An attendance of 27,119, a domestic record for Twenty20 cricket in the UK, watched a thrilling Middlesex victory over Surrey

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Lord's21-Jul-2016
ScorecardEoin Morgan’s 42 helped Middlesex beat local rivals Surrey•Getty Images

A thrilling match, in front of a record crowd, broadcast on TV and with the very best on show taking star turns. The T20 Blast has not always been able to get all those ingredients into the same pot. But tonight, everything seemed to fall into place.The attendance of 27,119 is now a domestic record for Twenty20 cricket in the UK. Lord’s also happens to hold the record for an international, too, when the 2009 World T20 final reeled in over 28,000. There were a couple factors that threatened today’s record.Severe delays on the Jubilee Line had some punters thinking twice about joining the clammy rush-hour scrum to St John’s Wood. The walk from Baker Street station, normally a leisurely stroll past some of Sherlock Holmes’ old watering holes, was a steady stream of fans frog-marching cooler bags along the westerly brim of Regent’s Park. Middlesex’s own form, too, might have encouraged some diehards to stay away to avoid the gloating bellows of their rivals from south London, who had enjoyed a six-game winning streak at Lord’s before the tables turned last season.But just as bigger steps cut down the 20-minute walk, signal failures rectified from Bond Street, and the opening of the Warner Stand (roof still to be attached) increased the potential for a bumper crowd, so too did Middlesex’s rediscovered knack of winning short form games. There is a marked difference to the way they are now approaching Twenty20 cricket.Dawid Malan, following his appointment as white-ball captain, has ensured that elements of Middlesex’s T20 plans are now player-led. That his side triumphed tonight by chasing down a target of 197, with plenty left in the tank, while he, their leading run-scorer in the competition, was slapping Sri Lanka A about for 185 off 126 balls, says it all. With bat and ball, this was a free-form T20 performance that sees them jump to third in the south group, with 13 points from 11 played.It is worth starting with the chase of 197, done with five balls and as many wickets to spare. Paul Stirling could not have hit a more Paul Stirling 34: cover drives played with a savagery rarely associated with the shot while also finessing a back-of-a-length ball over backward square leg for a dainty six. Eoin Morgan, pushed up to three, then clobbered 42 off 24 balls, which included putting Azhar Mahmood on the roof of the Grandstand. Rarely one for holding the pose or a lingering gaze, even he looked on wistfully at his own majesty.In the last two months, Morgan has played to 50,000 in a World T20 final at Eden Gardens, stepped out at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the IPL and then, in his opening T20 Blast fixture, batted on a school ground. A lot is made of Morgan’s appetite for English domestic cricket, but who can blame him when life outside it sees him on Broadway. He showed today what keeps him going – a challenge, an atmosphere, a prize to be won. Never mind attracting overseas stars, it’s imperative to have a competition that motivates your own.He departed in the 11th over, one which started with 85 needed from 60 balls. With 30 balls left, that had been chopped down to 37, thanks to a brisk partnership between George Bailey (50) and John Simpson (43 from 26) that was eventually broken for 67. By then, the ask was simply 10 from 14.Quite how Surrey failed to breach 200, having smashed 80 for none off the first six overs, was a mystery. Once Jason Roy departed at the beginning of the eighth over, for a thrill-a-ball half-century which took just 24 deliveries, the constant fear of boundaries subsided. The 10 overs that followed the Powerplay saw just 74 scored. Surrey’s middle order has long been a problem area masked by the dashers up top. For them to evolve as a T20 force, it needs addressing.It was the introduction of legspinner Nathan Sowter that shored Middlesex up, allowing them to retain respectability in the field. Coming on in the seventh over, he returned figures of two for 29 from his four overs: a back-of-the-hand delivery slowing up on Steven Davies, who skewed a drive to gully before Rory Burns, stuck in a rut, top-edged a sweep to John Simpson.The main squeeze came between the 11th and 16th overs as Sowter and Ryan Higgins bowled in tandem for a five-over period that saw 33 runs and just one boundary conceded. Higgins is an interesting case: primarily a batsman, he found himself bowling a few overs here and there during preseason and in the warm-up Twenty20 matches. It was in these fixtures that he surprised coaches and Middlesex’s analyst with his ability to seemingly bowl yorkers at will.Today was the first time that Middlesex really put his newly discovered talents to the test. Initially, his three overs went for just 17 runs – none of them from boundaries. But when Harry Podmore was removed from the attack after a second waist-high full toss, he returned to bowl the remaining five balls of the penultimate over. The first delivery hit straight over his head and into the members by Chris Morris. The very next was caught at midwicket for his first wicket in the T20 Blast. He was the only bowler that restricted Finch to less than a run a ball.The individual to benefit most from the squeeze was James Fuller, whose spell at the death, which returned 2 for 14 – he took 2 for 3 in the 20th over – helped offset a catastrophic opening burst that saw him concede 29 from his opening two overs.Surrey’s destiny is now out of their hands. Winning their remaining games will help, but without the goodwill of others, they face another season of T20 disappointment.

