Ireland aim for safe World Cup passage

Ireland will attempt to secure qualification for their third consecutive World Cup by beating Netherlands in two ICC WCL Championship fixtures over the next three days and their captain, William Porterfield, has emphasised how important the achievement would be in the continuing development of Irish cricket.

The top two teams in the WCL Championship will qualify automatically for the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Ireland currently head the table, two points ahead of Scotland with two games in hand and three clear of Netherlands, who are themselves eyeing a direct route to the tournament.

The two fixtures will take place in Amstelveen, with Ireland unbeaten in their last six ODIs against Netherlands. Both matches will be streamed live on the ICC website.

"These matches mean everything for both sides as both of us must win," Porterfield said. "The Dutch have got to win to keep things in their hands while we know that two wins will get us to Australia and New Zealand.

"Cricket Ireland has set out a strategic plan to be playing Test cricket by 2020 and that involves a lot of hard yards. One of the boxes we have got to tick is winning events like this. Doing that is very important for Irish cricket as it will give us the profile to help bring more people to the game and that will hopefully bring in funding that will keep the game growing."

Ed Joyce spoke to ESPNcricinfo earlier in the week about the difficulties Ireland continue to face in securing matches against the Full Member nations. Exposure during global ICC tournaments - they have been at the last four, including World Twenty20s - has been vital, with memorable victories over Pakistan and England at the last two World Cups.

Cricket Ireland has been very transparent in its aims to develop the game, setting out a blueprint to achieve Test status by 2020. For Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland's chief executive, it is all about "being first through the gate" and he said that failure to win the WCL Championship would be "a backward step". Qualification would help Ireland's forward planning in the next 18 months, as well as bring a $1 million preparation grant from the ICC.

Should Ireland lose either or both of the two games against Netherlands, they will have to beat Scotland when the two teams meet in the final round of matches in September. The six countries who do not warrant automatic World Cup spots will take part in a qualifying event in New Zealand next year for two remaining places.

"It would be an advantage to go through now, or even in September rather than through the Qualifier because it gives [coach] Phil Simmons a chance to identify his squad as far out from 2015 as possible," Deutrom said. "We can set up Full Member opponents and get planning in place from 18 months out rather than 12 months out and it is all part of the way we are thinking.

"We do not just want to qualify though. We do not just want to do that and think 'we've qualified, now let's sit back and rest on our laurels'. We want to do it as winners of the World Cricket League Championship, as to do that would be matching our expectations and those of our government backers, our sponsors and our fans.

"Everyone has invested in us and continues to do so, and so, for us, it is all about being first through the gate and cementing our place as the top Associate, something we have been for the last four or five years. Anything less would be regarded as a disappointment and a backward step."

Netherlands have competed in four World Cups, including the last three, and will be aiming to record their first victory over Ireland in 50-over cricket since 2006. Their captain, Peter Borren, played in that game and knows that another victory would take them above Scotland and substantially improve their chances of finishing in the top two.

"We have got four games left, two of them against Ireland and two against Canada, and if we win three of them then that should be enough," he said.

"For any country, the World Cup is the ultimate stage and for Associate teams like us it is our chance to get exposure and to compete with the big boys. For Dutch cricket it is huge because in order to expand the game we have got to be on the global stage as often as possible."

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Notts roll on thanks to Lumb

Nottinghamshire 156 for 2 (Lumb 96) beat Durham 154 for 4 (Stoneman 51) by eight wickets
Scorecard

Michael Lumb made the highest T20 score by a Nottinghamshire player to help his side to an eight-wicket win over Durham at Chester-le-Street. Lumb fell just four runs short of a deserved century as the Outlaws made it four wins from four by chasing down 154 for 4 with 4.3 overs to spare.

Durham's acting captain Mark Stoneman made his first Twenty20 half-century but his innings was overshadowed by Lumb who hit 14 fours and three sixes in his imperious 53-ball stay. Lumb would have been run out on 14 had Ben Stokes hit the stumps from cover, and on 72 he was dropped by Scott Borthwick when he appeared to be dazzled by the sun running in from deep cover.

