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ScorecardKarl Brown gave Lancashire a lightning start•Getty Images

Yorkshire and Lancashire shared a tie in their Roses T20 in front of a record crowd at Old Trafford after heavy rain forced the result to be decided on the Duckworth-Lewis method.The largest attendance for a Blast match outside of London watched these two rivals repeat the T20 tie at Headingley four years ago as a compelling contest was curtailed in the ninth over of Yorkshire’s reply.After Lancashire had made 176 for 4, Karl Brown top-scoring with 61 off 47 balls, Yorkshire’s reply began under a threatening sky and it was not long before the first hint of what was to come as spectators began to reach for their waterproofs.Umpires Rob Bailey and Martin Saggers kept the players on the field for as long as possible, mindful that a sell-out crowd of almost 20,000 had come to be entertained and has a different attitude to the time-honoured assumption that rain should immediately drive the players from the field.At the end of the eighth over, half an hour into a Manchester downpour that was showing no sign of easing off, Yorkshire were suddenly one run ahead on the score chart at 63 for 2, nudged in front by a soaring David Willey six over midwicket off Junaid Khan.Conditions by then were becoming farcical, posing problems for batsmen, bowlers and fielders alike. As it happened, a single to Shaun Marsh off the next delivery, from Steven Croft, changed the D-L equation again so that the scores were effectively level, the umpires determining as the rain strengthened that this was an appropriate moment to lead the teams off.The rain did not relent and an abandonment was inevitable. It denied Yorkshire what would have been only a fifth win in 14 away fixtures against their fiercest rivals in the shortest form of the game but on this occasion it felt that the result was a fair one.Ryan McLaren had taken both Yorkshire wickets, bowling Tom Kohler-Cadmore with a full delivery before Adam Lyth, who made half-centuries against Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in Yorkshire’s two completed matches so far, was caught by Arron Lilley, getting under a steepler at cover.Lyth’s shot was hard to understand from the outer as it instantly put Yorkshire behind the D/L calculation with the chance seemingly that the umpires could leave the field at the end of the over.But Andrew Gale, Yorkshire’s coach, explained: “Lythy spoke to the umpires and they said they had no intention of coming off. What do you do? knock it around or play the game as you see it. He was in control of the situation. The umpires said they wanted to play for as long as they could. If he goes into his shell and we get behind the Duckworth Lewis and it stops raining, we could have been in a bad position.”At least the dominant home contingent in the crowd, easily identifiable by the red Lancashire baseball caps supplied by the club, had seen a full innings from their own side.And it had started superbly, Brown driving England’s Willey for three powerful cover boundaries in the opening over, setting a pace they maintained throughout the six Powerplay overs, at the end of which they were 59 without loss with a score of 200+ looking within their range.Liam Livingstone fell in the next over after Yorkshire introduced spin for the first time, Adil Rashid reading his intention to come down the pitch and finding just the right degree of turn to pass the edge of the right-hander’s bat, Peter Handscomb reaching out for the ball to complete the stumping.Nonetheless, with 34 off 24 deliveries, including 15 in one over against Tim Bresnan, Livingstone had given his side the start they required and there was scarcely any loss of momentum after his departure as Brown responded with a couple of boundaries off Steve Patterson.What’s more, Brown now had Jos Buttler for company and the England white-ball specialist signalled his intentions by lofting Azeem Rafiq beyond the reach of Lyth and into the stands at long-on.After 10 overs the score was 93 for 1, to which Buttler promptly added a dozen more as he teased Ben Coad, including a couple of brilliantly executed scoops to the boundary in which his footwork will have surely impressed the twinkle-toed Ryan Giggs, the former Manchester United winger, who was spotted in the crowd.But between them Rashid and Rafiq – with an over in between from Patterson – pegged back the assault. Overs 12 to 16 yielded only 27 runs for Lancashire, during which Buttler sliced Rafiq straight to Kohler-Cadmore at deep extra cover and Dane Vilas gave the off-spinner his second wicket as Lyth took a brilliant diving catch at deep mid-wicket.Brown then enjoyed the second escape of his innings. Put down by Willey at short mid-wicket on 15 off Coad, he was dropped by Kohler-Cadmore on 56, the fielder never in position as Brown skied one from Rashid.The pace picked up as Willey returned to the attack, Ryan McLaren picking up four from a no ball signalled for above waist height and taking four more from the free hit but then Patterson dismissed Brown, the batsman playing an attempted ramp into his own stumps.After where they had been at the halfway stage, Lancashire’s total felt 20 runs or so short of what it should have been – although as it happened, it could be argued that it was precisely right on the night.Lancashire have explained, meanwhile, that wicketkeeper Alex Davies has been left out of the NatWest Blast thus far as part of his fitness management programme following the knee surgery he underwent last year.Davies has played a full part in Lancashire’s Specsavers Championship cricket this season and the Royal London One-Day Cup but the club want to protect him from the rigours of fielding in T20.Head coach Glen Chapple said: “Alex has worked hard to recover from last year’s knee injury and we’ve been delighted with his form already this season but following medical advice, we have taken the decision to rest him.”