Tottenham Hotspur are still without a permanent manager, but under Ryan Mason, things have looked better. In a remarkable turn of events, despite failing to win both games, the 31-year-old has inspired this sluggish group of failures to fight for the shirt once again.

Twice they came back from at least a two-goal deficit, suggesting that quality remains in this squad despite what their performances over the season might have suggested.

It bodes well for whoever is set to take charge after the former Spurs midfielder, that hope remains despite the doom and gloom surrounding the club and Daniel Levy's tenure as chairman.

Despite this, a revolution is still needed. The 61-year-old needs to pull something out of the bag this summer, and in Arne Slot, the Dutchman could prove the perfect catalyst to turn this club around from the depths of despair.

This is made especially pertinent after the words of De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen, who told Vandaag Inside (via Fr12.nl):

"Slot has been invited by Tottenham for a conversation. He has a conversation, but the English club have this conversation with three or four managers and actually always do it that way.

"Nagelsmann, Slot and Pochettino come by and tell their story. Slot will have this conversation".

How does Arne Slot set his team up?

Having impressed this season with Feyenoord, the 44-year-old is set to end Ajax's monopoly over the Eredivisie title with a philosophy that has captured the attention.

Across his 97 matches his taking the helm, Slot boasts 62 wins with a points-per-game average of 2.12. For comparison, this even surpasses the 1.84 of Mauricio Pochettino during his north London reign a few years ago.

What makes this even more appealing is that the former AZ Alkmaar tactician has done this with a 4-3-3 system that has earned huge praise from Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan.

He claimed: "The best thing about Arne Slot is that he is probably the best attacking coach I have seen in the last 35-40 years at Feyenoord.

"He is very similar to Pep Guardiola, his ideas are very similar, he is a massive fan of Pep and he plays the same time.

“He goes ultra-attacking, he is almost like a maniac. Not on the touchline but it is fantastic to see how he has turned an average side into a wonderful attacking machine."

Such vast praise, and the latter statement of his transformative capabilities, all culminate to suggest that Slot could easily be the man to kickstart the revolution that Spurs so richly desire.

The BCCI has clarified that VVS Laxman had eliminated a conflict of interest before three-member cricket advisory committee got down to interviewing candidates for the position of India head coach

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2016

The BCCI has clarified that VVS Laxman had eliminated a conflict of interest before a three-member cricket advisory committee got down to interviewing candidates for the position of India head coach. The BCCI eventually appointed Anil Kumble, in whose company, Tenvic, Laxman held shares.The clarification came in response to a report that said Laxman was the second-largest shareholder in Tenvic Sports Education Private Limited. The report also stated that Laxman held 33,332 shares in the company, and that he was entitled to a substantial amount of money in the form of incentives, bonus and other benefits.”Mr Laxman informed BCCI that he had sold his total shareholding of 5% in Tenvic Sport in the month of March 2016 and also declared that he no longer held any shareholding or any official or unofficial position in Tenvic Sports,” BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke said in a release. “This took place prior to the commencement of the operations of this Committee. Mr Laxman was therefore in no position of a conflict of interest at the time of selection of the head coach of Indian cricket team. All assumptions and conclusions to that effect are therefore erroneous.”Reports around Laxman’s possible conflict were the latest in what has been a controversial selection of the coach. Sourav Ganguly, part of the advisory committee, and Ravi Shastri, one of the candidates, have had digs at each other. Shastri said it was disrespectful that Ganguly was not present when he was interviewed. Ganguly responded by explaining the circumstances behind his absence, and clarified it was not his decision but that of the committee as a whole. He also said “there are other people involved also” in the decision-making.Also Kumble’s involvement in Tenvic, a company “in the business of sports and consulting”, had raised concerns around a possible conflict of interest in the past. Kumble has always denied Tenvic, which has cricketers as clients, is a talent management company.Minutes after he was announced as India’s next coach, though, he tackled the conflict-of-interest question. “We [BCCI and I] have already discussed that,” Kumble said last week. “Whatever needs to be done will be done before I take up this role officially. That has been discussed, and it has been clear with the BCCI as well. Something that can be easily resolved.”

