the season, having scored an unbeaten 241 to secure victory over eventual champions Yorkshire in April.

It took his season tally to 1279 runs from 14 matches and pushed his overall first-class average to a touch above 50.

The fact that Middlesex are even in a relegation scrap is a cause for disappointment for Rogers, who has been frustrated by his and his team's inconsistency this season.

"We started off well as a team and fell away," Rogers told cricket.com.au last week.

"We had a key injury to our main allrounder (Gareth Berg) and that put a lot of pressure on everyone else.

"If you look at the best sides they’ve all have a good allrounder who can do both.

"It’s put a lot of pressure on the bowlers, on their workloads, and we fell away.

"From a personal point of view it’s been a bit up and down.

"I have had some really good moments but have been a little bit inconsistent.

"With English conditions that can happen."

Rogers will enjoy a brief stint back home in Australia at the end of the county season before heading to the United Arab Emirates for the two-Test series against Pakistan, which starts on October 22.

The opener will be hoping to add to his tally of four Test centuries from 14 matches as he bids to return to England next year with the Aussies for the 2015 Ashes series.