When last these teams met, Rangana Herath practically gobbled the opposition up, and took nearly half the Zimbabwe wickets on offer in the series. Herath had not previously played Zimbabwe, and as such, it was the only team against whom he did not have a five-wicket haul. He claimed only six wickets in the first Test, but was irresistible in the next, taking five wickets in the first innings and eight in the second. All up, his 19 wickets came at 15.10 apiece.This time around, Zimbabwe have at least seen a little of Herath, and understand the threat he poses and captain Graeme Cremer is confident Zimbabwe’s homework will stand his batsmen in good stead.”We know he is a quality bowler, he is someone that Sri Lanka really rely on to pick up wickets,” Cremer said of Herath. “We’ve just spoken about how he tries to get people out – both left-handers and right-handers. Guys have all come up with their own individual plans on how to play him. We definitely know he is a threat and he will be someone we need to keep out if we are to do well in the Test.”Their own attack, meanwhile, is likely to comprise of a similar array of spinners as were in evidence during the ODI series. Cremer himself is a specialist legbreak bowler, and had some success in the Tests against Sri Lanka last year. In support are several allrounders: Sean Williams (left-arm spin), Malcolm Waller and Sikandar Raza (both offspin).”We rely on a lot on our spinners, which has always been our wicket-taking option,” Cremer said. “We’ve had injuries with the seam attack – Carl Mumba is struggling with his knee, which is a setback for us. But we’ve still got guys who can step up and do the job, because we are spin-heavy in our team. It depends on the conditions how many spinners we will play.”Cremer also drew attention to the substantial challenges posed by Zimbabwe’s infrequent Test schedule. The team has only played four Tests since November 2014, and none since they met Sri Lanka in October and November 2016. The vast majority of their squad have played fewer than 20 Tests, with Cremer himself only having 15 matches under his belt. The rushed schedule on this tour was also a mild bone of contention – Zimbabwe would ideally have liked more time to become acclimatised to Sri Lankan conditions.”We sometimes struggle when we go three, four, five months without a series, which can be tough. It’s not easy just to walk up there and play well against top teams. If we can get a lot more games against good opposition it will help our cricket.”We also knew it was tough to get a practice fixture, because Sri Lanka had a tough schedule. We’ll sort of take any cricket that is given. If Sri Lanka said we can’t play a three-dayer or four-dayer because of the schedule, that is something that we cannot control. We aren’t too fussy. At least the guys have been out in the middle in the ODIs. We are still confident we can still push them.”

