Smith's spin an unlikely success

Hampshire 177 for 5 (Vince 52) beat Sussex 159 for 5 (Joyce 56) by 18 runs
Scorecard

After their blip against Glamorgan last week Hampshire were back to their formidable best at Hove. Finalists for the last four years and winners in 2010 and 2012 they again look the side to beat after a comfortable 18 run victory over Sussex.

Despite the absence of Chris Jordan, Matt Prior and Chris Nash Sussex made a decent fist of chasing 178. At halfway they were slight favourites with Ed Joyce and Rory Hamilton-Brown dovetailing effectively.

Even in a format that you might necessarily think would suit a stylist like Joyce, the Sussex captain remains a class act. The on-drive down the slope for four off Kyle Abbott was a thing of beauty and all the time he was there to anchor their response, Sussex had a chance of overhauling an asking rate in excess of nine an over.

But Hamilton-Brown, having got the measure of a slow pitch with 34 off 22 balls, was bowled making room and then Ben Brown had a horrible mow across the line having just punched two sumptuous boundaries through midwicket. The successful bowler on both occasions was Will Smith who was seldom utilised by his former club Durham in this format, certainly with the ball. But his skiddy off-breaks proved ideally suited to the surface and he finished with 2 for 21.

Joyce went to his half-century and tried to force the pace at the end but Abbott showed his international experience with a potent blend of accurate yorkers and slower balls as the boundaries dried up and Hampshire closed the game out with the certainty of a side who knew they had Sussex where they want them.

With Abbott's occasionally searing pace, the accuracy of left-arm spinner Danny Briggs and an athletic fielding unit Hampshire have all the bases covered. They look an evolving side too with 17-year-old Brad Taylor taking a decent catch on debut while that old stager Owais Shah anchored the second half of their innings with the assurity of someone with 199 games in this format behind him.

They also have the necessary firepower to take advantage of the Powerplay. James Vince and skipper Jimmy Adams formed a new opening partnership and although Adams fell in the fourth over Vince hit the ball with a mixture of impeccable timing and brutal power. His 52 from 31 balls contained 44 in boundaries, including two sixes which sailed over mid-wicket and out of the ground.

Hampshire scored 65 at the end of the Powerplay and although the Sussex attack did well to drag things back they suffered at the end when Sean Ervine cut loose with 38 off 23 balls. Credit then, amidst the big hitting, to leg spinner Will Beer who was prepared to give the ball some air while Yasir Arafat showed all his nous with two wickets in his final over.

A target of 178 would have tested Sussex even if they had been able to call on their big hitters. Luke Wright threatened to provide the start they needed until he was superbly caught over his shoulder by the diving Adams. At halfway the scores were level but Sussex could have no complaints. They played better than in both of last weekend's two victories but were beaten by the better side, a fate one suspects awaiting a few more of Hampshire's opponents over the next few weeks.

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Bell-Drummond leads Kent pyrotechnics

Kent 164 for 5 (Bell-Drummond 59, Stevens 47, Key 46) beat Somerset 122 for 5 (Hildreth 58*, Bollinger 3-36) by 42 runs
Scorecard

Kent opened their NatWest T20 Blast campaign with a 42-run victory over Somerset in a rain-affected South Group match at the County Ground.

The game was reduced to 13 overs a side and delayed until 7pm, but the poor weather failed to dampen Kent's spirits as they sent the hosts crashing to a second defeat in the competition.

The win was orchestrated by Kent's top order, with opener Daniel Bell-Drummond the star of the show as he smashed a T20 career-best 59 off 30 balls, including eight fours and two sixes, to set up a score of 164 for 5.

Bell-Drummond's fellow opener Rob Key also flailed the Somerset attack by posting a quickfire 46 off 22 deliveries in an opening stand of 85. Darren Stevens ensured the flow of runs continued, needing just 20 balls to smash a 47 that was headlined by two sixes.

The next two wickets fell cheaply but the damage had already been done, with Somerset lacking the firepower to mount a serious challenge to the target set.

When captain Marcus Trescothick fell cheaply for 3, the writing appeared to be on the wall. Trescothick's fellow opener Craig Kieswetter struck 40 to give Somerset hope, but they were running out of overs to catch their opponents.

James Hildreth finished unbeaten on 58 from 29 balls in a score consisting of seven fours and one six, but his fine effort failed to prevent Kent from romping home.

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Croft and Brown ignite Lancashire

Lancashire 169 for 3 (Croft 76*, Brown 67) beat Derbyshire 149 for 5 (Moore 40, Ali 3-27) by 20 runs
Scorecard

The last time Glen Chapple's Lancashire side won a T20 match at the County Ground was in 2009. They had VVS Laxman and Faf du Plessis in their line-up and were carried to victory by a blistering career-best 93 from a certain Andrew Flintoff. Tonight they had record fourth-wicket pair and half-centurions Steven Croft and Karl Brown to thank for ending a run of three losses and a tie here.

Going back a couple of weeks, you would have got pretty short odds on Flintoff playing in this clash with talk of his return to the game reaching a crescendo. A badly sprained ankle in fielding practice put paid to that idea, although the chances of him playing later in the competition are still just about alive. He could play 2nd XI cricket next week.

Lancashire also had Gareth Cross behind the stumps when they last won here and were approximately six months away from signing Stephen Moore from Worcestershire. Both men played for the opposition tonight and, although Moore hit 40 off 35 balls, the task of chasing down 170 was just too stiff. Limited-overs expert Kabir Ali finished with 3 for 27 from four overs to secure a 20-run victory.

Rain delayed the start by 45 minutes, reducing the match to 19 overs per side, and Derbyshire started well by removing Tom Smith, Alex Davies and visiting captain Paul Horton early on to reduce the score 38 for 3.

However, Brown and Croft, both shifted down the order to No. 3 and 5 respectively, produced some Flintoff-esque power hitting as they shared an unbroken 131 inside 14 overs, a Lancashire record for that wicket in this format. They plundered 77 in the last 36 balls of the innings and both brought up their fifties with a six.

While Brown's unbeaten 67 off 50 balls represented a career-best score, Croft's 76 off 52 was his best T20 score in a Lancashire shirt since 2010 and was a reminder of his qualities following a frustrating season and a quarter in all forms, which has included losing the responsibility of stand-in captain when Chapple does not play. That is now the job of official vice-captain Horton.

Horton employed seven bowlers in the first eight overs of Derbyshire's chase and it was a tactic that worked despite not signalling a flurry of early wickets. Moore struggled with his timing early on as Lancashire controlled things.

In truth, Derbyshire never really got going and when Moore and Marcus North, another former Lancashire player, both fell in the space of eight balls in the eleventh and 12th overs to leave the score at 88 for 3, it was realistically game over with the run rate escalating beyond two runs per ball.

Ali struck twice in the closing stages before Junaid Khan comfortably defended 26 off the last over to give their side the perfect pick-me-up ahead of Sunday's crucial Roses Championship match against Yorkshire.

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Willey blasts Northants to second win

Northamptonshire 179 for 8 (Willey 95) beat Leicestershire 176 for 4 (Cobb 70, Smith 56) by two wickets
Scorecard

David Willey's explosive 95 off just 45 balls lifted Northamptonshire to a two-wicket win over Leicestershire in their rain-reduced NatWest T20 Blast encounter at Wantage Road.

Willey is fast gaining a reputation as one of the hottest properties in the shortest format and his bombastic innings on Friday helped the defending champions edge to their second victory from two games in a match that was reduced to 18 overs per side due to rain.

Half-centuries from Josh Cobb and Greg Smith helped Leicestershire to 176 for 4 after they were invited to bat, but Willey laid the platform for the lower order to edge over the line with two balls to spare.

Willey, who was key to Northants' win in the final last year, has been unable to bowl this season because of an ongoing back injury, but as opening batsman he was nigh-on unstoppable against the Foxes.

Richard Levi got Northants' chase off to a strong start by taking 14 off Buck in the second over, although the bowler would have the last laugh when he bowled Levi for 17.

Levi's opening partner Willey thumped the first of his six sixes in the next over and appeared to be thoroughly enjoying his task when he took two maximums in three balls off Anthony Ireland.

He did enjoy a bit of luck on 44 when Scott Styris and substitute fielder Matt Boyce left it to each other to take a catch, with neither doing so. It proved a costly let-off as Willey kept motoring on, despite the dismissals of Kyle Coetzer, Rob Newton and Steven Crook, easily overtaking his previous highest T20 score of 60.

He appeared on course for a maiden T20 century but fell five runs short when he skied Ireland to Ned Eckersley.

Northants still required 30 off 24 balls, but their lower order saw them squeeze home, with Graeme White hammering Rob Taylor for four.

Leicestershire captain Cobb had appeared to put his side in a commanding position with an excellent 70 off 45 balls, while he was ably supported by Smith's 56 off 37 deliveries in a partnership of 113 for the second wicket. Styris took 19 runs off the final over in a fantastic cameo, but it proved to be in vain.

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ECB refer Carberry article to Press Complaints Commission

The ECB have referred The Guardian to the Press Complaints Commission following an interview with Michael Carberry in which he claimed he had been the victim of unfair treatment by England management.

While the ECB do not dispute the words spoken by Carberry in the article, published on March 31, were genuine, they were unhappy with the general tone of the piece and felt more should have been done to reflect their side of the story.

Specifically, they were unhappy with the suggestion that, while the other players in the Ashes tour party were allowed to fly their families to Australia for Christmas, "only Carberry's request that his mother be his invited guest was denied" and the insinuation that Carberry might have struggled for selection throughout his career "for some reason".

