Leicestershire suffer Payne

Gloucestershire 133 for 3 (Klinger 55*) beat Leicesteshire 136 for 8 (Smith 55*, Payne 4-23) by seven wickets (D/L method)
Scorecard

David Payne claimed four wickets as Gloucestershire strengthened their position at the top of Group A with a seven-wicket win over Leicestershire in a rain-affected match at Bristol.

The visitors posted 136 for 8 from 25 overs after losing the toss, their innings having been interrupted by the weather at 61 for four after 15 overs. Greg Smith top scored with an unbeaten 55 off 73 balls with six fours and a six, while Payne returned 4 for 23 from six overs.

Gloucestershire's target was revised to 131 under the Duckworth-Lewis method and they coasted to victory with 13 balls to spare, skipper Michael Klinger unbeaten on 55 and Will Gidman on 39 not out.

Dan Redfern was the pick of the Leicestershire bowlers with 2 for 19 from five overs, but it was a day when the weather conspired against the Foxes.

After the start had been delayed for an hour by morning drizzle and the game initially reduced to 45 overs per side, Payne wasted no time plunging Leicestershire into trouble. In his first over, the second of the game, he had Niall O'Brien caught behind by Gareth Roderick for a duck, while his next three overs also featured wickets.

Angus Robson also fell to a catch by Roderick for 13, while Matthew Boyce's off stump was removed by an inswinger when he had made four. When Payne bowled Redfern for 6 with the first ball of the eighth over he had figures of 4 for 14 and Leicestershire were 31 for 4.

Greg Smith and Shiv Thakor were forced to exercise caution after such a collapse and had taken the score to 61 by the end of the 15th over when more rain set in.

Payne finished his six-over spell with 4 for 23, while Gidman was typically miserly in conceding just 19 from his five overs.

The sun finally broke through at mid-afternoon and when the covers had been removed umpires Peter Willey and Steve O'Shaughnessy decided to restart play at 3.45pm with the game reduced to 25 overs a side.

Leicestershire had just ten more overs to build a competitive total and that hope suffered an immediate blow as Thakor got an inside edge to the first ball after the resumption from Benny Howell and became Roderick's third victim, having made 11.

Scott Styris did his best to inject some zest with 29 off 24 balls, including a swept six off Jack Taylor, but he then skied Craig Miles to deep midwicket. The next over saw Tom Wells bowled by Taylor and Leicestershire were 115 for 7.

Jigar Naik fell cheaply to Taylor, but the off-spinner's last over saw Smith strike him for four, six, and four in a glittering three-ball spell that included two reverse sweeps to give his side a chance.

Klinger and Hamish Marshall set about the reduced target with zest, putting together and opening stand of 46 inside nine overs before Marshall advanced to a wide ball from Naik and was stumped for 22.

But Redfern then caused some nerves by striking twice in the 12th over, bowling Chris Dent on the back foot for seven and having Will Tavare caught at mid-wicket. At 59 for 3, Gloucestershire needed 72 off 13 overs. But Klinger, who faced 66 balls and hit five fours, found a reliable partner in Gidman and the pair saw the hosts safely home.

After the game Payne said: "It was an important toss to win. We always like to bowl when rain is about and have been talking about taking wickets up front, so I was delighted to make that contribution.

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'Focused' Karn revels in 'explicable feeling'

A day after returning from a victorious India A campaign in Australia, Karn Sharma was relaxing with his family at his home in Meerut. Suddenly, his phone started to ring continuously with friends and well-wishers (and obviously journalists) flooding him with congratulatory calls. It took Karn a little while to realise that he had earned his maiden call-up to the India limited-overs squad for the England series'. Once it sank in, the Railways and Sunrisers Hyderabad legspinner said it was an "inexplicable feeling".

"Since I had fared quite well in whatever opportunities I got, I was hoping that my efforts would be recognised." Karn told ESPNcricinfo. "It's an inexplicable feeling now that my efforts have been rewarded with a place in the India squad. I am glad the day has come but I will treat it as a fresh start and hope to continue doing what I have been doing all these years."

Karn got only three games in the quadrangular one-day tournament in Darwin, his first series for India A. He displayed his allround skills against South Africa A, taking 2 for 35 in ten overs before cracking an unbeaten 39 off 16 at No. 9 to take India A home off the penultimate ball with one wicket standing. Karn said he knew he had to utilise whatever opportunities he got in Australia.