Australia batsman Adam Voges has backed the concussion subs idea, in the wake of his own recent head injury during a County Championship match

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2016Australia batsman Adam Voges has backed the idea of allowing substitute fielders for players who may be suffering a concussion as a result of a head injury on the field of play. His comments came as he recounted how his freak head injury during a recent County Championship match between Hampshire and Middlesex had left him feeling like he had a “hangover” for 10 days thereafter.”The fact that you get pulled out of the game immediately and you don’t have any say in that, is one factor in it,” Voges said. “I understand the argument that, if you allow a sub for concussion, why wouldn’t you allow a sub for other injuries. It could be a bit of a grey area. I understand that. But I am in favour of the sub rule.”Voges had been struck at the back of his head, while fielding, by a ball thrown back towards the wicketkeeper after Hampshire batsman Michael Carberry had hit a boundary. Voges fell to the ground immediately, before being helped off the field by two physios and taken to hospital with a suspected concussion.”I was standing at slip, just contemplating a fielding change, or a bowling change, I can’t quite remember,” he recalled. “I didn’t really pay attention to where the ball had gone or when it was coming back. It wasn’t until very late that the keeper realised the ball was going over his head and it hit me straight in the back of the head. It was just a freak accident really.”This was the first time Voges had been forced from the field due to a head injury. Though he was hospitalised only briefly, he said that he felt groggy and unwell for several days after the incident.”I was a bit groggy for a week, week and a half after that and missed the next game,” Voges said. “It was probably my first experience with it. It felt like I was waking up with a hangover. It wasn’t until 10 days after it that I started to feel right again.”In May, Cricket Australia had proposed trialling the concussion subs idea for two years in domestic first-class cricket, but the ICC cricket committee, which met in early June, argued that “the current laws and playing conditions allow players to receive the best possible medical treatment and further change to the regulations in this area is not required at present”.

Insider ExWHUEmployee has revealed that West Ham United have not made a decision on David Moyes' future amid links to Marco Silva.

What's the latest on West Ham and Moyes?

It's been a season of inconsistency for the Irons as they look set to finish down towards the bottom of the Premier League table having placed seventh in the previous campaign.

And while they could still tase European success as they have made it to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, it's no shock that Moyes' future is in doubt.

Indeed, according to the Daily Mail, the Scottish manager is looking increasingly likely" to leave West Ham this summer as the board weigh up replacements.

However, in an update shared on The West Ham Way Podcast, Ex stated that no decision had been made yet although Fulham boss Silva is one of a few names being considered.

He said (11:55): “Paulo Sousa is also interested in the job. Brendan Rodgers is interested in the job now. And apparently, Marco Silva is the latest name to be linked.

"At this point, I don't think a decision has been made. I think it'll be dependent on the Conference League and discussions in the summer.

"But they are some names that are being floated around as potential replacements."

Would Marco Silva join West Ham?

The 45-year-old Fulham coach has done very well of late as he looks to have guided his team to a top-ten finish in the Premier League directly after taking them up from the Championship.

West Ham, on the other hand, will finish much further down the table as they currently sit 15th with just three games to go. So you can see why Silva may look like an interesting alternative to Moyes.

Of course, he isn't the only candidate with Ex noting interest in former Leicester City boss Rodgers and current Salernitana coach Sousa.

However, judging from her recent article in The Sun, Ange Postecoglou may well be the favourite for vice-chairman Karen Brady.

Indeed, after the Celtic manager secured another league title for his side, she urged readers to "raise a glass to" his success, while saying of his career as a whole: "Postecoglou’s feats around the world suggest he would make an impact this side of Hadrian’s Wall."

All in all, it sounds as though there are a number of notable names who could be seen as good Moyes replacements but the writing is not on the wall for the current boss just yet.