The ECB insist that the terms of the flights provided for the partners of touring players is clear and that Carberry was not the victim of inequitable treatment. They are also concerned that Carberry's comment that "throughout my England career, even as a schoolboy, I've always had that shorter rope for some reason," might be interpreted as a suggestion that he was the victim of racial discrimination.

The ECB had earlier threatened to take legal action after an article in the Nightwatchman magazine suggested that Carberry's struggle to gain England selection might have been due to racial discrimination. The magazine deleted the article from all on-line platforms and printed an apology and retraction in the next issue. They also made a donation to Chance to Shine.

It is understood the ECB made several attempts to persuade The Guardian to print a similar retraction, but the newspaper is standing by its story.

The Press Complaints Commission is an independent body which administers the system of self-regulation for the press.

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'Unanimous feeling' against KP - Downton

Paul Downton has claimed there was a "unanimous feeling" within the England camp that the time had come to move on from Kevin Pietersen and suggested the team who lost the Ashes had fallen "into a mindset thinking they were better than they were".

Downton, the new managing director of England cricket, told the BBC's Test Match Special that he talked to every member of the England management on the Ashes tour and quite a few senior players and "couldn't find one supporter" for Pietersen.

"All I know is I and others wanted people purely focused on playing for England," Downton said. "There was an enormous amount of frustration surrounding KP from everyone in the management team. I watched every ball of the Sydney Test and I had never seen anyone as disinterested or distracted on a cricket field.

"The accusation made was that he had too many different agendas and was not 100 per cent focused on playing for England. Who knows if that's right but that was the unanimous feeling. I couldn't find one supporter saying 'we want KP to stay in the side'.

"I'm not saying all that happened in Australia was down to KP. Dynamics disintegrate when you're under pressure. Maybe all the players were a bit distracted in terms of commercial opportunities. Test cricket is hard work and back-to-back Ashes series had an enormous effect on mental energy. We suffered from that point of view."

While Downton reiterated that there was no single incident that led him to conclude that the time had come to drop Pietersen, he accepted that, from a PR perspective, it would have been easier to dismiss Pietersen as a direct result of the "textgate" issue in 2012.

"The public would have understood it more," Downton said. "Andy Flower was trying to back Alastair Cook ahead of the tour to India and a peace deal was brokered. But a huge amount of trust was lost.

"He was brought back, which opened the opportunity up for rehabilitation. In the end that lasted 18 months and we've decided to make a split. The team has to grow and rebuild and can only do it without KP in the side.

"KP had a fantastic career but it was not incident free," Downton said. "There were issues. We managed KP fantastically. He played 10 years of Tests. But there was a strong feeling within the management that team won't grow until we make a decision and move on.

	"We played on wickets that were slow and our batsmen lost confidence and we became too tight. We defended rather than attacked and fell apart under immense pressure." Paul Downton

"We had to rebuild the side. That side, with KP in it, had just lost 5-0. We lost Strauss 18 months ago and never really replaced him. Graeme Swann retired during the tour and Jonathan Trott, who I saw yesterday, is recovering but is quite long way from getting back to playing cricket. So we made a decision on KP. We had to rebuild the side. And we had to decide who we were going to back. Were Cook and Bell going to be backbone, or were we going to back KP? It became a bit of a no-brainer.

Downton also admitted that he, and the ECB, could perhaps have handled the situation better in the days following the decision not to select him for the World T20 which sparked a backlash on social media.

"We told KP 'we won't pick you for the World T20'. From then on he was clear he wanted to come to a settlement to terminate central contract. His team pushed for that. We would have been quite happy to let the contract run out. It was a week before the IPL auction. KP wanted the freedom to play where he wanted to play and he won a big contract because of it.

"The lawyers took three days to argue to and fro and it did leave a vacuum. I'd been in the job a week and I didn't know how best to handle it. I was not aware of social media at the time. It was always going to be noisy. But the sooner people understand that we have cut our ties with KP and moved on and that we're investing in younger players coming in to rebuild the side, the better."

Downton also suggested that the England team that lost the Ashes 5-0 had developed a mindset that overestimated their ability.

"There was a group of players together for a long time," he said. "And, in the words of Graham Gooch, felt they had one more tour left. There was a huge focus to win in India and keep the Ashes, but they were starting to play slightly defensive cricket.

"They had a wake-up call in New Zealand, then struggled over here again in the Ashes and we slowly lost confidence. We played on wickets that were slow and our batsmen lost confidence and we became too tight. We defended rather than attacked and fell apart under immense pressure.

"It's very rare when you have such a settled group for so long and it's very different not to become stale. The preparation and planning was the same in 2013 as it had been in 2010-11 but we couldn't recreate the same sense of urgency. The tanks were empty.

"Maybe, as a collective, the team got into a mindset thinking they were better than they were. No-one was deliberately complacent but maybe success turned out to be a false cocoon around them."

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Only the start of the short stuff

Sri Lanka's bowlers had propelled their World T20 campaign, often bailing out lacklustre batting displays, but when the bowlers had a bad evening in London, the batsmen could not reciprocate

When Graham Ford departed from his role with Sri Lanka, and Paul Farbrace arrived in late January, both coaches issued identical appraisals of the team's chances in the two upcoming global tournaments.

"They have a terrific opportunity to win the World T20 in Bangladesh," Ford said, "there's no doubt about that." But both men were a little less hopeful about the World Cup. "We're not quite there yet," Farbrace had said. "There are some key things to develop, and the England series should give us a fair indication where we are at as a side."

As Sri Lanka faltered for the first time in 11 ODIs, at The Oval, many of their shortcomings on quicker, bouncier conditions were made plain. Sri Lanka's bowlers had propelled their World T20 campaign, often bailing out lacklustre batting displays, but when the bowlers had a bad evening in London, the batsmen could not reciprocate.

Lahiru Thirimanne got late-swinging delivery early in his innings, but several other batsmen failed to account for the bounce and movement typical in England, and surely forthcoming in Australia and New Zealand as well.

Tillakaratne Dilshan failed to put away short balls at his body, early in the innings, piling pressure on himself to explode, as the run rate climbed. He is often a consummate player of the pull - a stroke he executes with typical homespun swagger - but has recently struggled with it on faster surfaces. In the end, it would be a slash through the offside that undid him, as he underestimated the bounce Chris Jordan's hit-the-deck pace would achieve.

Before Dilshan departed, a leaden-footed Kumar Sangakkara had played Harry Gurney on, when the bowler nipped one back. It is unlike Sangakkara to have footwork out of order, but Sri Lanka could do themselves much good if they arrive at the Tests on the back of a big ODI series win. If the visitors are to keep England's spirits low, even uncharacteristic mistakes may have to be omitted by the senior players, who have considerable experience in similar conditions.

Dinesh Chandimal was targeted with the short ball in the T20 match as well, and here departed to it, heaving forcefully at Jordan, to offer thin top-edge to the keeper. The previous ball had been a bouncer, which Chandimal had hooked at and missed - further suggestion that England will persist with this plan to him.

He has flourished in England before, but this uncertainty against the short ball was unearthed by Pakistan in the Test series in January, when Junaid Khan had him caught at fine leg in successive innings. Interestingly, Farbrace, then about to take Sri Lanka's reins, had been in the stands on the second occasion. However England came by their mode of attack, it is out in the open now. Chandimal was already under significant scrutiny when he arrived in this series, and will now be watched even closer, while Ashan Priyanjan awaits his turn in the middle order.

The requirement was too steep even for Angelo Mathews, who lately has grown as a finisher. Perhaps more intent at the top of the innings would have eased the middle-order's burden, and to that end, Kusal Perera may be reconsidered for the coming matches. Kusal has been notoriously inconsistent, but few young Sri Lanka batsmen sustain excellence in the first years of their careers. What is more, when he delivers a good knocks, he leaves the side well in control of the innings.

If he is to come in at opener, he will displace Thirimanne, but perhaps that creates an opportunity of its own. Sri Lanka's batting concentrates its experience in the top four, but if Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were to move down to Nos. 4 and 5 respectively, Thirimanne could remain in the top three where he prefers, and the unit becomes more balanced overall. Jayawardene has long been the most versatile ODI batsman Sri Lanka have, and a lower position may free him to play the finishing innings he has often provided. Sangakkara, meanwhile, has now acquired the aptitude for sustained aggression that might make him a good No.4.

The bowlers' quality and track record suggests they will recover quickly from a poor outing. But if Sri Lanka's tour, and their World Cup preparations, are to go to plan, the batsmen would do well to give their team-mates more cover than they did on Thursday.

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Who is Naved Arif?

Naved Arif, now 32, is not a household name in cricket, but neither is he a nobody. A first-class bowling average of 24.38 showed that he had some skill when it came to his left-arm pace bowling and he reached as far as Pakistan A in 2009 when he toured Australia, playing against the likes of Cameron White and George Bailey, and Sri Lanka.

Now, however, the man given the nickname 'Barry' - as in Great Barrier Reef - while playing league cricket in Lancashire faces being known forever as a match-fixer if the charges laid by the ECB in relation to a county match in 2011 are made to stick.

He joined Sussex in 2011 - ironically, it was announced on the same day as Sussex's signing of Lou Vincent - a process eased by the fact his wife was Danish so he did not class as an overseas player. He had made his first-class debut in Pakistan in 2002, and marked the appearance with figures of 5 for 28 against Hyderabad.

At the time, Mark Robinson, the Sussex coach, said: "Naved is a late developer, and with his background in Pakistan he's had to do it the tough way. His record out there on unhelpful wickets is outstanding and he's got the potential to change games."