"It was an overwhelming experience, the first time I played for India A. This was the highest standard I was playing at and I didn't want to let myself and the team down. I knew since I was touring with the India A squad for the first time, I had to be patient till I got my chance and make the most of it once I got it. I am delighted that I could do it and contribute to the team's cause. When I was walking out to bat [against South Africa A], I knew that this could well be the only knock I will get in the tournament. Fortunately, all the shots that I tried came off that day."

The knock also drew praise from Abhay Sharma, the India A fielding and wicketkeeping coach. "He can grow into a very good one-day allrounder down the order," Abhay said. "He is the kind of batsman who will get you late runs under pressure. That is the how we have tried to develop him. He won us that match against South Africa A."

Abhay, also the Railways coach, has been working with Karn from his junior-cricket days with the domestic side. Abhay said he had been confident over the past five years that Karn would make it to the India side one day, especially as he learned to bowl under pressure.

"Initially he was a batsman who could bowl. But we saw that he adapted very quickly. According to me, he is one of the best spinners in the country in limited-overs," Abhay said. "We always knew he was going to make it. The skill part has been there, but what we have worked on with him is how to handle pressure situations. There will always be pressure in international cricket.

"He is now able to bowl in the Powerplay and at the death. We have seen what he can do in the IPL. It is because he bowls wicket to wicket. We have worked with him on the slider and also on getting the ball to drift in and then turn away, which is a difficult delivery for the batsman."

Railways players have to make do with modest facilities compared to cricketers with state associations, and Abhay said that had only sharpened Karn's approach. "He is always focused on the game. Even if you make him sleep in a simple dormitory, he will not bother about that at all and retain his focus."

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BCCI overlooks umpires academy in Nagpur

Thanks to the fallout between the current BCCI regime and the Vidarbha Cricket Association, the home turf of former BCCI president Shashank Manohar, the BCCI Umpires Academy in Nagpur is on the cusp of ending up as a dormant facility.

The academy that was established in 2010 with an objective to provide a wholesome training exercise for domestic umpires to raise their standards hasn't seen any activity for almost a year. That, however, doesn't mean the BCCI is ignoring the umpires' wing.

Over the last year, all the umpires' activities have moved to the National Cricket Academy campus in Bangalore. In fact, the retired Simon Taufel, the most consistent international umpire over the last decade, will conduct a 15-day umpires' workshop in Bangalore from Wednesday.

The VCA officials and a few BCCI members admit that the sudden switch from Nagpur is following Manohar's vocal dissent against N Srinivasan in the aftermath of last year's IPL corruption scandal. The BCCI, however, has a different take.

A BCCI insider revealed that moving umpires' developmental activities from Nagpur to Bangalore is in line with the BCCI's plan to bring all its specialist academies under the NCA umbrella. A BCCI office bearer seconded it but refused to speak on record since the proposal is "yet to be ratified by the working committee".

Despite the reorganisation of the academies, the feud between Manohar and N Srinivasan cannot be overlooked. Interestingly, the alternate venue of Bangalore makes the intra-BCCI political undercurrents even more visible. Karnataka State Cricket Association secretary Brijesh Patel, a Srinivasan aide, is one of the aspirants for the BCCI secretary's post in next month's elections.

Meanwhile, during its two-week umpiring seminar, the BCCI will conduct a crash course in verbal English communication for domestic umpires and match referees for the first time. The BCCI has noticed that lack of communicating properly with players and other officials has gone against Indian officials at the international level. As a result, Taufel has roped in British Council to improve basic English communication. The course is expected to be held over four to five sessions during the seminar.

The BCCI is also in talks with British Council to conduct such crash courses frequently in order to bridge the gap between officials and the players.

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Lees, Lyth continue fruitful form

Yorkshire 213 for 4 (Lees 102, Lyth 84) beat Northamptonshire 209 for 7 (Rossington 75, Pyrah 3-50) by six wickets
Scorecard

Yorkshire enjoyed a comfortable evening at Wantage Road as they hammered Northamptonshire by six wickets.

In a completely one-sided affair, the visitors kept Northamptonshire to a below-par total and then made short work of their reply, despite losing a handful of late wickets, as Adam Lyth and Alex Lees ran amok.

The hosts' 209 for 7 was overhauled in 34 overs as Lees reeled off his maiden List A century, which highlighted his side's dominance. He made 102 and Lyth 84 as Yorkshire raced to 213 for 4.

In a contest reduced to 38 overs per side because of a late start, the hosts, having been put in on a pitch with a healthy tinge of green, made a poor start as Stephen Peters edged his first ball from Tim Bresnan behind.