Hilton Cartwright starred with bat and ball to deliver National Performance Squad (NPS) a 12-run win (D/L method) over Australia A in a rain-affected match at the Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Western Australia allrounder Hilton Cartwright delivered with bat and ball for NPS•BCCIHilton Cartwright starred with bat and ball to deliver National Performance Squad (NPS) a 12-run win (Duckworth-Lewis method) over Australia A in a rain-affected match at the Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville.Rain had reduced the match to 49 overs a side before Cartwright scored 81 off 92 to lay the platform in the NPS total of 231. He then took 3 for 26 to ensure that Australia A fell 13 runs short of the D/L-adjusted target of 190 from 28 overs.Put in to bat, NPS lost opener Caleb Jewell after a laborious opening partnership of 19 off 52 balls. Cartwright then shared half-century stands with Sam Heazlett and Sam Harper to carry NPS to 2 for 143 in 35 overs. Fast bowler Chris Tremain dismissed Cartwright and Harper in the 36th over, to precipitate a passage of play in which NPS lost 4 for 15 in 26 balls.However, handy lower-order cameos from Sean Abbott (44 off 28) and Michael Neser (31 off 32) helped NPS make good use of their last few overs to register 9 for 231. Tremain ended up with 5 for 47, having dismissed four of the five batsmen to have reached double figures. This was his second successive five-for, following on from returns of 5 for 25 against India A in the previous match.Australia A’s run chase was complicated by the early loss of Kurtis Patterson – trapped lbw by Abbott for a third-ball duck – and the rain interruptions, which ultimately left them with a target of 190 from 28 overs. Captain Chris Lynn, batting at No. 3, did his best to set up the chase with 42 off 21, and was ably complemented by opener Marcus Stoinis, who also scored 42, albeit at a more stately pace.But Abbott and Cartwright continued to strike for NPS, reducing Australia A to 7 for 138, at which point the batting side needed 52 off 28. Cameron Bancroft (37* off 32) and Tremain (26* off 16) did their best to make a match of it, but could not provide enough firepower to get Australia A past the line.

Arsenal are now in pole position to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo, and they are expected to reignite their interest in the summer, according to a report from Football Insider.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

The Arsenal board will hand Mikel Arteta a summer transfer budget of £150m, according to The Independent, and the manager's main priority will be bringing in a new midfielder, with West Ham United's Declan Rice emerging as the main target.

Given that West Ham are expected to demand £100m for Rice, the England international is affordable, however signing him would deplete a large chunk of the transfer budget, leaving Arteta with limited funds to strengthen elsewhere.

As such, the manager could look at bringing in a lower-cost alternative, with Southampton's Romeo Lavia "on the radar", according to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, while Caicedo is another potential option.

At the start of May, it was reported that the Gunners were set to make an offer for the Ecuadorian, and they seemingly have a good chance of landing him, with Football Insider now reporting they are in pole position for his signature.

Despite Chelsea also sharing a long-term interest in the Brighton star, it is the north London club that are currently leading the race, and they are expected to reignite their interest in the upcoming window.

The Seagulls are now resigned to losing the 21-year-old, who is valued at £70m – £80m, and they have already found a replacement in Bourssia Dortmund's Mahmoud Dahoud.

Should Arsenal sign Rice or Caicedo?

Caicedo could be as much as £30m cheaper than Rice, and there are indications he could be better than the Englishman, at least in a defensive sense, having made far more tackles in the Premier League this season.

The starlet has made the second-highest number of tackles in the entire top flight, while he has also recorded a superior pass-completion rate over the past year, averaging 88.4% per 90, compared to 86.3% from Rice.

That said, the Ecuador international does have very limited attacking attributes, recording just one goal and one assist in all competitions this season, with the West Ham star amassing nine goal contributions.

As such, while Rice is likely to cost far more money, he is a more well-rounded player, and he is far more proven in the Premier League, having made over 200 appearances in the competition, while Caicedo has made just 42.

ScorecardHeather Knight’s 74 from 46 balls took Western Storm close•Getty Images

England wicketkeeper Amy Jones and Australian star Ellyse Perry shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 83 as home side Loughborough Lightning beat Western Storm by five runs in a thriller, despite Heather Knight’s 74, the highest score in the Kia Super League to date.Jones and Perry came together at a perilous 31 for 3 to share the impressive stand, building a solid platform before accelerating to put Lightning in a great position. A flurry of wickets saw Storm slow the rate down, before an Eve Jones cameo saw Loughborough post 158 for 8 off their 20 overs.Western Storm were looking for a fast start but were pegged back by some tight early bowling from Loughborough. Knight’s excellent knock looked to have given Western Storm the platform to chase down the score, but when she was run out, the game went away from the visitors.”It felt really good and it was about trying to get a partnership together with Ellyse,” Amy Jones said. “Luckily I’d had a couple of opportunities in warm-up games so it was nice to push on a bit and get the win.”Knight was undoubtedly disappointed to fall short. “We just wanted to stay in the game as long as possible but a couple of wickets cost us but we can turn things around quickly and we can get back on track.”Nine runs off the first three balls of the match looked to have given Loughborough a great start, but a clever piece of bowling saw Lightning captain Georgia Elwiss lured out of her crease, to be stumped by New Zealand international Rachel Priest.Storm captain Knight then forced a mistake from one off Loughborough’s overseas stars, grabbing the wicket of Sophie Devine before Anya Shrubsole bowled Dane Van Niekerk after runs had begun to dry up.That brought together the partnership of Jones and Perry, who first consolidated for a period before their expansive range of shots began to show. The England wicketkeeper took the lead racing to 46 off 30 balls, departing to a Priest stumping again off Freya Davies.Perry was then involved in a mix-up that saw Paige Scholfield run out, but by then had taken on the momentum, hitting her 44 off 37 balls before holing out in the deep to Lizelle Lee.Eve Jones smacked a quick-fire 25, launching Georgia Hennessey for a six and then the very next ball, hitting another boundary, before departing to Shrubsole as the innings reached its end.The Western Storm chase wobbled early, as an excellent Powerplay saw Loughborough get the prize wickets of overseas stars Priest and Stafanie Taylor before Knight and Fran Wilson started the rebuilding process.Knight was the aggressor in the partnership of 78 with her England colleague but when Wilson departed, the task got harder, though the composure shown by the Storm skipper, suggested otherwise.However, the match turned when Elwiss got the faintest of touches on a Hennessey straight drive, to leave Knight stranded out of her crease and with it the chances of Western Storm. Sonia Odedra’s impressive spell of 2 for 20 was the pick of the Lightning bowlers, whilst Perry’s final over secured the victory.