His Sussex debut came in April 2011, against Lancashire at Aigburth, and it was undistinguished affair as he took 1 for 68 and made 6 and 0 in an innings defeat. However, a couple of weeks later against the same opposition he scored an unbeaten hundred - his only one in first-class cricket, he does not have another score over fifty - to earn Sussex a draw when defeat had looked likely. Wisden said Arif had mixed "studied defence with attractive leg-side blows". He helped save the match in a last-wicket stand of 90 alongside Monty Panesar.

He played just four Championship matches in the season, but claimed a creditable 15 wickets at 25.86. He was more of a regular in the 40-over team and on August 23 faced Kent in a televised match that has been long under the spotlight despite being cleared by ICC. Arif made 11 off 29 balls as, from a position of considerable strength, Sussex failed to chase down 217. He had earlier conceded 0 for 41 in six overs.

In 2012 he made seven Championship appearances, his last against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in what was also his final first-team match for Sussex. At the end of the season he was released having appeared in just two more 2nd XI fixtures.

In December of the same year he played two matches for Sialkot Stallions and his last professional game of cricket was against Lahore Lions, where he took 1 for 29.

However, he did play club cricket again in England as recently as April this year when he appeared for Little Stoke Cricket Club taking 5 for 26 and making 52.

If found guilty of the charges he faces Arif now faces a ban from all levels of cricket organised, authorised or supported by the ECB, ICC, any other National Cricket Federation and any member of any other National Cricket Federation.

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Fans' goodwill remains - Cook

Alastair Cook believes the English public remain largely behind the team despite the events of the winter and its dramatic fallout.

After a somewhat bitty start to the international season with a rain-effected game in Scotland then the T20 defeat to Sri Lanka on Tuesday, which Cook was not involved in, he now gets hold of the team for his first extended run since the one-day series in Australia, which resulted in a 4-1 defeat and, momentarily at least, led to Cook considering his future.

Others did pay with their positions with Andy Flower and Kevin Pietersen the highest-profile casualties. Pietersen's absence continues to be a source of much debate especially on social media, fuelled by Giles Clarke's recent comments that people need to "move on" from the issue and not helped by England struggling to regain winning form.

That Cook has retained his position, seemingly without too many questions asked, has also caused some consternation from his more vocal critics but Cook insists he has not personally felt any animosity from the fans.

"I'm sure if you live your life on social media it would be slightly different but from the people I've bumped into in the street or the pub the goodwill is still there to English cricket," he said. "That's only what I've experienced and it is slightly different when you meet people face-to-face I'm sure.

"People were obviously disappointed with the winter, as any cricket fan would be, and the players were disappointed as well, that's a given. We are incredibly lucky with the support we've got, as we always have whether we've won or lost, and as players were are incredible grateful for the support we get."

But a continued struggle to string wins together this summer against Sri Lanka and India will start to test the patience of even the most loyal supporters.

"No-one's got a divine right to win a game of cricket," Cook said. "Sri Lanka are an incredibly dangerous side so we've got to play some good aggressive cricket. We are going to leave it all out there and we are desperate for a good performance. But that doesn't guarantee anything. The fresh start and stuff is brilliant but it's all now down to playing some good cricket."

	"It would be ideal if everything was settled and everyone knew their role. But we don't know the 13 or 14 we'll take out there. They'll be the decisions we start making now." Alastair Cook

In this one-day series there is also a bigger picture to look at with the World Cup now less than nine months away. Cook took on the 50-over captaincy in 2011 following the previous tournament as England began another cycle of trying to overcome their woes in the premier global event, but Cook conceded that they are nowhere near as clear on their line-up as he had hoped they would be.

"I remember in 2011 sitting down when I first started as England captain saying I want this four years to build up and come the World Cup we'll have a settled side leading into it. I'd hoped to have eight or nine months where it would be settled. That was the theory but I probably wasn't living in the world of reality if I'm being honest because a lot can happen in four years as we've seen.

"Of course, it would be ideal if everything was settled and everyone knew their role. But we don't know the 13 or 14 we'll take out there. They'll be the decisions we start making now because of what happened over the last three or four months. We build towards the World Cup from now."

One aspect of the team Cook did seem much more certain of was the continuation of his opening partnership with Ian Bell. There has been much clamour to shake up England's top order, but the continued absence of Alex Hales showed that was not top of the selectors' thoughts and it does not appear as Michael Carberry, who had a poor T20 yesterday, will split the incumbent pairing although he could yet bat at No. 3.

There is logic in retaining the current partnership which is the second-highest scoring first-wicket combination for England: in 33 innings since they came together on a full-time basis in June 2012 they have averaged 42.28 and even in Australia were regularly forming a solid platform which gives Cook the confidence they can work in a variety of conditions.

"If you look back to that Australia one-day series there were five very different wickets we had to play on," Cook said. "So at Perth when it was a belter and we needed a quick start because we knew 300 would be a par score we got off to a really good start. So we have got the power to do that. But there'll be other times in England or say Adelaide when you're playing on a slow wicket and it nips around a bit. You need the guys to adapt their skills to handle those conditions. That's what I'm looking for as a side."

Quite what England will do with the other end of the order was not quite so certain. James Anderson is back to take the new ball which will give the attack an added edge, and greater experience, but the major vulnerability remains at the death. Harry Gurney impressed in the T20 but, two matches into his international career, he will need someone to share the burden. If England continue to haemorrhage runs in the latter stages Cook will find it difficult to secure the wins to ensure the fans remain on side.

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'Follow England's lead on anti-corruption'

Cricket boards around the world would do well to emulate the example of the English game in the fight against corruption, according to Angus Porter, the head of the players' union in England.

While recent revelations relating to Lou Vincent might have painted an unflattering picture of the extent of corruption in county cricket, Porter, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, remains confident that methods used to combat the issue in England should be used as a template in the rest of the world.

"The Vincent revelations are largely historical," Porter told ESPNcricinfo. "They may only have come into the public domain in the last few days, but the ECB and PCA had known about them for some time.

"While they are a reminder that there is no room for complacency in the battle against corruption, we wouldn't want people to use them to express outdated concerns about the English game. Much has been achieved in the last few years and the recent news relates largely to a period before many preventative measures had come into place."

There are, in Porter's estimation, six elements to the fight against corruption. Crucially, given recent suggestions about the restructuring of the Anti-Corruption Unit, they require an independent investigative and disciplinary body, as well as national player associations and the full co-operation of the national cricket boards. That is not an environment offered in India and Pakistan, for example, who do not recognise player associations.

Porter's six-point plan:

1) Unity with independence
"It is incredibly important that all stake-holders act together," Porter says. "So in England we have seen the ECB and PCA work together to find the best way to educate those involved, but also investigate and act where necessary." But at the same time it is, he says, "essential that the independence of the investigative, reporting and disciplinary processes is maintained." So while the ECB may fund the ACU's work, they should not limit, interfere or attempt to influence in its work. And, as Porter points out "we need to be certain that it must not just be independent, it must be perceived as independent."

2) A distinction between the educational and investigative
In England and Wales, the PCA take on the role of educating players about the dangers of corruption and what to do should they be approached. They are not directly involved in the investigative or disciplinary aspects. "This is a particular challenge in those countries that do not have a players' association to help with the education function," Porter says. "It is very hard to go from the classroom with a player to then investigating them."

3) Start young
The prevention process now starts long before players sign professional terms with a first-class county. Anti-corruption education is given to academy players and ingrained in them as they develop through the system. Ignorance cannot be an excuse.

4) An amnesty
In 2012, an amnesty was declared in England in which players could report historic information. While little of significance came to light during that process, it did provide a last opportunity for those who might have been guilty to come clean and offered them no excuses should information come to light at a later date. "Other countries should follow the lead of the game in England and Wales and declare an amnesty," Porter says. "While our amnesty did not reveal a huge amount of new information, it did clear the conscience of a few people and made it very clear that a line had been drawn. There could be no excuse if anything came to light after that date."

	"Confidence in the integrity of the game is paramount. We have achieved a great deal in the last few years and it would be wrong for people to judge the integrity of the English game on historic cases." Angus Porter

5) Tie-in education with registration of players
It has become mandatory for players to have completed their anti-corruption training before they can be registered to play for a county. "Players cannot take the field of play until they have done so," Porter explains. At times, with some overseas signings, this has only happened a couple of hours before a game, but there have been no exceptions. Not only does the process ensure that the players have been educated, it ensures they cannot use a defence of ignorance should they have been found to have engaged in corrupt practices.

"Cricket in England is, we believe, the only sport in the world that has hard-wired education into registration in this way," Porter says. "Again, I believe other countries would do well to follow this example."

6) Allow the prevention and investigation methods to be intelligence based
Over recent days, England players Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara have made comments in the media suggesting that preventative measures taken in county cricket were not as robust as those taken in international cricket. Notably, both called for the ban on communication devices - mobile phones and the like - in international cricket to be replicated in the domestic game. But, says, Porter that may not address the real issue.

"While we are delighted to see the obvious desire of the England players to see that everything possible should be done to combat corruption, it is important we think these things through," he says. "It may be that there is a place to restrict the use of communication devices in televised games, but while members of the public are still able to access dressing rooms during those games, it would seem to be pointless to introduce such a ban without taking other measures first.

"The danger is that such action will give people a warm feeling of contentment that they are doing the right thing, but that it will actually be no use at all. The evidence we have is that fixing usually takes place away from the ground and not on match days."

Porter also points out that most players involved in the England squads were not party to the pre-season anti-corruption programmes at the counties and might not be fully aware of the extent of the help now offered at domestic level.