Kyle Coetzer was put down at second slip off the next delivery, but he did not last long as Jack Brooks found his inside edge. There was enough movement to hint at more inroads being made, but Richard Levi and Adam Rossington combined tidily to prevent further loss.

The score had moved on to 90 before Levi was caught at the wicket off Steven Patterson, but Rossington, who continued to build on the strong impression made since arriving on loan from Middlesex, went on to a 55-ball half-century and, alongside Ben Duckett, laid a solid platform.

But the pair departed in quick succession, Rossington for 75 and Duckett 45, and and it led to the brake being applied. Richard Pyrah was able to pick up some cheap wickets and, with only 50 scored from the final 10 overs of the innings, the final tally looked a touch on the light side.

Having shared an opening partnership of 375 on the same ground when the two sides met in the County Championship back in May, Lyth and Lees tucked in again and, when the former reached a run-a-ball 50 in the 16th over, they had ticked off 90.

Lees' own half-century, scored from 53 deliveries, arrived shortly after and he upped the pace to such an extent that he moved from 35 to 85 in the time his partner had advanced from 50 to 55.

It was dispiriting stuff for the hosts, whose weakened attack were being treated with disdain and, although Lees fell shortly after he made it to three figures and three more wickets, including that of Lyth, fell in a few minutes, the end was not long in coming.

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Vermeulen given Test return hope

Mark Vermeulen could play his first Test in more than 10 years after being included in Zimbabwe's 25-man training squad for the visit of South Africa following his impressive form for the A team.

The last of his eight Tests came in May 2004 against Sri Lanka in Bulawayo (a game in which Sri Lanka made 713 for 3) and the last time he appeared in any international was in November 2009 in an ODI against South Africa.

That ODI appearance came shortly after he was acquitted of arson after he admitted burning down Zimbabwe's academy in 2006 but successfully argued it was because he was suffering psychiatric problems, including partial complex epilepsy, ever since he suffered a head injury during an ODI against India in 2004.

In the two recently completed four-day matches against Afghanistan, Vermeulen, who is now 35, made 107, 36 and an unbeaten 47 after beginning with a duck.

In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, he said how he was desperate to make use of whatever time he had left in the game.

"I spent two years in court and another year-and-a-half out of the game so it was three-and-a-half years totally wasted, and at that time of my career that should not have happened.

"I didn't ever lose any love for cricket. I still think I have two or three years left in me and I think I will give it one last full go in the hope that I can play a Test again. I've become more determined because I know I don't have many years left in me. I've become more focused."

The one-off Test against South Africa starts in Harare on August 9 and that is followed by three ODIs before further 50-over matches in a triangular series also involving Australia.

Zimbabwe have recently gone down the route of split captaincy with Elton Chigumbura being given the ODI and T20 roles while Brendan Taylor has retained the Test job.

Zimbabwe training squad Brendan Taylor, Sikandar Raza Butt, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Elton Chigumbura, Steven Chimhamhiwa, Michael Chinouya, Luke Jongwe, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Neville Madziva, Hamilton Masakadza, Shingirai Masakadza, Tinotenda Mawoyo, Natsai M'shangwe, Cuthbert Musoko, Richmond Mutumbami, Taurai Muzarabani, John Nyumbu, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Donald Tiripano, Prosper Utseya, Mark Vermeulen, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams

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Malan, Rickelton bat out for draw

South Africa Under-19s 433 (Roelofsen 149, Shaw 6-103) and 300 for 7 dec. (Malan 81, Rickleton 83) drew with England Under-19s 352 for 9 dec. (Clarke 59)
Scorecard

Janneman Malan and Ryan Rickelton enjoyed solid innings as South Africa Under-19s played out the final day to ensure a draw against England in the first Youth Test at Fenners.

Opener Rickelton added 81 to his first innings 83 and No. 4 Malan went two runs better but also fell short of a century. The pair did enough to extend the tourists' lead and prevent England making a dart at a dramatic victory.

There was little joy for England who didn't strike until the opening par of Rickelton and Mathew Christenson had added 99 for the opening wicket. Brad Taylor made the breakthrough - the first of three wickets for the Hampshire offspinner.

Taylor also had No. 3 Marques Ackerman lbw cheaply but any thoughts England had of causing some panic in the tourists batting were eliminated by Malan who struck four sixes in his 83 from 112 balls.