Lumb took 30 balls to reach his half-century and was cantering towards three figures, driving Borthwick for his third six, when he went down the track and was stumped. That was off the last ball of the 15th over when only eight were needed to win.

Lumb scored 39 of the first 47 runs before his England opening partner Alex Hales also got going. He made room to hit two fours through the covers in offspinner Ryan Pringle's first over then hit two fours and a six over square leg off Mark Wood's first four balls.

The stand was worth 91 in nine overs when Hales pushed forward and was bowled by off spinner Gareth Breese's first ball.

Skipper David Hussey put Durham in and came on to bowl when they were 81 for one after 11 overs. By the time he had bagged 2 for 23 in four overs of his occasional offspin the hosts had no chance of posting a competitive total.

They had also been throttled by Samit Patel conceding only 16 in his first three overs of left-arm spin, but when he returned for the 19th over Breese got after him. The first ball was lofted over extra cover for six and the Jamaican also found the boundary with a lofted reverse sweep and a straight drive as 18 came off the over.

Stoneman reached 50 off 40 balls but appeared to be bamboozled by Hussey firing the ball in at leg stump from around the wicket. Only three came off his first over and in his second he yorked Stoneman for 51. A similar ball accounted for Borthwick, who made 44 off 37 balls, while the other two wickets both went to Jake Ball. It was only in the 19th over that Durham found any real momentum and their total never looked like being enough.

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Warks try Rugby but still lose

Glamorgan 132 for 2 (Wallace 69*) beat Warwickshire 126 for 8 (Hogan 3-11) by eight wickets
Scorecard

If there is an air of old money about Rugby School it is hardly surprising. It was founded in the 16th century in accordance with the will of Lawrence Sheriff, who was Queen Elizabeth's grocer and was keen to do something worthwhile with his fortune for the boys of his home town. Its playing field, The Close, is better known for the legend of William Webb Ellis and the original rules of Rugby Football, but there is evidence that cricket has been played there for at least two centuries. But not like this.

The first FLt20 fixture on the ground was also the first match between county sides above 2nd XI level (Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire have all used the rather fine square with its circle of lime trees). Warwickshire rather hoped the change of scenery would somehow spark a change of luck in what is becoming a woeful season but only found a new place in which to lose to Glamorgan. They were beaten in Cardiff on Wednesday and at Edgbaston in their final T20 of last summer; in fact, they have lost their last four T20 matches, three of them to the Welshmen.

It did not help that they were without two of their regular top-order, with William Porterfield away with Ireland and Jim Troughton injured, but despite a bright enough opening, with 11 runs off the second over, they managed only 29 in the Powerplay and lost three wickets in the process, a position from which a recovery was always going to be difficult.

Only Chris Woakes and Rikki Clarke threatened to dominate Glamorgan's bowlers but Woakes, after hitting 25 in as many balls, fell to a clever piece of bowling from Jim Allenby, who held one back a little to draw a return catch, and Clarke brought about his own downfall, turning back after attempting a ludicrously risky single to short extra cover. Steffan Piolet's 20 off 12 balls ended with a catch at long-on off Michael Hogan, who delivered a miserly spell that brought him three wickets for 11 off four overs.

One or two batsmen departed looking ruefully at the pitch, which aside from being a little on the slow side was blameless. It is a good square, in essence, and were Warwickshire of a mind to take a Championship game away from Edgbaston, you could imagine this being a wonderful festival venue.

Glamorgan's mood was decidedly festive after they had completed an eight-wicket win with 14 balls to spare, the highlight of which was Mark Wallace's unbeaten 69 off 52 balls. Given a flying start when Allenby took three boundaries off Clarke's opening over, the second of the innings, Glamorgan were 50 for 1 after six overs and cruising thereafter. The irrepressible Murray Goodwin wrapped things up with a six off Laurie Evans and the tiny pavilion soon had a small choir of Welsh supporters, already in good voice from cheering on the Lions, gathering by the steps. Glamorgan's players, to their credit, emerged to accept handshakes and even a friendly dousing with beer.