"I think James Anderson was the only England player available for the pre-season education," Porter explained. "But the England team's anti-corruption runs parallel to the county teams' so no-one slips through the net. Anderson would have seen Mervyn Westfield give some incredibly powerful testimony on the mistakes he made.

"Confidence in the integrity of the game is paramount. We have achieved a great deal in the last few years and, while recent news reminds us that there is no room for complacency, it would be wrong for people to judge the integrity of the English game on historic cases."

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Somerset thrive without weight of expectation

Somerset 234 and 108 for 0 (Trescothick 58*) require a further 136 to beat Durham 155 and 326 (Richardson 116, C Overton 5-63)
Scorecard

Expectation can be a burden. Following a testing 2013, Somerset, for once, had little of it before this season. Evidently that is suiting the club just fine. Tomorrow brings the promise of Somerset going second in the Championship. It has been a familiar finish in recent years, but now the circumstances feel very different.

There was no better indication of Somerset's quiet buoyancy than the ebullience with which Marcus Trescothick and Johann Myburgh approached a chase of 248 in the evening sunshine. With two golden ducks in his last three innings, Trescothick could have been forgiven for approaching the task with caution. Instead, he swatted the first ball through midwicket for four.

Trescothick remains an awesome sight, at moments such as these his game seeming designed around causing maximum damage with minimum foot movement. That his game remains in fine working order even in its 39th year was confirmed when Mark Wood, so outstanding in the first innings, entered the fray. A violent pull to long-on, a booming straight drive and a rasping cut provided three boundaries in one over. Over the wicket, or around the wicket? Wood zig-zagged between the two, but it made no difference to Trescothick in this mood.

In the circumstances it was easy to forget about Johann Myburgh - driving with power through the offside and playing the paddle sweep to great effect, he almost joined Trescothick in reaching a half-century by the close.

Somerset batted as if aware that the forecast for tomorrow is less encouraging than today's. By the close, the opening stand was worth 112 in 23 overs; so violent was the onslaught that, at one stage, it did not seem entirely facetious to ask whether Somerset would get into a position to request the extra half hour and so avoid any reliance on the weather tomorrow. The only moment of anxiety was when Myburgh offered Paul Collingwood a hard slip catch, diving to his left, when he had reached 40.

From this juncture rain seems to pose a bigger challenge to Somerset's victory hunt than the Durham bowlers. Admirably as Chris Rushworth and Wood bowled to limit Somerset's first innings to 234, a repeat performance seemed to be asking for too much, especially with the sun effervescent.

Ordinarily Durham could entrust the new ball to Graham Onions: a back injury means that he is not available. In the fourth innings Scott Borthwick is often a potent weapon. Now, the state of his right-hand rather embodies Durham's season so far: he sustained a flaked fracture on his middle finger in this game, a fortnight after chipping a bone on his index finger, and was only able to bat at No. 11 in the second innings.

And when Durham need a spark it is often Ben Stokes who provides it. They would have envisaged him providing a flying start to their Championship defence before England duty took over, but a locker that felt his wrist's wrath during the West Indies tour ended such hopes. At least there is encouragement on this front: he came through back-to-back T20s for the second team and a Championship return at Trent Bridge on Sunday is hoped for.

Still, there was considerable cheer for Durham earlier in the day. While his father David was busy with the latest corruption scandal, Michael Richardson compiled his second Championship hundred of the season. Mark Stoneman almost joined him but, three balls after dispatching Craig Overton over square leg, he misjudged another bouncer attempting to reach his century with a repeat.

Craig is the less well known of the Overton twins, largely because his 2013 season was ruined by a stress fracture on his back. He bowls slower than Jamie, so is perhaps less intimidating to face. But Craig is also more accurate, and generated dangerous movement away from the right-handers. In docile batting conditions, it was an opportune time to take his first five-for in first-class cricket.

George Dockrell, playing his first Championship game of the season, was a worthy ally. As he got the ball to grip off the pitch while maintaining immaculate control - and adding a sharp catch off Collingwood to boot - it seemed remarkable that he was not yet 22.

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McCullum confident in ICC despite leak

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has said he has confidence in the ICC's anti-corruption investigators despite his disappointment that his testimony has been leaked to the media.

Details of McCullum's statements to the ICC's anti-corruption unit were published by the Daily Mail earlier this week, including that he had turned down offers of up to $180,000 to underperform in matches. The ICC has reacted by serving an injunction against the paper in an effort to prevent further details of its investigation being published.

But despite the leak bringing intense media spotlight on to McCullum, he said would continue to help the ICC with its investigations and would encourage other players to do the same if they had been similarly approached. Speaking at a press conference in Christchurch, McCullum said he was unable to divulge any specifics regarding his testimony, but he stood by the statements he had made to the ICC.

"I'm obviously disappointed about that but there's nothing I can do about it," McCullum said. "I can't go into the specifics of what's going into the investigation or my involvement in it ... but I will continue to fulfil my role in the investigation. I guess from my point of view the dealings I've had with the group that I've dealt with, I have confidence. How the leak happened, I'm not sure but I have confidence in them."

The Daily Mail reported earlier this week that McCullum was first approached by a former player during the 2008 IPL season and again on New Zealand's tour of England later that year.

"There's still a long way to go. Obviously it had been a number of years and the next little while will probably be a bit tough but my role in the investigation is on-going," McCullum said. "The sport of cricket is a great sport which we're all very privileged to be involved in. Obviously there are a couple of circumstances that have tainted the game but the majority of people uphold the traditions of the game."

Asked what advice he would give any other New Zealand cricketers who came to him to report a match-fixing approach, he said: "There was no hesitancy in my faith in the ICC as such. If one of the players found themselves in the same situation then I would certainly encourage them to go the same route I chose."

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Carberry clanger highlights England muddle

A crucial dropped catch by Michael Carberry was just one example of England expecting things from players that they do not do a county level

It should never be a surprise when Michael Carberry drops a catch. For all his worth as a batsman and for all his fitness, he has never been a reliable catcher.

His drop of Thisara Perera when the batsman had scored 20 at The Oval defined this game and the muddled thinking that currently pervades in the selection of the England team.

It was a simple chance. It was simple like the chance Carberry missed at backward point in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide when Brad Haddin had 5 and went on to score 118; an innings that hammered a nail into England's Ashes coffin. This time Thisara helped Sri Lanka thrash 37 runs off the final 15 balls of the innings of which his share was 28 in 10. It changed the game.

It cannot be put down to 'one of those things.' It happens too often for that. While not exactly the norm - Carberry has taken some good catches in his career - it is not accurate to describe it as an aberration. He dropped chances on his ODI debut in Dublin and was untidy in the ODI series against Australia that followed. He has a reputation at county level for being far from a safe pair of hands.

Equally, England cannot be surprised that Ian Bell looked rusty as a T20 player: he had not played a T20 match of any sort since England last selected him in this format in January 2011. His class as a batsman is beyond doubt and he surely can develop in this role but to expect him to do it against the world champions is asking a great deal. And England only have three T20s in the rest of the year. If they really see Bell as part of their next World T20 squad, they will have to release him from other England duties to play some T20 cricket for Warwickshire.

Nor can they be surprised that Jos Buttler, for all the potential he oozes as a batsman, continues to make mistakes with the gloves. He was not first choice wicketkeeper at his county last season and, only a few weeks ago, was rested from the first game of the county season by the England management when offered a new opportunity to take the gloves full time with Lancashire. Here he missed a tough stumping chance offered by Kithuruwan Vithanage on 30 off Ravi Bopara.

And they cannot be surprised that Chris Jordan is struggling as a death bowler. He has never successfully mastered the art at county level and Sussex, his county, signed Yasir Arafat as an overseas player for their T20 campaign so that he would not be exposed in that role. Yet here was Jordan, bowling the penultimate over of the Sri Lanka innings and conceding 22 runs.

Even Alex Hales, who became the joint quickest man to 1,000 T20 international runs and top-scored in the match, might progress faster if county and country could agree on his role. Hales, who like Kevin Pietersen reached the landmark in 32 innings, has the ability to prosper in all formats of the game but, after a poor first-class season in 2013, is currently unable to command a place in the Nottinghamshire Championship side.

	It is the selection of Carberry that is most perplexing. While his T20 record is decent, it seems odd to select a 33-year-old at the start of the two-year cycle between World T20 tournaments

While that is understandable, if the county game is largely about preparing players for England, then Hales should surely be playing in front of a 35-year-old former Australia international, Phil Jaques, with a view to him learning the skills that could, in time, help England win World Cup and Ashes series. And the fact that it is an England selector, the Notts director of cricket, Mick Newell, who leaves him out just underlines the muddled thinking that continues to hold England back. The England selectors seem intent on asking their players to perform roles which they do not perform for their counties.

But it is the selection of Carberry that is most perplexing. While his T20 record is decent - though not as good as James Taylor's, who is almost a decade younger - it seems odd to select a 33-year-old at the start of the two-year cycle between World T20 tournaments.

The main reason for bewilderment at the selection of Carberry is not his age or the concern over his fielding. It is the rampant hypocrisy it represents. For while Pietersen was dropped from the team in 2012 for exchanging private correspondence with members of the opposition, Carberry has been recalled having publically lambasted the coach (at the time) of the limited-overs squads in a national newspaper.

And while Pietersen was told he would not be selected again because the England team needed "the full support of all players" with "everyone pulling in the same direction", Carberry was recalled despite criticising Ashley Giles in an interview in which he suggested he had been omitted from the England team for non-cricket reasons and giving a highly disputed version of events on the Ashes tour; so disputed that the ECB is understood to be deliberating whether to take further action over the piece.