Shimron Hetmyer enjoyed some time in the middle•Sarah Ansell / Stringer

Lightning and bad light ended batting practice for the touring West Indies who emerged second-best from their three-day draw with a makeshift Kent XI in Canterbury. The game ended just before 5pm when lightning and heavy cloud took the players from the field with the West Indies on 132 for 4 – representing a modest overall lead in the match of 66 runs.Toby Radford, West Indies’ batting coach, was pleased with the workout his players had received. Shai Hope and Jermaine Blackwood made first-innings centuries and Shimron Hetmyer added an unbeaten 43 on day three.”Kent bowled in good areas and kept coming at us,” he said. “They swung it away to the right-handers and whenever we batted in this match there was cloud cover and a little bit of juice around. It was nipping around throughout, perfect English bowling conditions for when we batted and we talked about that, playing late and knowing where your off stump is. They’re finding out for themselves now that’s how you have to play here.”Jermaine has been in good form since we landed and Hetmyer has scored a lot of runs in the Under-19s and is making the big jump up a couple of levels. These guys are young, but they’re learning quickly.”We’re getting a lot of 30s and 40s, we need to convert them to bigger scores and make sure we post big first-innings total because if we’re to truly push England then we must get big scores up on the board first time around. Players batting for two-and-a-half hours won’t be enough, they have to be prepared to battle it out for a whole day or more.”The final day’s play finally got underway at 12.20pm after an 80-minute delay for rain, but once again the visiting top-order soon found the overcast conditions tricky against Kent’s rookie attack of seam and swing-bowlers.Facing a 66-run first innings deficit, West Indies lost their acting skipper Kraigg Brathwaite to Charlie Hartley’s fourth ball of the day. Prodding forward, Brathwaite feathered a legcutter through to keeper Adam Rouse to go without scoring and give Hartley his fifth wicket of the match. Then, with 24 on the board, Matt Hunn got one to hold its line against the slope and take the outside edge of Kyle Hope’s bat for Rouse to snaffle his second catch and send Hope packing for 9 as the tourists lunched on 24 for 2 – still 44 in arrears.After the interval Kieran Powell and Shai Hope made a watchful return, both surviving lbw appeals before drizzle again took the players from the field with the tourists on 45 for 2. Play resumed at 3.05pm with the loss of nine more overs and Rouse was soon celebrating a third catch after Powell tickled one from Adam Ball to depart for 23.Hope and Hetmyer made good their side’s 66-run first-innings arrears before Hartley bagged his sixth wicket of the match, having Hope well held at short extra cover by Zak Crawley as the tourists took tea with a modest lead of 22 runs. In fading light Hetmyer showed his steel with a battling 43 before the sides shook hands on the draw.

Surrey look set to become the first of the first-class counties to appoint a full-time women’s coach.In another sign of the growing importance of women’s cricket, the club have advertised for a coach to look after both the Surrey Stars (who play in the Kia Super League) and the Surrey team that play in the county one-day and T20 competitions.The successful candidate will also work with those on the player pathway and be considered a member of the Surrey management team. They will report to Ebony Rainford-Brent, who is director of women’s cricket at the club.”The main thing that sets the Surrey appointment apart, from those that other counties have made, is the singular focus on performance and the talent pathway up to Surrey Stars,” Clare Connor, the director of England women’s cricket, told ESPNcricinfo. “No other county has that type of role.”Others have full-time coaches or members of staff – be they male or female – for whom coaching the high potential women and girls in that county is just one aspect of their role.”It is a really exciting move for a county to be recruiting a full-time head coach. I’m sure the role will attract a range of high calibre coaches who have been excited by the progress the women’s game has seen in recent years.”Rainford-Brent said: “England’s victory in this year’s Women’s Cricket World Cup has shown that women’s cricket still has massive potential to grow in this country. Investing in this new position will ensure that Surrey are constantly driving positive change in the women’s game.”Furthermore, creating this job underscores Surrey’s strong commitment to women’s cricket and the club’s desire to create more superstars like the Stars’ captain Natalie Sciver, who will hopefully go on to success for both Surrey and in the international arena.”