England chose to rest their frontline bowlers as they day went on and gave overs to all 10 outfielders. They managed to chip away at South Africa but, building on a first-innings lead of 81, the tourists batted easily to a draw to ensure the series is level heading to the second Youth Test at Wantage Road on Thursday.

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India to pick ODI squad on Tuesday

India's national selection panel will give a first indication of its World Cup plans on Tuesday when the selectors sit down to pick the squad for the limited-overs leg of the England tour. The selection committee, chaired by Sandeep Patil, will pick the squad for five ODIs, and a one-off Twenty20, starting August 25.

It will be interesting to see if the selectors reward fringe ODI specialists who were tried out at the higher level over the last couple of months. Barring a few regulars like Suresh Raina and Ajinkya Rahane, the squad to Bangladesh for three ODIs comprised mostly the domestic and IPL performers. And the same lot was given an extended run during India A's recent tour of Australia, which culminated with a triumphant campaign in the quadrangular one-day competition.

The selectors have closely followed the progress of the A team in Australia: while Rajinder Singh Hans watched the two four-day games from the sidelines, he was replaced by Vikram Rathour for the quadrangular series.

The selectors will have to decide if Raina, Robin Uthappa and Cheteshwar Pujara - none of whom had a memorable outing in Bangladesh - deserve to remain in contention for the World Cup. Uthappa, the star of the IPL, was one of only two India players to have scored a fifty in Bangladesh. Even though he shone with his captaincy skills during the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia, Uthappa had a mediocre outing with the bat. He scored 134 runs from seven innings during the tournament.

It also remains to be seen if the selectors reward fringe performers, and rest a key bowler like Bhuvneshwar Kumar whose fitness is being stretched during the five-Test series in England. Umesh Yadav, one of the stars of the first-class matches on the A tour, is likely to earn his place back in the squad.

Sanju Samson impressed with his sound technique and temperament during the A tour, including the team management. But he will have to compete with the in-form Naman Ojha if the selectors decide to include a wicketkeeper-batsman as back up for MS Dhoni.

The spin duo of Akshar Patel and Parvez Rasool has been consistent both in Bangladesh and Australia. But their chances depend on the balance of the squad, which will be finalised after discussing it with Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher. Both Dhoni and Fletcher are likely to join the meeting from Manchester via video conferencing.

The balance of the squad would also determine the fate of Manoj Tiwary, the perennial nearly man of Indian team. Tiwary had a decent run in Australia and has also showed his prowess with the ball, picking a five-for in one-dayers.

One player who is certain to retain his place in the side is allrounder Stuart Binny. The Karnataka allrounder registered the best figures by an Indian in the second ODI in Bangladesh, which was followed by a Test debut in England.

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India's return to nets hints at changes

India's first day on a cricket field since the loss at the Ageas Bowl, and what would have been a demoralising verdict for them in the James Anderson hearing, began with a longish huddle at Old Trafford on Monday afternoon. Arms around each other, regrouping after having taken a beating on the field, in the court, and - they certainly believe - in a corridor at Trent Bridge. At one point, fielding coach Trevor Penney could be seen speaking animatedly in the huddle. Others spoke too. Wonder if someone said, "Boys, how the hell do we take 20 wickets here?"

While what happened between Ravindra Jadeja and Anderson remains an issue, India will know you win Test matches by taking 20 wickets or playing teams led by Garry Sobers or Michael Clarke. India have done so only four times in their last 15 away Tests. On three of those four occasions, those 20 wickets have cost India more than their batsmen were able to score. The other successful instance was on this tour, at Lord's, but the two architects of that win - Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar - were out of action on the first day of India's pre-Test training.

During their customary pre-nets footballs game, both Ishant and Bhuvneshwar took up goalkeeping duties. Ishant has been ruled out of fourth Test, MS Dhoni has already said, but Bhuvneshwar, who had a swelling on his ankle, remains a matter of interest. When the nets began, Ishant took up umpiring duties, ironically because he is guilty of bowling more no-balls than most in the world today. Bhuvneshwar bowled a few deliveries gingerly, off a short run, and pulled out in five minutes or so.

Seen from outside, the signs cannot be good: the Test begins on Thursday. However, seeing how India called up replacement for Wriddhiman Saha but not an extra fast bowler - Umesh Yadav is available, for example - the educated guess would be that they are confident of his being fit in time for Old Trafford. That Ishant is still with the team, and that a replacement has not been called for, would mean they are hopeful of his return in time for the Oval Test. The team, however, will not say what the injuries are.