And while Paul Downton watched two-and-a-half days of the Ashes and concluded that he Pietersen was "disconnected" from the rest of the team - a version of events that has been disputed by the vast majority of the rest of the Ashes squad - he had apparently not watched enough of the series, or of county cricket in the previous decade, to realise that Carberry's catching was an accident waiting to happen.

Yet it seems there is one rule for Pietersen and another for every other player. And it seems for all the strong words about "support" and "pulling in the same direction" some are allowed to be more opinionated than others.

The shame of this defeat was that England actually showed some admirable characteristics in this game. Harry Gurney, on T20 debut, demonstrated good composure and skill that might see him develop into the death bowler this side so urgently require, while Chris Woakes showed the extra pace and improved skills that could still see him develop into a quality allrounder in all formats. The batting of Buttler, Ravi Bopara and Hales was also impressive.

But if you drop simple catches against the world champions, they are going to punish you.

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Wood continues good impression

Durham 155 and 121 for 1 (Stoneman 60*, Richardson 57*) lead Somerset 234 (Petersen 78, Wood 5-37, Rushworth 4-70) by 42 runs
Scorecard

"You wouldn't want to face Graham Onions on this," one supporter said as Durham tried to exploit an overcast start to the second day at Taunton. But, with Onions missing with a back injury, Chris Rushworth and Mark Wood provided a reminder of the depth of Durham's fast-bowling stocks.

England have already shown an interest in Wood, involving him in the Lions tour to Sri Lanka. Based on this compelling evidence - and a first-class haul that is now 60 wickets at 22 apiece - he may soon be the latest Durham bowler to earn a Test cap.

From an idiosyncratic start, beginning his run-up like a relay runner about to receive a baton, Wood generates distinctly sharp pace: his deliveries invariably arrived in Phil Mustard's gloves with a notable thud. His natural delivery, short-of-a-length, is a little reminiscent of Andrew Flintoff's, though it comes from a shorter and less stocky frame.

After pushing batsmen back, Wood possesses a yorker that can exploit any hesitation coming forward. Twice he earned the satisfaction of removing the batsman's middle stump; few players would have been able to resist the delivery that accounted for Craig Kieswetter. As spectacular as the sight was, most impressive of all was Wood's relentless line outside off-stump: 97 deliveries in the day yielded only 31 runs.

In Chris Rushworth, he had the ideal ally. With a fuller length and longer run-up, Rushworth's style is less distinct than Wood's. But his value to Durham is beyond dispute: he took 57 wickets in last season's championship victory, and a new contract retaining him until 2017 is recognition of his worth.

The scalp of James Hildreth, strangled down the legside to the first ball after lunch, transformed the trajectory of the day. Hildreth, driving with nonchalant ease and timing a pull off Rushworth so supremely that it went for six, had looked serene in adding 79 with Alviro Petersen. When Rushworth disposed of Peter Trego and Alfonso Thomas soon after, it left Somerset stuck in a rut at 154 for 7.

It fell to Petersen to prevent the work of his compatriot Thomas on the opening day going to waste. The judgment he displayed, switching from stern defence at the start of the day to controlled belligerence when Somerset were vulnerable after lunch, was befitting of an established Test player, and a pair of thumping sixes off Jamie Harrison threatened to test the resilience of the press box windows.

But it seemed apt that Petersen's wicket should eventually go to Harrison: Paul Collingwood, who had earlier spilled him in the slips on 30, did not repeat the mistake.

After the first day included the confusion of the Overton twins bowling from both ends, the second brought an even bigger challenge as they batted together. But Craig soon became identifiable by the distance he harrumphed the ball. Three sixes included an astonishing flat-batted pull, reminiscent of a tennis forehand, off Rushworth.

The upshot was that Somerset reached 234. While adding 80 for the last three wickets was commendable, the innings still rather reeked of missing an opportunity to gain a more decisive advantage.

That sense was added to as Durham enjoyed batting in the sunniest conditions of the match. Even with Scott Borthwick going to hospital - he was struck on his right-hand just a fortnight after chipping a bone, and his fitness to bat will be assessed in the morning - Durham lent the first innings scores in this match a new perspective.

Mark Stoneman and Michael Richardson had added an unbeaten hundred by the close - both had reached half-centuries, with Richardson twice dispatching George Dockrell for sixes.

Thomas, who claimed Keaton Jennings with a sharp catch at square leg by George Dockrell, was exemplary again, darting the ball both ways. He deserved more reward, but by the close Craig Overton's drop of Stoneman, 10 runs into his unbeaten 60, had the feel of being a pivotal moment.

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SL future glows brighter in victory

Encouraging innings from Kithuruwan Vithanage and Lahiru Thirimanne suggested Sri Lanka can handle the Jayawardene-Sangakkara succession issue

Sri Lanka had worked towards this match for some time. Not for the game at The Oval, in particular. Not for the foreign conditions, the opposition, nor even the tour as a whole. Sri Lanka have spent much of the last 18 months consumed in the quest to secure their future. A future beyond Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

This reality is only one match old. Things happen quickly in cricket, including the unraveling of seemingly capable sides. The team may not even discover exactly how successfully they have regenerated until the end of next year's World Cup. But in this victory over England, they have suggested there is no cause for alarm. It is not that the seniors were not missed. It is just that even without the juggernauts in the top order, Sri Lanka possessed so much substance.

Sri Lanka's batting was a whirl of kinetic energy; a raw, writhing mass, lacking the shape and finesse Jayawardene and Sangakkara provided but forceful enough to bash through to a daunting score. As batsmen came and swung hard at the ball, the self-belief that had bloomed during the team's successful run in Bangladesh was evident. Kithuruwan Vithanage bludgeoned an important innings, spoiling the impetus England had gained from two early dismissals. He threw his heart at every ball, but used his brain as well, reading the field each over, and shaping only to hit to the open spaces, perilous though many strokes were.

It is too early to suggest this batting unit will achieve the success it had with Jayawardene and Sangakkara, but lately, the signs have largely been encouraging. Lahiru Thirimanne is being groomed as a like-for-like replacement for Sangakkara at No. 3, and his studious method has begun to pay off in 2014. He lacks the power of most of his team-mates, and that vector alone would have seen him left out of many international T20 teams. But he drives himself to collect the singles and twos efficiently, and possesses enough insight into his own cricket to discern the balls he can flay.

He has many mountains to scale before he can match Sangakkara's record - perhaps he never will. But at 24, Thirimanne has a wider range of strokes and a steadier temperament than a young Sangakkara did. The older man had said as much last year. Thirimanne has now been installed as vice-captain in all three formats, and his challenge will be to maintain his rise, as he shoulders more responsibility. Sri Lanka had appointed two young leaders last year as well and, of those, Angelo Mathews grew in stature, while Dinesh Chandimal seemingly regressed.

While Thirimanne held the innings together, others would begin their knocks with ambition. Perhaps it was the assurance they had batting down to No. 8 or maybe it is because even the batsmen had caught some of their new captain's fire. A 17th over formed entirely of slower balls revealed something of Lasith Malinga's soaring self-confidence. Alex Hales, England's best batsmen of the match, anticipated the offcutter and walloped the third ball to the midwicket fence, but Malinga was unperturbed. The next one, even slower, clattered into the stumps and sent Sri Lanka to touching distance of the win.

After the World T20, Malinga had returned to Sri Lanka with his swagger embellished, even suggesting on a television show that he should have been T20 captain a year ago. Sri Lanka fans value humility more than most but they will forgive him his ego if it continues to drive him to success. If his attitude affects the collective mood, then perhaps all the better; a fearless approach has rarely let Sri Lanka down in its limited-overs past.

Sri Lanka were far from perfect on Tuesday. On other evenings, they will have fewer runs off the outside edge. Most games, the opposition will hold their catches. It might have been tougher if they had been asked to chase a good score without the newly retired men there to guide the effort but, through pure white heat, Sri Lanka earned their first win outside Asia this year.

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McCullum has acted 'quite properly' - ICC

The ICC has said it will "urgently investigate" the leaking of evidence in its match-fixing inquiries and has confirmed New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum is not under investigation and should be commended for his actions.

Details of McCullum's statements to the ICC's anti-corruption investigators were leaked to the media earlier this week, including that he had turned down offers of up to $180,000 to underperform in matches. Testimony given by former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent on alleged fixing around the world has also found its way into media reports.

Although the ICC's usual policy is not to comment on corruption investigations, the speculation has led the ICC's chief executive David Richardson to clarify that McCullum had done nothing wrong. Richardson also said the ICC "deeply regret" the fact that parts of McCullum's statements had been made public.

"Obviously the ICC considers any leak of any kind of information to be an extremely serious matter," Richardson said, "particularly, as in this instance, when the nature of the information that has found its way to the media is highly confidential and has been provided in tightly controlled circumstances by individuals to the ACSU as part of ongoing investigations.

"We are taking all steps available to us to urgently investigate how certain information in the form of statements has come to find its way into the media, so that we can provide reassurances to the stakeholders within the sport so that they can continue to place their trust in the hands of the ACSU and the anti-corruption units of the respective member boards in protecting the integrity of the sport.

"We wish to emphasise that Brendon McCullum is not under investigation in this matter. Whilst we have privately offered our full support to Brendon, we do so now publicly not only to confirm that, by assisting with the ACSU's enquiries, he has acted quite properly in accordance with his responsibilities as a professional cricketer, but also correct any misperception that he is somehow under suspicion. He is to be commended for his actions and we deeply regret that aspects of his statement are now in the public domain."

Richardson did not comment further on the investigations or whether it was likely that charges would be laid. However, he said Vincent had "co-operated fully with the ACSU's investigators" and that he could not expand on the situation surrounding Vincent at this stage.