Victory gave Glamorgan four T20 wins in a row for the first time, including that win at Edgbaston last year, and they top the group. Warwickshire, bottom of their YB40 section and next to bottom in Division One of the Championship, look a forlorn group at present. "We are putting ourselves out of games before we even get into them," Dougie Brown, their director of cricket, lamented. "In the three T20 games we have played, we have lost the Powerplay massively and from there you are always going to struggle."

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'England better with Pietersen' - Anderson

James Anderson has praised Kevin Pietersen as "an extraordinary player" and a "vital" part of the England dressing room.

At the height of the unrest in the England dressing room in 2012, Anderson was believed to be one of those opposed to the manner in which Pietersen conducted himself. While there was never any doubting Pietersen's ability with the bat - he scored a century of rare class and skill in the Headingley Test before England dropped him - there had been persistent murmurs of discontent behind the scenes and the suggestion that the disruption he caused within the team compromised his worth as a batsman.

But whatever issues there may have been, Anderson confirmed they have been consigned to the past and provided an unmitigated show of team unity as England head into the Investec Ashes series.

"We're definitely a better team for Kevin's inclusion," Anderson said. "He's just an extraordinary player. There's not really any down side at the minute.

"We saw it this week in the match at Chelmsford. I know he only got 49, but it just seemed far too easy for him. He seemed in great form. An in-form Kevin Pietersen is vital to our team going forward.

"We had a really good week at Essex. The dressing room was relaxed when it could be and switched on when it needed to be. On the field I thought we were very professional. But generally there is a really relaxed feel in the camp and real excitement of what is about to come."

Perhaps due to issues in the dressing room, England failed to do themselves justice in the key series against South Africa last year. That manifested itself, among other things, with some poor catching in the slips. They were errors which were severely punished by South Africa's batsmen.

While Anderson accepted that England had produced a disappointing display against South Africa and, more recently, in New Zealand, he hoped that such memories would spur them on to do better this year.

"I don't think we played as well as we could have done against South Africa," Anderson said. "Actually, we didn't play anywhere near to the level that we know we can. If you do that against the top team in the world then you're going to struggle. And we struggled.

"We're aware of what that slip in form did to our standing in the rankings and that's something we're going to try and put right. We showed determination when we got there a couple of years ago, a lot of determination, hard work and a lot of skill and quality, and that's what we're trying to get back to is get our standards back up to where we know we can get them. And I think we've come a long way in doing that the last 12 months.

"Slip catching has not really been an issue for us. We are generally pretty good there. It might just have been one of those series where we were not quite on the ball. We've tried to constantly improve. We had a great result in India and a good result at home against New Zealand, so we feel like we're in good shape."

Anderson agreed that Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, was a daunting opponent, but suggested that Jonathan Trott, not Clarke, was currently the world's leading batsman in Test cricket. Both men have scored two centuries and three half-centuries in their last 10 Test innings and both have Test averages in excess of 50. Clarke, however, scored successive double-centuries against South Africa in 2012, while Trott failed to register a century in England's series against the same opposition.

"Clarke is right up there among the best," Anderson said. "He's been in great form and scored lots of hundreds over the last year. But the best in the world? That's a bit harsh on Jonathan Trott. I'd say Trotty is at the minute.

"But Shane Watson is as good an opening batter as I've bowled at in international cricket and Chris Rogers is an extremely experienced cricketer. So we'll have to try and figure out some plans to and execute them well. If we don't play well there's a very good chance we'll lose."

Hundreds of local cricket clubs will #RISE for England by holding open days over the five Investec Ashes series weekends. Find out about your local club and their event at ecb.co.uk/clubopendays

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Pakistan hold nerve for historic win

Pakistan 116 for 8 (Abidi 45) beat England 115 (Brindle 39, Yousuf 3-22) by one run
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Pakistan claimed their first victory over England in any form of the women's game with a nerve-jangling one-run win in the second T20 at Loughborough. Having been comprehensively beaten earlier in the day, Pakistan fought tenaciously to defend what seemed a below-par total as Arran Brindle narrowly failed to steer England home when 13 runs were required off the last six balls.