Hundreds from opener Sanjay Ramaswamy and professional Ganesh Satish ensured Vidarbha stretched their first-innings lead to 258 against Punjab on the second day in Mohali.They put on 178 for the fourth wicket before thirties from Apoorv Wankhade and Akshay Karnewar took the score beyond 400. While Ramaswamy was dismissed by Pargat Singh for 161, Satish remained unbeaten on 126. Left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma – who was part of the India Under-19 squad that toured England earlier this year – picked up 2 for 110. On the opening day, Punjab had crashed to 161 all out in 42.2 overs.Bengal took strong strides towards an outright win against Chhattisgarh in Raipur. After piling up 529 for 7 declared, they reduced the hosts to 62 for 5 with fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Ashok Dinda sharing the first four wickets. Offspinner Amir Gani claimed the other wicket to fall, after which Manoj Singh and Abhimanyu Chauhan took Chhattisgarh to stumps without any further damage.Earlier, Sudip Chatterjee, who began the day on 58, completed his tenth first-class hundred and his second in two matches. While Manoj Tiwary (36), who was playing his 100th first-class match and Wriddhiman Saha (27) did not build on starts, Anustup Majumdar and B Amit made fifties to set up the declaration. Shami and Dinda then amplified the advantage with the new ball. Ashutosh Singh, however, counterattacked, hitting 51 of the side’s 80.Himachal Pradesh‘s openers Priyanshu Khanduri and Ankush Bains hit hundreds each in a 237-run stand to pave the way for a 101-run first-innings lead against Goa in Dharamsala. Both batsmen were dismissed in quick succession, but cameos from Paras Dogra (21) and Nikhil Gangta (32*) took the side past 350.Darshan Misal was the only Goa bowler to concede less than three runs an over. On the first day, medium pacer Pankaj Jaiswal picked up four wickets to bowl out Goa for 255.

Big Picture

Winning a Test requires sustained periods of skill. ODIs can be won through an exceptional performance, with bat or ball. But in T20s, a play – a run-out, a well-executed yorker or a cameo – can change a game. Teams focus on maximising available resources to produce, or limit, extra runs since the margins are finer.New Zealand have used that approach right from the format’s inception, from when they packed their batting with belligerent allrounders to when they played three specialist spinners in a World T20 opener. Their template has worked to the point that they are now the No. 1-ranked T20 team. It has also always succeeded against India, who are yet to beat them in a T20 after five completed attempts.India usually don’t tackle T20s too differently than ODIs. In the last few years, their best ODI players have also primarily made up their best T20 squads, which means they don’t field many specialists. However, strong IPL performances have earned Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Siraj a place in the squad for this series. But with the giggle element out of T20Is, expect India to come out hitting before experimenting.

Form guide

India LWWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand LWWWL

In the spotlight

Back in February 1999, Ashish Nehra made his international debut in a Test against Sri Lanka. His 18-year career will culminate at his home ground, the Feroz Shah Kotla, in the first T20. With him retiring from domestic cricket too, this will be Nehra’s last professional game.Martin Guptill is New Zealand’s most proficient T20 batsman. He has played 184 T20s, and is most suited to batting in the Powerplay, the best time to bat in India. On a slow surface, his contribution at the top could be especially important. His form has been good too: in his previous 10 T20I innings, Guptill has hit five fifties.

Team news

Nehra will play his final international game at the Feroz Shah Kotla, which means additional rest for either Jasprit Bumrah or Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Shreyas Iyer may have to wait for the series to be won, before being given his international debut.India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 Dinesh Karthik, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalTom Latham’s sublime form in the ODI series could see him retain his place in the XI, ahead of Glenn Phillips, the only other wicketkeeper in the squad. For the first time on this tour, New Zealand could play two spinners, considering the usual lack of pace in the Feroz Shah Kotla surface.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Kane Williamson (capt.), 3 Colin Munro, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Henry Nicholls, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Ish Sodhi

Pitch and conditions

The average T20I score at the Feroz Shah Kotla while batting first is 146, but in the IPL earlier this year, that average rose to 184. The surface at the ground is usually sluggish and two-paced. Changes in pace and cutters are potent defensive weapons. There is no chance of rain.