Richardson said the ACSU had made "very good progress" since its inception and had received 472 intelligence reports in 2013, more than double the 222 it received two years earlier. He said he believed the increased number of reports made to the ACSU "indicates an increased awareness of the threat of corruption and how it can be addressed".

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Gloucs build commanding lead

Gloucestershire 252 and 213 for 4 (Alex Gidman 85, Marshall 66*) lead Kent 114 (Will Gidman 4-14, Fuller 4-32) by 351 runs
Scorecard

Gloucestershire sensed a first Championship victory of the season after compiling an imposing 351-run lead at the County Ground against Kent.

Day two of the match saw Gloucestershire coast to 213 for 4 at the close of play, with Alex Gidman making 85 before succumbing to the bowling of Darren Stevens, while Hamish Marshall was not out on 66.

The match had looked well poised after the home side were restricted to 252 in their first innings, only for Kent to be skittled for a paltry 114. Kent started the day on 33 for 6, still 219 runs behind, having lost six final-session wickets in a humiliating collapse.

And while they faired moderately better when play resumed - resistance was offered by Sam Billings with 42 and Adam Ball's 37 - they still fell too easily. Apart from Billings and Ball, no player was able to reach double figures, with James Fuller and Will Gidman spearheading Gloucestershire's assault with four wickets each.

Early hopes of gaining something from the match rose when Kent sent Chris Dent and Michael Klinger back to the pavilion cheaply, but Gloucestershire soon steadied the ship.

William Tavare fired a rapid 27 before Gidman and Marshall began flailing Kent's struggling attack with Stevens, who finished with three wickets, their only genuine threat. A first win in six games now beckons for Gloucestershire, who have two days to wrap-up victory.

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Abbott, Tomlinson check Leics reply

Leicestershire 296 for 9 (Sarwan 60, Robson 54, Taylor 53, Abbott 4-55) trail Hampshire 332 (Buck 5-84) by 36 runs
Scorecard

Division Two leaders Hampshire struck three times late on to snatch a modest advantage over Leicestershire on day two of their Championship clash at Grace Road. The home side looked to be on course for a first-innings lead as they reached 187 for 3 in reply to 332 all out, only for a late clatter of wickets to reduce them to 296 for 9 - a deficit of 36 runs.

South Africa seamer Kyle Abbott took 4 for 55 and new-ball partner James Tomlinson ended the day with 3 for 49 as Leicestershire paid the price for several of their top order failing to go on having played themselves in.

Leicestershire needed just 25 balls to clean up the Hampshire tail in the morning session, with Nathan Buck and Anthony Ireland swiftly getting rid of Abbott and Danny Briggs as Hampshire added just 11 runs to their overnight total of 321 for 8. Former England Lions seamer Buck was the pick of the hosts' attack as he finished with figures of 5 for 84.

The Leicestershire reply got off to a slow start as Abbott swiftly had Greg Smith caught by James Vince at second slip for 4. But Angus Robson, brother of Middlesex's England hopeful Sam, overcame a probing opening spell from Tomlinson before unfurling a string of boundaries to all parts of the ground.

He found a willing ally in Ned Eckersley, who rode his luck throughout the morning session - most noticeably when he was dropped by Sean Ervine at first slip off the unfortunate Tomlinson - as the home side reached 79 for 1 at the interval.

After lunch Eckersley was dropped again behind the stumps and survived two enthusiastic lbw shouts from Abbott, but it was Robson who fell for 54 when Tomlinson changed the angle by coming around the wicket and induced a thin edge through to wicketkeeper Michael Bates.

Eckersley's scratchy 34 was brought to an end when he was bowled trying to hit spinner Briggs square of the wicket, but West Indian Ramnaresh Sarwan brought up a quick fifty and Josh Cobb hit Briggs down the ground for six as the home side made it through to tea without further trouble.

Leicestershire captain Sarwan inexplicably skied Abbott's first ball after the interval to Matt Coles at midwicket to depart for 60, and Niall O'Brien carved the same bowler to Will Smith at point for eight four overs later as the hosts slid to 195 for 5.

Part-time offspinner Smith became Hampshire's seventh bowler of the innings and had success in his first over when Cobb nicked one to Bates attempting a cut for 37. Tomlinson then took two wickets in an over with the second new ball - Jigar Naik playing one onto his stumps two deliveries before Ireland nicked through to Vince at second slip. And Abbott snared Rob Taylor for 53 as the left-hander's leading edge flew straight to Hampshire skipper Jimmy Adams at mid-off.

The visitors may have expected to wrap things up before close at that stage, but Buck and Charlie Shreck held out until stumps, adding a valuable 15 runs on a track displaying some variable bounce.

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Raj, Lanning set up win over MCC

ROW XI 283 for 9 (Raj 67, Lanning 59, Cross 4-48) beat MCC 242 (Edwards 70, Knight 51, Mir 4-36) by 41 runs
Scorecard

Mithali Raj and Meg Lanning scored half-centuries before four wickets for Sana Mir helped ensure victory for a Rest of the World XI against MCC at Lord's. Charlotte Edwards' top-scored with 70 for MCC but they fell 41 runs short in the match arranged as part of the Lord's bicentenary celebrations.

The MCC team featured a majority of current England internationals, with the retired Claire Taylor, playing for the first time in three years, and Arran Brindle joined by Holly Colvin after a break from the game. Edwards and Heather Knight put on 98 for the first wicket but only two other players made double figures.

Knight fell for 51 and MCC struggled to keep up with the rate, with Edwards becoming the fourth wicket down in the 32nd over with the score on 150. Natalie Sciver struck a 48-ball 45 but Mir worked through the middle order and MCC were dismissed with two balls remaining.

The ROW innings did not get off to the best start, with Kate Cross dismissing West Indies' Stafanie Taylor for a golden duck. Raj and Lanning, the captains of India and Australia respectively, came together with the score on 41 for 2 and added 90 runs in 12.5 overs. Lanning's Australia team-mate Ellyse Perry stroked 49 before Cross came back to complete a four-wicket haul and the total of 283 for 9 proved beyond MCC.

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Cairns denies corruption allegations

Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand allrounder, has vehemently denied that he is 'Player X' mentioned in the recently reported testimonies of Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum in the ICC's investigation of spot-fixing and match-fixing allegations.

It has been reported that both Vincent and McCullum have named the same player in their statements to the anti-corruption and security unit but Cairns, in a statement released on Monday, said any suggestions that he was that individual were "a complete lie". Cairns won a High Court libel trial in 2012 against Lalit Modi, after the latter accused him of match-fixing.

Following the emergence of Vincent's claims last week, given as part of a plea-bargain with the ICC, which revealed the scope and scale of the matches implicated, the Daily Mail revealed details of McCullum's testimony where he explain how he was approached in India during the first year of the IPL and then in Worcester during New Zealand's 2008 tour of England by the same player and asked whether he would be interested in fixing cricket matches. McCullum said that player had been a "hero" of his.

"I am aware that Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum have made a range of allegations against a cricketer dubbed Player X," Cairns said. "It is well known that the ICC/ACSU has been investigating allegations of corruption and my name has been linked by others to these allegations. I am being asked whether I am Player X.

"Based on the limited information I have received during this investigation, I believe it is being alleged that I am that player. These allegations against me are a complete lie."

Cairns had, in April, confirmed that he had had a recent meeting with Scotland Yard investigators but refused to divulge the reasons for the meeting.

New Zealand Cricket reacted angrily to the leak of McCullum's testimony.

"New Zealand Cricket is dismayed that Brendon McCullum's testimony to the International Cricket Council has been leaked to the media," the board said in a statement. "We can confirm that Brendon is not under investigation by the ICC and his testimony has actually been applauded by them. NZC has 100% confidence in our captain and his role in tackling corruption."

McCullum's testimony is part of the ICC's ongoing investigation into allegations of match-fixing and spot-fixing. In December last year, Vincent confirmed that he was involved in an ICC anti-corruption investigation and in February, Vincent reported that he had been approached by an illegal bookmaker during the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League. Vincent is also reported to have told investigators of attempted fixing in England's Twenty20 Cup and Pro40 competitions.

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Dernbach summons perfect retort

Surrey 173 for 6 (Roy 64) beat Somerset 159 for 6 (Kieswetter 61) by 14 runs
Scorecard

Jade Dernbach often feels like the most derided man in English cricket. After a winter of discontent that may have terminated his international career for good, Dernbach would have expected relief in the new NatWest Blast. Instead, he failed to defend 15 off the final four balls against Sussex during the competition's launch on Friday night.

So there seemed something rather cathartic about Dernbach's reaction after his final over clinched Surrey's 14-run win at Taunton. Never one to knowingly under-celebrate, he ran halfway towards the boundary, arms aloft in triumph.

He had earned it, too. Given the chance to defend 18 off the final over, Dernbach yielded only three runs. Fast and full and with Somerset unable to read his slower balls, it distilled the virtues that England identified in awarding him 58 caps across the two limited overs formats.

And there was another moment to savour earlier, as an athletic pick up and throw ran Marcus Trescothick out after hesitating over a single. In the county game, at least, you can't keep Dernbach down for long: his four overs yielded only 26 runs.

Somerset's record of four consecutive appearances at T20 finals day was ended by defeat at The Oval in last year's quarterfinal. And not just any defeat, either: Gareth Batty's raucous sendoff to Peter Trego earned him a two-match ban. Batty, who was injured, may have thought that he'd chosen a good game to avoid.

That was especially true with Craig Kieswetter smiting 43 off his first 22 balls, ruthless on anything wide outside offstump. As Somerset cruised to 92 for 2 off 11 overs, their pursuit of 174 felt probable. An element of revenge, though the word had no place on a sumptuous afternoon at Taunton, seemed certain.