Arsenal may be faced with a tough decision this summer as they continue to work on a new contract for William Saliba, journalist Charles Watts has claimed.

What's going on with Saliba and Arsenal?

The France international has performed well for Arsenal this season, but has just one year left on his contract at the club.

This summer is a crucial one for Saliba. Arsenal are in talks to extend his deal, but if they cannot reach an agreement, they may have to think about a sale of one of their most important players.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Watts highlighted Arsenal's potential concern over Saliba this summer.

"The clock is ticking when it comes to William Saliba, because you can't really end this summer without Saliba having signed a new contract. You can't go into the new season surely, with Saliba less than 12 months away from the end of his current deal," he stated.

"It's almost a bit of an elephant in the room type situation with Saliba, no one really wants to talk about it, but if this contract doesn't get sorted in the next six weeks or two months, maybe before everyone comes back for pre-season, then Arsenal are going to have a big decision to make because there's going to be lots of clubs sniffing around and thinking he's got 12 months left on his deal with this blatantly generational-almost quality defender, which he's proven in the Premier League this season, can we get him on the cheap?

"Bids are going to start coming in for William Saliba this summer if he hasn't signed a new deal and that's going to leave Arsenal with a bit of a decision to make."

What should Arsenal do with Saliba?

The 22-year-old has been sensational for Arsenal this season, helping them sustain a title challenge before picking up a long-term injury, and the Gunners capitulated without his presence in the back line.

Mikel Arteta described him as "superb" early on in the campaign, which was his first at the club following at number of loan spells away since he signed in 2019.

Tying him down on a long-term contract should be the priority for Arsenal, and with Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale reportedly agreeing new deals, there may be hope that the Gunners can hold on to their best talents to remain at the top level for years to come.

If no resolution can be reached in the summer, Arsenal may have to consider sizeable bids for the currently injured centre-back, but they may elect to keep him and attempt to tie him down throughout his final season.

If Saliba is to depart, it would be a huge loss for Arteta, and a top-quality replacement would have to be found.

Rain caused the abandonment of the second match at Harrup Park in Mackay, between South Africa A and India A, giving the teams two points each

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2016Match abandoned
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:56

‘We’re at the peak of our game’ – Kedar Jadhav

Rain caused the abandonment of the second match at Harrup Park in Mackay, after South Africa A bowled 35.2 overs against India A. The first match there, between Australia A and National Performance Squad, had been abandoned without a ball bowled on Wednesday, due to a wet and unsafe outfield.South Africa opted to bowl on Thursday and had the India batsmen on a leash for the most part. Openers Mandeep Singh and Karun Nair put on 31 in eight overs before Nair was dismissed by Dwaine Pretorius for 15. Thereafter, No. 3 Shreyas Iyer handed a thick edge to first slip off Andile Phehlukwayo for 4, and Mandeep was bowled for 29 off 51 by medium-pacer Malusi Siboto. India were in trouble at 69 for 3 in the 20th over.They were rescued by a partnership of 70 between captain Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav. They batted together for 15.1 overs as Pandey scored 47 off 73 to continue his good form. The stand was broken when Pandey was bowled by Phehlukwayo in the 35th over. Jadhav was unbeaten on 41 off 53 and Sanju Samson on 0 off 4 when rain interrupted in the next over to put a premature end to proceedings, giving the teams two points each. Pretorius had bowled his 10 overs by then for 1 for 25 with two maidens.India A went on top of the points table with a total of 11 points from four matches, followed by NPS with 10, and South Africa A and Australia A with seven points each.