Stats and trivia

• Virat Kohli requires 38 more runs to become the second-highest run-scorer in T20Is. He is currently behind Brendon McCullum and Tillakaratne Dilshan.
• Ashish Nehra is the third-highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is, with Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin ahead of him.
• Despite India’s winless record against New Zealand, they have a winning percentage of 58.82% in the format, compared to New Zealand’s 50.5%.

Quotes

“Everyone looks forward to playing Twenty20. It’s a lot of fun and all the players enjoy it. We’ve been lucky enough in the last couple of years to be successful at it, so looking forward to the series. It should be a good one.”

Australia and England will play an ODI in the new Perth Stadium on January 28, the first major sporting event to be held at the venue after construction couldn’t be finished in time to host the third Ashes Test next month.Cricket Australia had initially hoped to schedule the mid-December Test at the stadium, but the governing body was disabused of that notion after the chief executive James Sutherland met with stadium management and Western Australia state government ministers in May. Its availability for the limited-overs fixture is part of a compromise that will also see the Perth Scorchers play any Big Bash League home finals at the venue (if Scorchers make the knockouts or the final, they will both be played at new stadium), after hosting all their regular season games at the WACA.”For Cricket to host the first major sporting event at Perth Stadium is a huge honour for our sport, and given it’s an Australia-England fixture, we are confident that will be able to celebrate history being made with a sold-out stadium,” Sutherland said in Perth. “Thanks must go to the WA Government, VenuesLive and the WACA for working hard to enable this to happen. The stadium is simply state-of-the-art, and a magnificent asset for the state and WA sports fans.”We very much look forward to bringing the excitement of an Australia-England ODI to Perth Stadium on 28 January.”Christina Matthews, the WACA chief executive, said the arrangement would mean a fitting handover of major cricket events from one venue to the other. “We’re extremely excited to be the first sport and first major event at Perth Stadium, which comes after close collaboration with the WA State Government and Cricket Australia to ensure a world-class, fan-first cricket experience at the new venue,” she said.”Not only will we be able to reach a larger live audience through increased capacity, the ODI will showcase the new stadium to a large global televised audience. Playing a final Ashes Test and regular BBL matches at the WACA Ground and passing the torch to Perth Stadium with an England ODI, is a fitting way to start a new chapter in WA’s cricket tale.”

Tier 1Khulna Division completed a hat-trick of National Cricket League titles after crushing Dhaka Division by an innings and 49 runs. They have now become the country’s most successful first-class team having eclipsed five-time champions Rajshahi Divison.Mehidy Hasan set up the victory at the BKSP-3 ground with a seven-wicket haul in the first innings as Dhaka were bowled out for 113 in 38.4 overs. Mehidy’s 7 for 24 was his best bowling figures, and he finished the game with his third 10-for in first-class cricket.Khulna replied with 459 for 8 in only 91 overs with Anamul Haque making his second first-class double-hundred while Mahedi Hasan blasted 177. Anamul struck 23 fours and four sixes in his 251-ball 202. Mahedi hammered 21 fours and two sixes in his 160-ball effort. The pair added 295 runs for the second wicket.Later, Mehidy and Rubel Hossain took three wickets each as Dhaka were bowled out for 297 in their second innings on the fourth morning.Nasir Hossain fell five runs short of a triple-century during Rangpur Division‘s drawn game against Barisal Division in Chittagong. Nasir’s 295, spanning ten hours and 510 balls and including 32 fours and three sixes, is now the second-highest score by a Bangladeshi in a first-class match.His 368-run fifth wicket stand with Ariful Haque, who made 162, is now the fifth highest stand in Bangladesh’s first-class history. Ariful struck 10 fours and two sixes in his 290-ball effort. Their partnership was the cornerstone of Rangpur’s mammoth 614 for 7 in reply to Barisal’s first=innings 335. Sohag Gazi had top-scored for Barisal with 99.Barisal reached 217 for four on the final day and were relegated to Tier 2 alongside Dhaka Division.Milton Ahmed