While Surrey bowled well, there was a strong element of self-destruction about Somerset's demise, as four wickets were lost in five wickets. "We sort of threw the game away," Kieswetter admitted. "We lacked a little bit of nous with our batting."

Kieswetter himself contributed his second consecutive T20 half-century, to follow 517 runs, more than anyone else, in the tournament last year, but even he rather lost his way after the Powerplay.

No one has been more assiduous in accruing T20 specialists than Surrey. So it would have been a particular source of pleasure to see products of their academy contribute strongly to their success.

At the age of only 22, Zafar Ansari has almost acquired senior player status at Surrey. Three canny overs of left-arm spin, which yielded only 19 runs and included Kieswetter caught at long-on, confirmed what a loss he had been for Surrey at Hove on Friday. Tom Curran's afternoon did not start promisingly - 14 off his first over included five wides sprayed down the legside - but he justified Graeme Smith's faith with smart bowling thereafter.

Earlier, it was another dynamic product of Surrey's Academy who powered their innings. After announcing himself with Surrey's first T20 century four years ago, Jason Roy's talent has never been in doubt, but his aptitude for building innings often has. And while this was a T20 game, Roy trusted himself to play himself in - scoring only two from the first eight balls - before unveiling his repertoire.

His best shot, a six off George Dockrell which must have reminded him of the Dutch onslaught in the World T20 - and struck the outside of the press box - showed that Roy is at his best when he plays straight, and lets his timing and power do the rest.

At 94-1 off 9.1 overs, Surrey envisaged a total in excess of 200. Instead, exceptional bowling from the spin twins - Dockrell and Max Waller - reined Surrey in, with the help of Somerset's death bowling specialists. Dirk Nannes and Alfonso Thomas may have a combined age of 75 but their T20 acumen remains priceless.

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Mitchell just misses three in a row

Worcestershire 291 (Mitchell 97, Pardoe 45) lead Essex 52-2 by 239 runs
Scorecard

As with the mushrooming housing estate and planned retirement home at Canterbury, so it will take some while to come to terms with a Premier Inn on the boundary at New Road. A lifetime - or more - in all probability. Still, all credit to Worcestershire for staging first-class cricket on a square that only 11 weeks ago was 11 feet under water. And to Daryl Mitchell, their captain, for batting so impressively on it that he now averages 125.80 this season.

Mitchell missed, by three runs, a third century in succession. Among a decent crowd - even if the architects who constructed the Premier Inn have missed a trick by not building balconies attached to numerous rooms overlooking the ground - was James Whitaker, the national selector, who would have been more concerned with how Monty Panesar was bowling for Essex. Yet Mitchell, who collects runs without ever seeming to become becalmed, can only have made an impression.

Given he will be 31 this year, Mitchell is a little long in the tooth to be selected for England for the first time. Yet there have been other openers before him who did not always catch in the eye in their 'twenties: Brian Luckhurst, for example, whose first Test cap came against Australia in 1970 at Mitchell's age.

Mitchell has now made 629 runs in seven innings this season, and this one was played after a 2 am return from Old Trafford following a floodlit match the previous evening. He would have been pleased not to have had to field all day after that.

Batting first was evidently the right decision, for there was some turn and low bounce which will only be accentuated come Wednesday. Mitchell and Matt Pardoe put on 117 in 27 overs against an Essex attack lacking three injured front-line bowlers in David Masters, Reece Topley and Tymal Mills. Matt Salisbury bowled briskly on his championship debut, taking one wicket, but it was an occasion for the overs to be evenly shared.

Panesar and Greg Smith took four wickets between them and Worcestershire were also stymied in mid-innings by the medium pacers. Mitchell himself fell through a leading edge to mid on off Graham Napier's bowling, his 97 including 17 fours, Alexei Kervezee again struggled to progress beyond a score in the 'twenties, Ross Whiteley launched himself once too often at the spinners and Ben Cox, who made 38, went to an excellent right handed catch by James Foster. Whitaker was right in line with this. Only some late hitting by Joe Leach, playing in his first championship match of the season, took the total to as much as 291.

Worcestershire, for their part, were without Gareth Andrew, who has been as effective this season as Masters has in the past at much the same pace for Essex. They struggled for a breakthrough until Saeed Ajmal came on and removed both Tom Westley and Salisbury, the nightwatchman.

There is no Alastair Cook or Ravi Bopara for Worcestershire to contend with on a pitch cut relatively close to the pavilion and flowering horse chestnuts that draw the eye away from anything unappealingly modernistic.

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Kent crash in final session

Kent 33 for 6 (Fuller 3-23) trail Gloucestershire 252 (Roderick 59) by 219 runs
Scorecard

Kent lost six final-session wickets as they collapsed spectacularly on the first evening of their Division Two match against Gloucestershire. Having dismissed their hosts for 252, Kent failed woefully with the bat to slump to 33 for 6 at the close, still 219 runs behind.

Not a single visiting batsman managed double figures, with the top four combined making just one. At one point Kent were 2 for 4. Will Gidman took 2 for 1 and James Fuller 3 for 23 as the Gloucestershire bowlers cashed in.

Earlier Gareth Roderick had top-scored with 59 for the hosts, a score Kent's batsmen could only dream of.

Rob Key was the first man to go with the third ball of the innings, caught behind by Roderick off Fuller for a duck. Daniel Bell-Drummond, Sam Northeast and Brendan Nash followed in successive overs as a bad start became a horrendous one.

Ben Harmison and Darren Stevens soon followed for 8 apiece, leaving Sam Billings was unbeaten with Adam Riley at the close.

Kent had started the day in positive mood after they, too, made early breakthroughs with the ball, Mitchell Claydon with two wickets as they reduced Gloucestershire to 23 for 3.

But a fifth-wicket partnership of 75 between Hamish Marshall, who made 44, and Roderick, helped the hosts recover, taking the score from 64 to 139.

Marshall was bowled by Riley and Roderick caught by Stevens off Doug Bollinger, but useful contributions from lower down the order took the score past the 250 mark. Gidman made 31 and No. 9 Tom Smith 30 before becoming Riley's third wicket of the innings.

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McCullum not under investigation - NZC

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum is not being investigated by the ICC, NZC said in a statement today. The board also stated that McCullum had testified before the ICC's investigators and, according to reports, alleged that he had been approached to fix matches.

"New Zealand Cricket is dismayed that Brendon McCullum's testimony to the International Cricket Council has been leaked to the media," the NZC said. "We can confirm that Brendon is not under investigation by the ICC and his testimony has actually been applauded by them. NZC has 100% confidence in our captain and his role in tackling corruption."

More to follow...

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Middlesex endure two defeats in one day

Sussex 128 (Jordan 25, Roland-Jones 3-25) beat Middlesex 115 for 6 (Morgan 30, Piolet 2-15) by 13 runs
Scorecard

Dawid Malan's runout sparked Sussex's dogged defense of 128

Quite what Middlesex envisaged when they agreed to open their NatWest T20 Blast campaign with back-to-back games at Lord's, it surely was not two defeats within five hours.

By succumbing in such a fashion they not only suffered a severe blow to their chances of progressing in the tournament, but they did nothing to encourage new supporters to return for another helping. Watching Middlesex scratch around for 20 overs in scoring just 115 is not what T20 was designed to offer.

To be fair, Sussex produced some admirable cricket in the field and again showed the benefits - the somewhat prosaic benefits - of accurate medium-pace and spin bowling. Steffan Piolet, delivering his medium-pace with admirable control, conceded just 15 runs in his four overs to claim the man of the match award, while Yasir Arafat conceded only two more.

But, thrilling though it is to see the likes of Chris Jordan charge in with the Lord's Pavilion behind him, it is unlikely many children will be begging their parents to take them back to see such any of the medium to slow bowlers that made up 12 overs of the Sussex allocation again soon. And Jordan will now depart on England duty.

This was an odd game. While the earlier match, played on the same surface, had realised 361 runs, this one brought just 243. Perhaps the pitch had slowed a fraction and certainly the bowling was better in the second game, but it is hard to avoid the confusion that the main difference was simply underwhelming batting from both Sussex and Middlesex.

Certainly Middlesex will reflect that this was a largely self-inflicted defeat. By starting their modest run-chase slowly - they managed just 26 from the first six overs - the top-order increased the pressure on their side and that pressure resulted in some pretty thoughtless strokes.

Eoin Morgan scooped to backward square leg, Dan Christan, who endured an undistinguished day having fallen first ball in the previous game, drove down the throat of long-leg and Paul Stirling flicked to square leg. Joe Denly, whose grim run of form has earned him just 34 runs in six innings this season across two competitions, missed a sweep.

	Players have to realise that, if they want the decent salaries, if they want to play in front of good-sized crowds, if they want domestic cricket to become viable and relevant, they have to appeal more to the customers' demands

It should have been a straightforward victory. Only one Sussex batsman, Jordan, reached 20 as Middlesex produced a much-improved bowling performance. James Harris and Toby Roland-Jones claimed five for 35 between them, while Ravi Patel produced a tight spell of left-arm spin bowling. At one stage Sussex went 34 balls without hitting a boundary.

But in defending 128 - surely one of the lower totals defended in this competition - Sussex provided another reminder of the limited-overs prowess that has seen them win four senior limited-overs trophies since 2006. In such circumstances, calm heads and confidence are as important attributes as any.

The players, understandably, have reservations about the demands of back-to-back games. But the players also have to realise that, if they want the decent salaries, if they want to play in front of good-sized crowds, if they want domestic cricket to become viable and relevant, they have to appeal more to the customers' demands. It is, after all, meant to be a spectator sport.