Even if Bhuvneshwar is fit for Old Trafford, India will need a much-improved performance from Mohammed Shami, who has taken five wickets at 73.20 apiece. His economy rate of 3.81, too, has been the worst among specialist bowlers. No specialist bowler's wickets or overs have cost more per unit in this series. However, Shami looked really good at the nets on Monday, bowling at a good pace, repeatedly beating specialist batsmen. M Vijay was hit high on the thigh pads often, Cheteshwar Pujara had his poles uprooted, and Shikhar Dhawan was squared up and beaten around off.

That might not be the only cause for concern for Dhawan, though. For the first time since India reached Nottingham, Gautam Gambhir had a hit pretty early on in the nets. It was a clear sign that Dhawan - after six failures - cannot take his place for granted. India have left open that option of bringing Gambhir in. Gambhir last played a Test for India in early 2012, in Nagpur against England.

Gambhir is not the only option India seem to have left open. R Ashwin, who in the eyes of the experts and public has become a better spinner with every passing day out of the Test team, was more active in the nets than usual. He had a decent bowl at the start, and also got a longish hit with the bat. If he does come in, as almost everyone has demanded by now, he will do so in place of either Jadeja, who looked ineffective at the Ageas Bowl, or Rohit Sharma. Ashwin's last Test was Johannesburg, where he bowled 42 wicketless overs, 36 of those in the second innings.

India have options, and they could prove you wrong, but in the absence of Ishant, this side does not look like one that will take 20 wickets for fewer runs than what their batsmen score. That is one reason that could make India think of stacking their batting up, and retain Rohit. Unless Dhoni looks to bowl that extra bowler for more than 10-12 overs, he will be better off with that specialist batsman at No. 6.

For the first time in the series, you could not tell from India's nets what combination and players they are looking to play. Gambhir and Dhawan netted next to each other. Ashwin and Jadeja bowled with each other. Rohit and Ashwin batted one after the other. Bhuvneshwar did not bowl. Varun Aaron and Pankaj Singh could not be ruled out. You could tell India were not in a desirable situation when it comes to picking the XI, but at least they were back on the field, and laughing and joking at the end of the session.

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Russell heroics cap dramatic Tallawahs win

Jamaica Tallawahs 138 for 4 (Russell 58*, Hafeez 2-13) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 137 for 9 (Neesham 35, Taylor 3-14) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Andre Russell's fiery late charge cemented a dramatic six-wicket win for the Jamaica Tallawahs over the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Saturday afternoon in Kingston. With 10 needed to win off the final two balls, Russell lofted a full toss for four to extra cover and followed it with a six over cow corner off Jimmy Neesham to whip the Sabina Park crowd into a frenzy as he finished unbeaten on 58 off 24 balls.

Russell entered in the 14th over after the fall of Adam Voges with the score on 62 for 4 and the Tallawahs needing another 76 off 40 balls to chase down Guyana's 137 for 9 on a slow batting wicket. His magical knock was almost nipped in the bud on his very first delivery playing across the line to the offspin of Steven Jacobs, triggering a strong shout for lbw which was denied by umpire Peter Nero. Russell responded by slamming the next ball he faced from left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul over midwicket for six, setting the tone for another five sixes that would follow.

The run rate continued to climb into the 17th over with 55 needed off 24 but Russell carted Ronsford Beaton for six, six and four off the first three balls to keep the Tallawahs in the hunt for an unlikely win. They still needed 24 off nine balls when Russell struck a four and six off Krishmar Santokie to set up the final over theatrics.

Beaton, who had bowled a superb final over against the Barbados Tridents last week to clinch a seven-run win, was passed over this time around by Guyana captain Denesh Ramdin and instead Neesham was tasked with defending 13 off the last six balls. Only one run was conceded off the first three balls, but a bouncer to Owais Shah on the fourth ball was out of the batsman's reach and crucially signaled a wide. Shah then took a single off the fourth legal delivery to set up Russell's heroic ending.

Russell appeared to be batting on a different pitch from all of his teammates as the next closest strike rate to his 241 was Chris Gayle's 95, achieved from 22 off 23 balls. The Amazon Warriors didn't fare much better earlier in the day, with only four players making it into double-figures after being sent in to bat first.

Neesham top-scored with 35 off 26 for the Amazon Warriors before getting out in the final over while Lendl Simmons anchored the top of the innings with a run-a-ball 34 until he was removed courtesy of a circus catch from Russell off the bowling of Nikita Miller. Russell took two other catches on the day, both for Jerome Taylor who finished with 3 for 14. Russell also finished with 1 for 10 in two overs on a day where he was never far from the action.