Tier 2Rajshahi Division were one of two teams to earn promotion for next season’s NCL after they drew their last Tier-2 game against Dhaka Metropolis.Batting first, Dhaka Metro posted 328 with Shadman Islam and Marshall Ayub hitting fifties. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam took 5 for 105.Rajshahi’s reply was massive, as they posted 668 in 152.4 overs. Nazmul Hossain Shanto made 194 with 21 fours in seven hours and 42 minutes. He was involved in a record 341-run opening partnership with Mizanur Rahman, who made 175 off 210 balls, which included 30 fours and two sixes. Their partnership is a new high for opening stands in Bangladesh’s domestic cricket.Later, Farhad Reza also chipped in with 106 off 151 balls, an innings included 12 fours and five sixes.The game meandered to a draw as Dhaka Metro reached 118 for five on the final day. Shafiul Islam took three wickets.Sylhet Division also gained promotion to next year’s Tier 1 after a drawn game against Chittagong Division.Chittagong were bowled out for 215 with Abul Hasan and Enamul Haque jnr taking three wickets each. Yasir Ali top-scored with 81.Offspinner Iftekhar Sajjad then took a five-wicket haul as Sylhet were shot out for just 137. Left-arm quick Mehedi Hasan Rana took three wickets.Chittagong then stretched their lead to 458 thanks to more good form from Yasir, who struck an unbeaten century. His 102 came off 176 balls and contained seven fours and a six.Rajin Saleh then played a typical backs-to-the-wall innings to save Sylhet from defeat, his 104 coming in five hours and 36 minutes on the final day. Sylhet reached 309 for 7 in 126 overs. Iftekhar and Rana took three wickets each.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAshton Agar and Hilton Cartwright lifted Perth Scorchers back to the top of the Big Bash League table by negotiating a tricky chase against Adelaide Strikers on a challenging surface at Traeger Park in Alice Springs.The first BBL match to be played in the Northern Territory was a low scoring affair between two of the competition’s strongest bowling and fielding line-ups, with Agar’s three wickets contributing to a Strikers collapse before he aided Cartwright in ensuring the Scorchers did not go the same way.Alex Carey had given the Strikers a decent start before the Scorchers, led by Ashton Turner in the absence of the captain Adam Voges – suspended for a second slow over rate offence during the tournament, regathered themselves. The Scorchers then appeared to be struggling in the pursuit thanks to the now familiar brilliance of Rashid Khan, but some sensible batting by Cartwright and Agar took them to a victory that also won them the Jason Gillespie Trophy.Adjusting to the slow lane
Coming from Adelaide Oval and the WACA ground, these two sides are used to swift and bouncy pitches with sleek outfields. Neither were evident in Alice Springs, leaving the Strikers and Scorchers unsure of what a strong score would be. Given this was the first BBL match to be played at the ground, there was also a lack of statistical information available, making this a case of the awkward unknown for players, coaches and analysts alike.The fluent Carey was able to get into stride with regular boundaries and had some initial support from Jake Weatherald, a Northern Territory product, but after his dismissal trying to sweep Will Bosisto the Strikers seemed eager to accelerate in a manner that suggested they felt they needed a score in the region of 160 or more.Falling apart through the middle
As each wicket fell, the Strikers grew more impatient, and it showed in their shot selection, which was chaotic at best. This was epitomised by Jake Lehmann, who to his fifth ball and with the scorecard reading an uncertain 4 for 81, offered up an attempt to reverse paddle Agar that lobbed in the general vicinity of Mitchell Johnson. His resulting one-handed catch was outstanding, but was only made possible by the sort of shot that betrayed an addled mind.In all, the Strikers would lose all 10 wickets for 63, having been nicely placed at 0 for 49. Among all collapses in the history of the BBL, only one by Melbourne Renegades in the fourth edition of the tournament was more catastrophic. Agar, Tim Bresnan and Matthew Kelly all contributed with wickets and parsimony, in weather that forced Kelly to seek treatment for heat exhaustion after the innings had concluded.Spinning around
In order to win, the Strikers needed a couple early wickets in the Powerplay and then to have Rashid Khan weave his spell on a surface that would offer some assistance. While unlucky when the umpire Donovan Koch appeared to miss a thin edge down the leg side by Bosisto off Michael Neser first ball of the innings, the first part of the equation went their way when Bosisto clumped the same bowler to mid-on. Ben Laughlin then held an outstanding catch, diving across from mid-off to see off Michael Klinger, giving Rashid his opening.Used in one over spells by the stand-in captain Colin Ingram, Rashid fizzed a legbreak past Cartwright, and in his second he rushed a googly into Turner’s leg stump soon after Cameron Bancroft had tugged Peter Siddle to short midwicket. Agar’s left-handedness was something of an advantage, but even he was exceedingly fortunate in edging a legbreak past the stumps as Rashid continued to tease.Cool heads and no-balls
As Cartwright and Agar pushed towards their goal, Siddle probed for a wicket. He had reacted with incredulity when the umpire John Ward ignored a first-ball lbw appeal against Turner, saying the batsman had managed to get some bat on a delivery clocked at 141kph. Ward was very alert, however, when Siddle thought he had Cartwright taken on the midwicket boundary with 24 runs still required. Siddle had already begun to celebrate when he noticed Ward’s arm outstretched for a no-ball, and replays showed it to be a correct call on the Victorian seamer’s front foot.When the resulting free-hit was clumped down the ground for a six by Cartwright, the equation had lost most of its tension, leaving Agar and Cartwright to cruise home. They were aided by another no-ball along the way, this time against Laughlin for a high full toss. The Scorchers were thus rewarded for keeping calm in the chase where the Strikers had lost their composure in trying to set a target.