Brindle, coming in at No. 8, put on 39 in 34 deliveries - England's biggest partnership of the match - with Jenny Gunn, before Bismah Maroof struck. Gunn's departure brought in the England captain, Charlotte Edwards, batting well down the order, but she could only make 2 before being dismissed off the final ball of the penultimate over.

Anya Shrubsole was caught off next delivery, as Maroof took responsibility for the final over, but they succeeded in getting Brindle on strike. She halved the deficit with a blow for six but, with three needed to win off the last ball, Brindle was run out attempting to come back for a second. The damage had been done earlier by Sumaiya Siddiqi and Sadia Yousuf, as England slid disastrously from 28 for 0 to 52 for 6 in 6.1 overs.

Pakistan could only muster 75 from their 20 overs in the morning and they looked in trouble again, when falling to 40 for 4. Nain Abidi and Sana Mir combined for 55 at almost a run-a-ball but Abidi fell five runs short of a half-century at the start of the 18th over. Mir continued to work the ball into gaps, running all but four of her unbeaten 31, and Pakistan's total of 116 was just about enough come the final reckoning.

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Clarke encourages Warner return

Australia's captain Michael Clarke has given a decidedly strong indication he wants David Warner in his first Test team, despite the left-hander's lack of match preparation. It will now be a matter of whether or not the selectors agree with reinstating Warner immediately after his suspension for punching Joe Root, or demure for reasons of Test match readiness.

Speaking for the first time since the day of Mickey Arthur's replacement as the national team coach by Darren Lehmann and his resignation as a selector, Clarke expressed the staunch view that Warner has now served his punishment for events at the Walkabout in Birmingham during the Champions Trophy, and that the left-hander is not the kind of player to need matches behind him in order to feel confident.

Should Warner be chosen it will be in a middle order role, after Lehmann confirmed Shane Watson and Chris Rogers had been inked in as opening batsmen for the series. The concept of a powerful counter-puncher at No. 6 has grown on the tourists, though his selection would not only run contrary to Warner's lack of preparation but his form before that. Scores of 0, 0 and 9 in his three innings so far in Britain followed on from an indifferent IPL and a poor Test series against India.

"He's certainly served his punishment," Clarke said, echoing Lehmann's words about Warner having a "clean slate" under the new regime. "His punishment was no cricket up until the first Test match and now it's about working out what our best team is. I don't believe David won't be selected because of punishment. I think that's been dealt with. It'll be about working out our best team.

"Certainly the selectors are going to take into consideration that he hasn't played much cricket over the past couple of weeks but on the other side of that the type of player Davey is it's more about his mind being clear and playing with that intent. I don't think Dave is the type of player that needs two four day games to make some runs to feel confident.

"If he's in the right place batting well in the nets I'm confident if the selectors do decide to pick him he can walk straight out onto the first Test to make a hundred."

Apart from their fitness and persistence, Clarke and the selectors gained little in the way of relevant knowledge about their bowlers on the final day at New Road. It was a fitting name for the ground given the way the pitch behaved, steadfastly refusing to break up or offer anything but the most minimal assistance. There has been some speculation about Peter Siddle's place given a lack of wickets, but Clarke spoke generously of the most experienced fast bowler at his disposal.

"Form certainly helps but Sidds has been a strike weapon for us over the last couple of years," Clarke said. "The selectors will pick the best attack, you don't necessarily have to be one of the best bowlers, it will be a complementary attack that helps us have success in the conditions we're about to face. I think it's one of his strengths. But they will need to pick an attack, not an individual bowler."

While admittedly close to Arthur, Clarke said the team had settled quickly following Lehmann's appointment, and spoke happily of the displays put on against Somerset and Worcestershire, which suggested a team growing in confidence, unity and belief in their skills. For this he joined the rest of the squad in praising Lehmann, recalling their earlier time in the Test team together.