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Clark's triple-wicket maiden inspires Lancashire

Lancashire137 for 8 (Khawaja 67, Wagg 3-28, Hogan 3-33) beat Glamorgan 136 for 7 (Rudolph 67*, Clark 4-22) by one run
Scorecard

Clark produced a remarkable piece of cricket

On a weekend when a T20 fixture designed to be played within three hours eventually sprawled over a day's deliberations and drama, Lancashire secured a place at Finals Day in circumstances which rivalled the county's glory years of the 1970s.

At the start of their 16th over in a rain-wracked game, Glamorgan were 100 for 3 and seemingly well placed to score the 138 runs they needed to reach English cricket's short-form showcase for the second time in their history.

Six balls later, after Jordan Clark had bowled Chris Cooke and Stewart Walters, and had David Lloyd caught at slip by Tom Smith, the visitors were 100 for 6 and behind on Duckworth-Lewis. Then it began to rain and play was held up for 45 minutes

When the game resumed Jacques Rudolph tried to make good the damage but the job was just beyond the South African. He ended unbeaten on 67 as Clark conceded 13 runs off the last over to finish with figures of 4 for 22. Since Glamorgan had required 15 off those last six balls, it barely mattered.

Before this quarter-final Clark had only taken four wickets in his 23-match Twenty20 career. Since he had also bowled Murray Goodwin, his match-changing triple-wicket maiden left him with figures of 2-1-4-4, hardly a conventional analysis for the Twenty20 game.

Home spectators who had watched quietly as Lancashire had been on the wrong end of most of the match, leapt to their feet as if galvanised by sheer joy. Suddenly the 23-year-old Clark had joined a gallery of popular memories which already included David Hughes' famous 24 runs off an over bowled by the late John Mortimore, Clive Lloyd's century at Lord's and Jack Bond's catch off Asif Iqbal.

It is some company; but then it was some over.

Only those gifted with uncanny powers could really have predicted the transformation in this game. Glamorgan's progress towards their target had seemed relatively trouble free as Jim Allenby's 38 had helped Rudolph make very satisfactory progress towards their goal.

Goodwin had then helped Rudolph add a further 28 in four overs before Clark bowled him for 17. Thus began an extraordinary few overs in what will surely come to be known as Clark's match.

"It was a case of sticking in there for as long as possible," said the hero of the evening. "The ball was tailing slightly with a little bit of damp around and it was case of going back to basics and hit the top of off stump. Keeping them to five an over wasn't going to win us the game and I was trying to make sure that if they missed I hit."

For Glamorgan supporters Lancashire's innings had been a delightfully low-key affair, significantly devoid of the big overs or bursts of acceleration that characterise substantial T20 totals.

Watched by a crowd of around 1500 spectators, which was perhaps eight thousand fewer than officials had been expecting had the game gone ahead on Friday evening, the home side's batting lacked the big-hitting gusto that had marked their previous short-form efforts this season.

Much of the credit for that should go to a disciplined visiting attack which knew its job and was backed up by some fine fielding. Left-arm seamer Graham Wagg removed openers Ashwell Prince and Tom Smith for single-figure scores to limit Lancashire's ability to exploit the Powerplay; off the last ball of the eighth over Salter induced Karl Brown to walk past a quicker delivery and be stumped by Mark Wallace for 15.

That wicket left Lancashire on 59 for 3 but the most spectacular dismissals were yet to come. On the day when he became the oldest cricketer to play in the English domestic T20, 41-year-old Goodwin dived athletically at backward point to remove Lancashire skipper Paul Horton for 3; eight overs later 36-year-old Dean Cosker's smart catch off Usman Khawaja's ferocious square drive was equally impressive.

Khawaja's 67, made off 54 balls and spanning nearly 15 overs, had anchored his team's effort. But at no point did the Australian dominate a Glamorgan attack which had offered few loose deliveries to batsman clearly frustrated by constraints.

Glamorgan's spinners bowled nine of the 20 overs with offspinner Salter conceding just 19 off his allocation and 14 of the 35 runs Dean Cosker yielded coming off one over in which Khawaja hit Lancashire's only six. A late clatter of wickets saw Wagg claim his third wicket and Hogan's successes in his final over left him with 3 for 33.

Few pundits reckoned that Lancashire total of 137 represented prosperity. It was, however, just enough.

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