Leicestershire have confirmed the appointment of Michael Carberry as captain and Tom Smith as second XI coach.Carberry, who joined the club towards the end of the 2017 season, replaces Mark Cosgrove as captain and will lead in all three formats. Leicestershire failed to win a Championship match in 2017 and finished bottom of the division two table.While Carberry may feel he has some questions to answer about his own form – he averaged just 17.42 in the County Championship for Hampshire and Leicestershire in 2017 – he has vast experience from a career that has seen him represent England in all three formats and win four limited-overs trophies with Hampshire.Despite his own health problems and advancing years (he is 37), Carberry has also remained impressively fit and is seen as the sort of role-model cricketer than can inspire Leicestershire’s younger players.Cosgrove, who was easily the club’s highest run-scorer in the Championship in 2017, will continue at Leicestershire as a player.Smith, meanwhile, returns to a club he represented on-loan in 2008. Having seen an impressive career as an all-rounder curtailed by injury – Smith was part of the Lancashire side that won the County Championship in 2011 and was appointed the club captain ahead of the 2015 season – he has had coaching spells with Lancashire’s academy, Lancashire Thunder and England Women. He is 32.The appointment completes a transformation of the club’s coaching staff over recent months which has also seen Paul Nixon appointed as head coach, Matt Mason appointed as bowling coach and John Sadler appointed as assistant coach.”This is an exciting opportunity for me at Leicestershire and it is great to be working alongside Nico [Paul Nixon], John Sadler, Matt Mason and all of the coaching staff,” Smith said. “I enjoyed my time here as a player alongside Nico so it was an easy decision to make. I’m really looking forward to being part of a fresh coaching team at the Foxes and can’t wait to get started.””Tom is a brilliant bloke who I had the pleasure of playing alongside here,” Nixon said. “He was a top-class cricketer who was highly skilled across all formats. Tom was named as captain of Lancashire at a young age which shows his pedigree.”He has since upskilled his coaching CV with work at Lancashire both in the men’s and women’s game and has also been working with the England Women team. We’re delighted to have Tom on board with us.”