"We're talking more about old times, that's for sure," Clarke said. "I was lucky enough to play a fair bit of cricket with Darren so it's nice to be back talking cricket with him. He's got an amazing amount of knowledge about the game. I guess we've got a lot of similarities in the way we want to play. I had a great relationship with Mickey and I still do. The people who know Darren and know me know we were very close when we were playing as well.

"There's no doubt the boys have handled what's happened over the past month as well as they possibly could I think our momentum is slowly building. I think our performance in both four-dayers, there are a lot of positives to take out of both games. We're just about ready to play this first Test."

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Roses tie thrills capacity crowd

Yorkshire 152 for 6 (Jaques 66*) tied with Lancashire 152 for 5 (Croft 42*, Smith 35, Pyrah 3-15) Scorecard

This was an uplifting evening for the neutral, but this was also a Roses match, where there is no such thing as no man's land. So before extolling the joys of a capacity crowd at Headingley, entertained to the utmost, it is best to record without further ado that the result was a tie. Neither captain looked particularly happy. But Yorkshire, under the cosh for much of the night, will feel they got away with it.

With three runs needed from the final ball, and Ryan Sidebottom bent upon rounding off a final over awash with perfect yorkers, Steven Croft could only squeeze two runs to deep cover. Sidebottom punched the air as if in victory. Yorkshire have yet to win in three goes, Lancashire just avoided three defeats in a week, but both will feel their chance of qualification from North Group is not yet extinguished.

That is what matters most, and it would have mattered just as much if it was played in front of one man and his dog.

But it was not. It was hotly contested in front of Yorkshire's first capacity crowd for nine years. It stated that county cricket, repositioned intelligently, can have a future. They turned out at Headingley even though Yorkshire took the field without their England triumvirate of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow or Tim Bresnan and, as well as that, are trying to survive throughout this Friends Life t20 season without an overseas player.

There was controversy, too, in a broiling finale, fought out between two vulnerable batting sides which did not make the most of a favourable surface. Gareth Cross will surely face the wrath of the ECB for his dissent after he was entirely deceived by a loopy slower ball from Liam Plunkett which passed him around waist high. Cross thought it was substantially higher - and therefore should have been called a no ball - but he was so disorientated by the delivery his opinion did not carry much weight.

Glen Chapple, Lancashire's captain, said: "Gareth's dismissal looks a bit high. We have a third umpire and I don't see why he was not used. We are playing some decent cricket but we need to win some games now." Andrew Gale, his Yorkshire opposite number, said: "At halfway we would have regarded that as a point gained. But Ryan nailed two yorkers at the death; he is one of the best yorker bowlers in the world."

Croft's unbeaten 42 from 28 balls fueled Lancashire's stuttering innings. He averages more than 30 in T20, with a strike rate of 120-plus. His six over midwicket from Plunkett's full toss left Lancashire needing ten off Sidebottom's final over; his edge through the slips, perilously close to off stump, cut the requirement to five from four. But with 15,000 spectators screaming, Sidebottom hit the blockhole when it most mattered.

But there is a bigger picture. Around the country, in gorgeous weather, the crowds came out in force. There was even a capacity crowd at Derby for the East Midlands derby, a reward for a club operating with good habits, and at The Oval. After ten years, despite the usual media disinclination to cover the tournament extensively, a few days of sunshine have been enough to bring out the crowds. Perhaps next season's switch to regular Friday nights might yet have a chance of success.

Tom Smith's pinch hitting should have set Lancashire on course for victory. He slapped an over of length balls from Brooks for 24, enough for the bowler to slip his headband over his eyes in disbelief. But Richard Pyrah replaced Brooks, had Smith excellently caught at mid-on by Plunkett and then bowled Simon Katich and Karl Brown. His 3 for 15 won the Man of the Match award. As for the Duke of York Cup, awarded to the winners, presumably it went back into the Duke's attic.