A comparison with some US sports, particularly baseball, would suggest that cricketers do not have too much about which to complain.

From a marketing perspective, the back-to-back game experiment was a modest success. About 11,000 spectators bought tickets and about another two-and-a-half thousand more members attended.

The acid test is whether those numbers can be maintained. In the longer-term, the ECB hope to see T20 attendances almost double over the next three years. It is an ambitious target and will require counties to buy into the vision. This match provided a step in the right direction, but suggested there was a long way to go.

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Spot fixing issue clouds T20 launch

Essex 181 for 2 (Pettini 95*, Bopara 45*) beat Middlesex 180 for 5 (Malan 86*, Morgan 77, Topley 3-26) by five wickets
Scorecard

It tells you everything you need to know about the current environment in which televised cricket is played that, moments after an excellent game of T20 cricket played in front of a large audience at Lord's, that Ravi Bopara should find himself fielding questions about match-fixing in a press conference.

It is not that Bopara or anyone else involved in this match is in the least bit suspected of anything untoward. It is that, as cycling and athletics have found, that once a sport is shown to have a problem with corruption, that it casts a shadow over everything else, however good and innocent and clean.

Bopara produced a gem of an innings to clinch this game. With his Essex side required to chase a daunting target of 181, he came to the crease with 69 more runs required and seven-and-a-half overs left.

But he timed his assault so perfectly - he thrashed 24 from the final six deliveries that he faced; albeit against some wretched death bowling - that Essex were able to open their NatWest T20 Blast campaign with a victory with an over remaining.

But it was not his calm head or clean hitting over mid-wicket that interested the media afterwards. It was the spectre of match-fixing. And while Bopara spoke eloquently about the desire to stamp out corruption, he did suggest that more could be done at county level.

"It's a beautiful game," Bopara said. "The last thing we want to do is put the fans off. We want to keep it as clean as possible and keep the fans enjoying it.

"It's horrible when the fans are questioning everything that happens. As far as I know, everyone I've played with has played the game cleanly and we should do everything we can to keep the game clean.

"If there is any odd behaviour it should be reported. It can be drummed into county cricket a bit more just how important it is to report it. That is key."

Bopara also backed Ian Bell's suggestion that county players should be prohibited from communicating with the outside world during limited-overs games; especially televised limited-overs games. So any mobile phones or laptops should be confiscated ahead of matches.

"You don't need to speak to anyone over half a day," Bopara said. "If there is a problem, people can always phone the coach or the manager of the team. But if that's what is required to keep the game clean then let's do it."

As it happens, mobile phones are already taken off players at several clubs, including Essex, during games. But that is more to encourage the players to focus on the game and communicate with their teammates than an attempt to combat corruption."

The talk of corruption partially obscured the excellence of a match-winning innings by Mark Pettini. The Essex captain made an unbeaten 95 from only 54 balls, helping his side to a blistering start to their reply despite a laboured contribution from Alastair Cook.

While Cook limped to 22 from 21 balls, Pettini thrashed a wayward Middlesex attack to all parts as Essex reached 71 without loss by the end of the sixth over. It was the perfect start to a demanding run-chase.

Essex had actually stolen the momentum about half-an-hour earlier. Reece Topley, the tall left-arm swing bowler who missed the first month of the season as he recovered from a stress fracture of the back, delivered two excellent overs - the 18th and 20th - that conceded only eight in total and claimed the wickets of Joe Denly, who looks horribly out of form, Dan Christian, who missed a horrid swing across the line to his first delivery, and Andy Balbirnie, who was caught behind as he tried to pull a slower ball.

"It was an absolutely brilliant spell," Pettini said afterwards, "especially as it was his first serious game back after four months out with a stress fracture."

It meant that Middlesex, who had seemed on course for a total of around 200, scored only 27 from the final four overs and failed to capitalise on a score of 153-2 after 16 overs.

That Middlesex had set such a platform owed much to outstanding innings from Eoin Morgan and Dawid Malan. Morgan, exceptionally strong through mid-wicket, provided a reminder of why he is such a valuable limited-overs player as he thrashed four sixes over the leg-side and punished an attack that could not quite hit the desired full length. Malan, who enjoyed a fine T20 campaign in 2013, also impressed and showed the value of batting through the innings as the middle-order failed to build on the pair's foundations.

Perhaps, had Steven Finn been available, Middlesex might have managed to defend their total. But the fast bowler was rested from the back-to-back T20 games on Saturday and is most unlikely to feature in the Championship match starting on Sunday in Northampton. He has a minor side strain.

This was a fine win for an Essex team stilling missing a couple of senior bowlers and Monty Panesar playing his first T20 match since August 2011.

For a Middlesex side facing back-to-back matches, it was tough to take. They will take little comfort from the knowledge that the experiment with two games in the day seems to have attracted an audience of around 15,000 despite Arsenal playing at Wembley.

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Court order clears road for Zaka Ashraf return

The Islamabad High Court has dismissed the order issued by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board, on February 10 that removed Zaka Ashraf as the chairman of the board and formed an eight-member committee led by Najam Sethi. The natural consequence of the court order would be that Ashraf is back at the helm of affairs. The detailed court order, likely on Monday, will further clarify the bigger picture.

"We were not the petitioner but we were made a party of various petitions against Najam Sethi for termination of dozens of employees," Ashraf's laywer, Affan Kundi, told ESPNcricinfo. "Wrapping up the various petitions, the judge suspended the SRO issued by PM on February 10. And the natural legal interpretation suggests that Zaka Ashraf is back as chairman. I am not sure if there is any other interpretation but meanwhile this is the best understanding of the judge's remarks."

"This is a win for Pakistan cricket," Ashraf said. "I will try to correct the wrong things in Pakistan cricket and do whatever is good for Pakistan cricket."

Sethi, however, said he was going to wait for the detailed order and it was up to the government to appeal against it. "The instability in the PCB is not good for cricket," Sethi said.

On February 10, Sharif superseded Ashraf-led governing board and directed a management committee to pick a PCB chairman from among its eight members. The committee chose Najam Sethi, who has acted as interim chairman while Ashraf was suspended in 2013 by the same court. Sethi has been working as the PCB chairman, leading the eight-member adhoc management committee that also included Shahriyar Khan (former PCB chairman), Zaheer Abbas (former Pakistan captain), Naveed Akram Cheema (chief secretary, Punjab), Shakeel Sheikh (former member of PCB board of governors), Yousaf Naseem Khokhar (former member of PCB board of governors), Iqbal Qasim (former cricketer), Ijaz Chaudary (IPC secretary).

Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi, heading the single-member bench at IHC, was the judge hearing petitions against the PCB challenging the termination of a number of employees in the board, including that of former chief selector Mohammad Ilyas. Although Ashraf was not the petitioner, he was made a party to it.

In the last 12 months, Ashraf had been removed as the PCB chairman twice. He was suspended in May 2013 by the Islamabad High Court after it ruled he had been elected via a "dubious" and "polluted" process. However, after a complicated legal process, he was reinstated by the same court on January 15 this year before Sharif dismissed him again on February 10.

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Lancashire claim first win

Lancashire 194 for 3 (Smith 74, Horton 71*) beat Worcestershire 182 for 5 (Munro 39, Oliver 34, Clark 2-30) by 12 runs
Scorecard

Paul Horton and Tom Smith's 128-run stand allowed Lancashire to edge to a 12-run Twenty20 Blast victory over Worcestershire at Old Trafford.

When Lancashire posted 194 for 3, Horton and Smith could have been forgiven for expecting a solid victory. The visitors had other ideas, maintaining a brisk pace throughout and falling just 13 runs short of an impressive turnaround result.

Worcestershire reached 182 for 5 in their 20 overs - with little more than half a run an over between the two sides.

Lancashire claimed their first win of the tournament after losing out by 33 runs to Nottinghamshire on Friday night.

Horton's unbeaten 71 from 43 balls steered Lancashire to an imposing total. Opener Smith fired 74 from 53 balls to set the tone, before Saeed Ajmal had him stumped by wicketkeeper Ben Cox.

His was the third wicket to fall. Karl Brown went first for 28, with Charles Morris forcing him into an edge to Cox. Two balls later the sequence was repeated, with Steven Croft being drawn into nicking one to Cox.

Lancashire could have found themselves in bother at 55 for 2, but Horton joined Smith and the duo forged a decisive partnership.

Smith eventually fell to Ajmal with eight balls of the innings remaining and Lancashire 183 for 3, with Jos Buttler adding an unbeaten 10 before the finish.

Moeen Ali blasted Worcestershire out of the blocks, with a quick-fire 11 from four balls. Steven Croft dismissed the opener though, with Brown holding the catch in the fifth ball of the innings.

Worcestershire settled quickly though, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore hitting 25 from 13 deliveries before James Anderson had him caught by Stephen Parry. They maintained the pace despite losing relatively regular wickets, with Richard Oliver eager to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Oliver struck 34 from 23 balls before he was clean bowled by Arron Lilley, with Worcestershire 78 for 3.

Colin Munro and Daryl Mitchell immediately struck up a fruitful partnership, until Jordan Clark had Mitchell caught by Parry. Mitchell made 19 from 14 balls, and departed with the visitors 121 for 4 from 12.3 overs.

Clark claimed his second wicket by dispatching Munro for 39 from 33 deliveries, with Horton claiming the catch. Munro's removal left Worcestershire 144 for 5 with less than four overs remaining.

Alexei Kervezee and Ross Whiteley set about trying to blast their way to an unlikely victory - and came impressively close.

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