It was a wonderful Headingley surface, testimony again to the groundsmanship skills of Andy Fogarty, possessing the pace and bounce that T20 needs to maximise the entertainment. By halfway, Yorkshire were restless at 69 for 2, Gale briefly looking pumped up, as a Yorkshire captain should when the public, for once, lives up to the folklore by turning out, before he was deflated by a lackadaisical wide half volley by Tom Smith.

Lancashire's spinners strangled Yorkshire in mid-innings. Arron Lilley, a 22-year-old from Tameside, was on debut for Lancashire and collected his first T20 wicket when he ended Adil Rashid's fussing lbw on the reverse sweep. There was minimal turn, but Yorkshire managed less than a run a ball against 10 overs of spin. The 100 limped along with only 29 balls remaining. Yorkshire would not have fancied their chances at that point. But then Roses matches are not easily read.

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Scotland win T20 series 2-0

Scotland 106 for 3 (MacLeod 46*, Wallace 23) beat Kenya 100 for 8 (Obuya 38*, Burnett 3-18) by 7 wickets
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Calum MacLeod helped Scotland beat Kenya by seven wickets with nine balls to spare to clinch the T20 series 2-0 in Aberdeen. After restricting Kenya to 100 for 8, Scotland started slow in their chase. They lost their first wicket in the seventh over at the score of 32 and still needed 49 from the last eight overs when second wicket fell in the 12th over. MacLeod continued at the other end to make sure Scotland reached the target with ease, by scoring 16 off the first three balls of the 19th over to finish the chase.

After opting to bat, Kenya lost four wickets in the first seven overs, including two ducks, which put them under pressure straightaway. Duncan Allan scored 18 after that but their last four contributed only 15 runs together. Collins Obuya was unbeaten with a 42-ball 38 which took them to 100 but it wasn't competitive enough. Calvin Burnett finished with 3 for 18 and Majid Haq picked up two wickets.

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Arthur sacking 'inevitable' - Moody

Tom Moody, the former Australia cricketer and Sri Lanka coach, has described Australia's decision to sack Mickey Arthur as "inevitable" and suggested that the "respect was being lost" between the players and the coach in the weeks before his removal.

Moody, who played alongside the new coach, Darren Lehmann, in the Australia World Cup winning side of 1999, suggested Arthur was doomed from the moment that four members of the Test squad were sent home from the tour of India for disciplinary reasons.

He believed that the new appointment of Lehmann will help the side rediscover their enjoyment of the game and return to playing fearless cricket.

"It was clear during the Champions Trophy that the team were unsettled," Moody said. "They were walking on eggshells. They were uncertain of their own futures, they were uncertain of the team dynamic and they were uncertain how the team was going to perform.

"I said at the time that it was a dramatic decision to send players home from India. From that moment, it was going to very hard for the management to stay in control of that side.

"He had lost the trust and one of the most important things in the relationship between a coach and a player is trust.

"It's a dramatic thing to send players home because of an accumulation of misdemeanours and to me you've got to look at why guys are turning up five minutes late or wearing the wrong shirt. All those things do matter in a team environment, but it shouldn't result in losing a Test cap.

"The reasons are that maybe, slowly, respect was being lost between player and management and those bad habits were creeping in because of that. So it was inevitable the unfortunate situation with Mickey Arthur. I do feel for him because he is a good man and he's been a good coach over time but he had clearly lost control and Cricket Australia clearly sensed that."

Moody, who spent time with the team during their Investec Ashes warm-up game against Somerset at Taunton, said that the change in the environment once Lehmann was appointed was instant and positive. While he accepted the current Australian squad was more modestly talented than some of its predecessors, he felt that Lehmann's promotion would at least help create an environment where players could fulfil their ability.

"I spent some time with the side in Somerset and it was such a contrast to a week earlier," Moody said. "Where there had been a fragile side, there was a side that was suddenly enjoying playing cricket, which is the way I remember playing in any Australia team. It was an environment that was good fun and where everyone enjoyed each others' company. There was an underlying confidence in that atmosphere.

"Australia still have a lot of work to do. They haven't just inherited a Don Bradman with the bat or a Dennis Lillee with the ball. But the appointment of Lehmann means they have secured a mentor or coach who will create an environment where players will feel free to enjoy themselves within limitations and, more importantly, to express themselves under pressure on the field of play without fearing for the consequences if it doesn't go their way."

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20,000 watch Malan tame Tait

Middlesex 174 for 3 (Malan 86, Denly 52*) beat Essex 170 for 8 (Rutherford 38) by seven wickets
Scorecard

Dawid Malan tamed Essex's Australian pace ace Shaun Tait at Lord's as his 55-ball 86 helped to propel Middlesex to a seven-wicket victory in a Friends Life t20 South Group game played before a crowd of almost 20,000.

Tait conceded 17 runs from his third over as Malan's assault, including one remarkable six over extra cover, led a thrilling chase after Essex had posted a challenging 170 for 8 from their 20 overs.

In the end, with Joe Denly unbeaten on 52 from 35 balls, Middlesex got home with two balls to spare after Adam Voges had been run out for 17 attempting a second to win the game from the second ball of the last over, bowled by Ravi Bopara.

Adam Rossington then came in to flick the second ball he faced to the long-leg boundary to complete a fine Middlesex performance, in which a 93-run stand in nine overs between Malan and Denly ultimately made the difference.

Malan dominated an opening stand of 37 in five overs with Paul Stirling, who had made only 5 when he lifted a Graham Napier full toss straight to deep square leg, and Denly was soon into his stride when he slog-swept Greg Smith for six.

Seventeen runs from the 11th over, bowled by Reece Topley, and then 11 off Bopara in the next prompted Essex captain James Foster to bring back Tait. But three of his first four balls were wides and then Malan hit him for his memorable six and a flicked four behind square leg.

He hit three sixes and 10 fours overall before holing out off left-arm spinner Tim Phillips at the start of the 15th over. Denly, however, slog-sweeping Smith for another six, made sure Middlesex's victory surge did not run out of steam and, with Voges also chipping in, only 10 runs were needed from the last two overs.

Earlier, the Essex innings had been launched in spectacular style by Hamish Rutherford and Mark Pettini, who put on 59 with a barrage of big hits before Rutherford, the New Zealand left-hander, was leg-before to Toby Roland-Jones from the last ball of the fifth over.

Twenty runs had already come from the over, with Rutherford picking up two of his three sixes with legside blows as he sped to 38 from just 17 balls. He had earlier swung his compatriot Kyle Mills high over the wide long-on boundary and also hit four fours in an excellent cameo.

Pettini, who needed a runner after being hit painfully on the inner thigh by a ball from Roland-Jones, still managed a 26-ball 37 with three sixes and three fours before being bowled by Ravi Patel, the 21-year-old slow left-arm spinner making an impressive Twenty20 debut.

Patel conceded just 17 runs from his four-over allocation, found good spin and looks a fine prospect. With Voges, the Australian, also picking up 2 for 21 from his four overs of left-arm spin, the Essex innings was reined in somewhat during the middle overs.

But Napier - coming in mysteriously low at number nine and ridiculously late with just two overs remaining - blasted two sixes and two fours in an eight-ball 24 to boost the total to defendable proportions.

Bopara, meanwhile, batted sensibly to reach 32 not out from 28 balls, slog-sweeping Stirling for successive fours in an 18th over that cost 14 runs. Essex, thanks to Napier and Bopara, plundered 44 from the last three overs after Middlesex had previously pegged back an innings racing along at 63 for 1 after the initial six-over Powerplay to 126 for 6 after 17.

Owais Shah was unluckily run out for 11, backing up, when Smith's straight drive was deflected on to the bowler's stumps by Patel, but Smith, Ryan ten Doeschate and Foster all fell cheaply to spin - Foster hitting an awful long hop from the first ball of Malan's leg spin straight to short extra cover.

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